IBM
on Thursday unveiled a centre in Bengaluru that develops enterprise apps for
Apple's iPhones and iPads. Called MobileFirst for iOS Garage, it's the fifth
such centre in the world and is also the only facility that encompasses the
full suite of apps functionality from designing and development to testing, and
finally helping enterprises with integration and implementation.
The
IBM programme, which has 500 developers across the five centres, is looking to
double its headcount by end of this year, said Mahmoud Naghshineh, general
manager, Apple partnership at IBM.
The
iOS Garage programme is part of a partnership that IBM entered with Apple two
years ago. IBM has generated more than $1 billion in revenue through this
programme. It has worked with clients for over 2,000 such projects developing
over 100 enterprise apps across 15 industries. "The India team has had a
big role in developing and implementing those 100 apps," Naghshineh added.
The
four other centres are in Atlanta, Toronto, Chicago and Cupertino (inside the
Apple campus).
The
apps are developed based on client requests and requirements. The developers
use Apple's Swift language and Naghshineh said the company sees plenty of Swift
developers in Bengaluru. IBM and Apple also train the engineers at the centre.
"We
see the conversation shifting from wanting a single app to cultivating a
broader business transformation led by mobile. Our global network of
MobileFirst for iOS Garages are a key accelerator for our clients and a
significant differentiator for IBM," Naghshineh said. IBM is also planning
to open such centres in China, Brazil and Romania soon to serve clients in
those respective regions.
There
are 22 interdisciplinary teams working in the Garage in Bengaluru. The centre
can develop most apps within 6-8 weeks. "We work to mask the complexity in
the legacy systems being used by our clients. The final product will have
simple user interface and experience to make employees happy," said
Naghshineh.
Kalyan
Jewelers, one of the leading jewelers in the country, is a client. IBM has also
developed for the airline industry an app that helps flight attendants to help
passengers with new flight bookings in case of delays or cancellations.
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