X

Apple and Deloitte partner on 'Enterprise Next' service

Consulting firm will try to help the iPhone maker boost sales of iOS devices to businesses.

Steven Musil Night Editor / News
Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. He's been hooked on tech since learning BASIC in the late '70s. When not cleaning up after his daughter and son, Steven can be found pedaling around the San Francisco Bay Area. Before joining CNET in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers.
Expertise I have more than 30 years' experience in journalism in the heart of the Silicon Valley.
Steven Musil
appledeloitte.jpg

Apple CEO Tim Cook, left and Deloitte Global CEO Punit Renjen announce an initiative to boost sales of iOS devices to businesses.

Apple

Apple announced a partnership on Wednesday with consulting firm Deloitte & Touche to boost sales of its mobile devices to businesses.

As part of the partnership, the two companies have launched a service called Enterprise Next, in which more than 5,000 Deloitte advisors will advise clients on how to make better use of Apple products and services. Deloitte's workforce already has more than 100,000 employees using 75 custom apps on iPhones and iPads, the companies said.

"iPhone and iPad are transforming how people everywhere get work done," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. "And through this partnership, we're able to help even more businesses tap into the incredible capabilities that only the Apple ecosystem can deliver."

Previously content to target consumers, Apple's outlook on business customers appears to have changed in recent years. Apple has announced partnerships with IBM, Cisco and SAP.

The deal comes as Apple faces increased pressure to find new revenue streams for its iPhone, which accounts for about two-thirds of sales but isn't selling as well as many would like. In July, Apple said it sold 40.4 million iPhones during its fiscal third quarter, fewer than the 47.5 million sold last year but better than the 39.7 million units Wall Street had estimated.