Apple looks to Unisys for help with enterprise, government sales

Apple is seeking to further increase its reach to businesses and U.S. government agencies with the help of enterprise technology and service company Unisys, Bloomberg reports.

Apple has signed a deal to have Unisys provide maintenance and other services for its products to businesses and government agencies — a bold new move for a company unused to relying on others for support.

Apple has traditionally focused on consumer sales. It makes sense for the company to make a greater effort to reach other markets, especially after it announced last week that businesses are already adopting its products widely. The iPhone is being deployed or tested by 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies, and 65 percent of Fortune 100 companies are using the iPad in some fashion, Apple said.

Unisys is undoubtedly more familiar dealing with businesses and government clients, so it makes a good partner for Apple’s further conquests. Unisys is already developing mobile apps for government agencies — including one used by the Department of Homeland Security that lets managers check up on border-crossing technology like cameras. The company expects to make even more apps for the government as part of its deal with Apple.

Unisys landed the arrangement in part by figuring out how to secure information sent by the iPhone. “There are all sorts of layers you have to put into it to make sure nobody can tap into it,” Unisys managing partner Gene Zapfel told Bloomberg. “We’ve put a lot of heavyweight engineering into securing the device, which, frankly, no one else has figured out yet.”