Apple teams up with Unisys on corporate accounts
Apple seems to be so serious about the enterprise that it's teaming up with an old-school integrator---Unisys.
According to Bloomberg, Apple has contracted with Unisys to sell its gear---iPads, iPhones and Macs---to corporate and government accounts. Bloomberg reports:
Unisys will provide maintenance and other services to companies and government agencies that purchase Apple devices, Gene Zapfel, a managing partner at Unisys, said in an interview. One of the first of its kind for Apple, the contract was signed this month, Zapfel said. He didn’t discuss terms of the deal.
Why Unisys? For starters, Unisys has a decent presence in government accounts as well as the enterprise. It's no IBM, but Apple's enterprise footprint is near nil. Apple probably got favorable terms from Unisys and any revenue from the partnership is largely gravy for Steve Jobs & Co.
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the Unisys partnership is that Apple is really getting focused on business. Now that word of the Unisys deal is out, look for other integrators to show interest. The big knock against Apple in the enterprise is the lack of support. These partnerships take those concerns off the table.
Related: Apple in the enterprise: Do the extra costs justify the value?
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