Apple and IBM partnership is finally bearing fruits as the duo has released 10 iOS apps that intend to change the way huge industries like banks, airlines, retailers, insurance and financial service providers and even governments conduct their day to day business.
The apps in question include Advise & Grow, Case Advice, Expert Tech, Incident Aware, Passenger+, Pick & Pack, Plan Flight, Retention, Sales Assist, and Trusted Advice. Interested customers will be offered the apps as part of the bundle that includes enterprise mobility management, custom work and integration – a process that can take anywhere between few weeks to even few months for deployment.
Each of the apps is highly specific and intended for certain industry vertical with IBM having worked out how to integrate these apps with other relevant ancillary APIs and data sets.
Consider for example the Incident Aware app. This app, meant for law enforcement authorities, will enable police to look at real-time maps and video from crime scenes, while also being able to view information about victims and suspects. This will enable police to make decisions on backup request among other things.
Then there is this Sales Assist targeted at retailers who can use it to enable their employees to offer better service to their customers by providing them access to customer profiles including past purchase history among other things. Inventory management can also be carried out efficiently using the app.
As far as the airline industry is concerned, The duo have rolled out Plan Flight and Passenger+. Plan Flight enables pilots to have a look at flight schedules, flight plans, and crew manifests with the ability to report in-flight problems to crew on the ground, while Passenger+ will allow flight crew to have a look at passenger information enabling them to provide better tailored services and offers.
According to Michael Gilfix, director of enterprise mobile at IBM, the company has envisaged a 70 per cent standard and 30 per cent custom deployment model. Customers looking for custom deployment will incur additional one time charge from IBM.
As far as the pricing model goes, it is variable based on customer requirements, but the simplest model is one that demands a monthly per device subscription with the apps delivered via a cloud model. Interested enterprises will be required to contact IBM for elaborate explanation and pricing information.
