Apple and Cisco team up for business iPhones and iPads

Apple and Cisco will work together to deploy iPhone and iPads more efficiently on Cisco business networks. Among other things, iPhones should work better in combination with Cisco telephony and video technology.

Cisco and Apple speak of a ‘fast lane’ for enterprise users of iOS. The companies pledge to optimize Cisco networks and iOS devices so they can interact more efficiently and reliably. Specifically, they say that the iPhone should work better with desk phones. In addition, Cisco points to the arrival of better support for iOS in its Spark, Telepresence and WebEx services.

Apple has been trying to gain a foothold in the business market for some time now. A year ago, Apple announced that it would be working closely with IBM for this. As with IBM, Apple’s ties to Cisco have not been nearly as warm in the past. In 2007, Cisco sued Apple for trademark infringement related to the “iPhone” name. Cisco then said that it had owned the iPhone brand name since 2000 and that it wanted to use it for its own VoIP products. Later in 2007, they reached a settlement.

In the business market, smartphones and tablets are increasingly being used for business applications, and Cisco hopes to capitalize on Apple’s success in the mobile market.