Apple CEO Tim Cook says businesses have only scratched the surface of what they can do with the company’s products, and to help them dive in deeper Apple is partnering with professional services giant Accenture. Describing Accenture as “a leader in industry and digital transformation,” Apple said the partnership will deliver “innovative business solutions for iOS.”
As more and more devices become part of the internet of things, vast amounts of data are being processed and analyzed in the cloud, and this data is a key focus area for Accenture. Through its partnership with Apple, Accenture wants to help companies take advantage of the data generated by connected devices by integrating that data with iOS applications. This will empower workers to do their jobs more effectively, the companies said.
Accenture plans to create a dedicated iOS practice within its Accenture Digital Studios division in select locations around the world. Apple said it will send employees to the Accenture Digital Studios locations, including visual and experience designers, programmers, data architects and scientists, and hardware and software designers.
“By combining Accenture’s vast digital capabilities and industry expertise with Apple’s market leadership in creating products that delight customers, we are in a perfect position to help our clients transform the way they work,” said Accenture chairman and CEO Pierre Nanterme.
Accenture sees the IoT helping companies grow in three distinct ways:
1. boosting revenue by increasing production and creating new hybrid business models
2. exploiting intelligent technologies to fuel innovation
3. transforming the workforce
Workforce transformation can mean the replacement of factory and clerical workers with data scientists and coding professionals. These are changes that can lead to exponential increases in productivity, but they cannot happen overnight.
