Now that the Apple-IBM MobileFirst program for the enterprise is well underway towards reaching their stated goal of having 100 custom iPad apps for the enterprise by years' end, we learn today that IBM has launched new cloud-based IT services to help clients quickly, easily and securely integrate Macs with their enterprise systems and applications.

This new offering from IBM MobileFirst Managed Mobility Services is designed to help large enterprises incorporate Macs within their IT infrastructures – a rising requirement, as more clients adopt or allow the use of Macs by their employees. Shipments of Macs are growing faster than the industry average, and the Mac has outgrown the PC industry every year for the last decade

With these new services, clients can order Macs and have them delivered directly to their employees without any additional set-up, imaging or configuration, saving time, reducing costs and creating a great employee experience. Employees can then quickly, easily and securely gain network access, connect to email and download business applications. The services also can support personally owned Macs that are authorized in a bring-your-own-device environment.

The new services feature the Casper Suite from JAMF Software, the leading software solution for helping clients quickly set up and deploy Macs, including MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini, iMac, and Mac Pro. With the combination of Casper Suite and IBM's enterprise integration and support services, clients can work with IBM to directly procure, integrate and manage Macs across their IT infrastructures and employee bases. These services also can support clients who choose to deploy both Macs and iOS devices within their enterprises.

Dean Hager, CEO, JAMF Software stated that "Today's announcement is a powerful testament to the growing demand for Apple technology in the enterprise and to the strong relationship between IBM and JAMF to help organizations inventory, deploy and secure their Apple devices. This is a great opportunity for us to work with IBM in helping businesses and other large organizations succeed with Apple."

This new offering is an enhancement to IBM's MobileFirst services portfolio, specifically designed to support Macs. It complements existing IBM enterprise services supporting iOS devices, including iPad and iPhone, creating a comprehensive suite of services for enterprise deployment and management of Apple products.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook noted during Apple's January Financial Conference Call that the alliance is on track to have over 100 apps by year end. Over 130 major companies are expected to adopt the MobileFirst system using iDevices this year alone. The latest round of MobileFirst iPad apps were rolled in late July with new segments being introduced.

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