Apple and Salesforce Partnership: A Leg-up for In-store Innovation

For enterprises that are looking to modernize their tech stacks, here’s some welcome news: Apple and Salesforce have announced a strategic partnership. This is a big deal. Two of the world’s largest technology companies are now working together to make it easier to develop and deploy new apps for workforce operations. This partnership reinforces Salesforce’s commitment to mobile and Apple’s expansion into the enterprise.

Through this partnership, Apple aims to achieve:

• Native Salesforce iOS apps for business
• Empowering Salesforce developers on iOS
• Accelerating developer learning

Salesforce SDK optimized for iOS

A leading CRM and technology platform provider, Salesforce is redesigning its native iOS app for 2018. It is also working on a Salesforce Mobile SDK that will be optimized for Swift, the modern programming language for iOS. This partnership and the tools that will follow will open up new opportunities to harness the capabilities of iOS for enterprise.

“We’re forming a strategic partnership with Salesforce to change the way people work and to empower developers of all abilities to build world-class mobile apps.” – Susan Prescott, VP of Markets, Apple

Lightning from Salesforce provides developers with a platform for quickly creating, deploying, and maintaining enterprise apps for retail and beyond. Businesses that rely on Salesforce for customer-facing apps, associate apps, metrics, and analytics now have unfettered access to the full features and functionality of iOS. This includes Siri Shortcuts, 3D Touch, Face ID, Retina display, and the iPhone/iPad’s powerful internal camera; plus a range of other native iOS capabilities. 

“With this partnership, we’re bringing together the world’s number one CRM platform with iPhone and iPad, the world’s best devices for business,” said Marc Benioff, chairman of Salesforce.  

This is also exciting news for Aila partners and customers, who can now enable even more powerful solutions in their stores. By implementing iOS-based associate devices and customer-facing touchpoints, enterprises can speed up workflows, create more valuable customer interactions, and improve the overall customer experience. The strategic partnership between Apple and Salesforce bolsters the case for iOS as the most robust platform for enterprise. Read Apple’s full press release here. 

Want to learn more about why iOS is the best platform for enterprise technology?