Last summer right about this time, you probably received an email from us summarizing the big news that Apple and IBM agreed to join forces to transform enterprise mobility. The two tech giants promised to unveil a new class of more than 100 industry-specific enterprise solutions including native apps for vertical markets ranging from retail and airline to banking and insurance developed exclusively for iPhone and iPad. We’re now seeing this plan, known as MobileFirst for iOS, come to fruition.
Throughout the past eight months, the duo has released roughly eight to 10 apps at a time targeting various specific vertical markets. In December 2014, 9to5 Mac reported:
“The apps launching today through the partnership include Plan Flight and Passenger+ for the travel industry, Advise & Grow and Trusted Advice for the banking and financial industries, Retention (insurance), Case Advice and Incident Aware for government, Sales Assist and Pick & Pack for retail, and Expert Tech for telecommunications industries. Apple notes that the apps offer customizable experiences and are ‘managed and upgraded via cloud services from IBM specifically for iOS devices.’”
As 2015 has progressed, Apple and IBM have launched several new sets of apps targeted at new industries, including healthcare, industrial products and mortgage lenders, as well as a category announced in its newest set of apps released this week called “employee experience.” The four apps within this category are:
- Travel Plan iPhone – This app helps workers plan business travel by reviewing their calendars and identifying possible trips. The app can also look over a person’s travel history and suggest bookings for things like hotel accommodation.
- Travel Track – Available for iPhone and Apple Watch, gives business travelers their itinerary, providing time- and location-based push notifications on items like meeting times and when a flight starts boarding. The app also uses analytics to figure out co-workers who are on the same trip and connects them.
- Shift Track – Both this app and the one listed below target businesses with hourly and shift workers, such as restaurants. This app, for iPads, lets managers review employee schedules, make changes based on when coverage is needed and reply to vacation requests.
- Shift Sync – Employees can access this app on their iPhone or Apple Watch to view their schedules, trade shifts and submit vacation requests. The app also displays available sick days and vacation days.
The other apps within this release make use of device cameras and microphones, as well as predictive analytics and iBeacons in very unique ways. (Read a complete overview of each new app from InfoWorld.)
As Apple and IBM continue to evolve how companies leverage mobility, we can only excitedly anticipate the next set of apps on the horizon. In the meantime, we want to hear from you. Are you using any of these apps within your organization? With what success? Call or email us an update!
