Apple launches business tools for small organizations in ongoing enterprise push

• Apple’s solution will rival Microsoft and Google’s enterprise services in the small businesses category, with up to 500 employees

• The company last year acquired Fleetsmith, which provided enterprise solutions to companies for Apple devices, for an undisclosed amount

Apple Inc on Wednesday said it’s launching a business tools service aimed at small companies with up to 500 employees as business owners looking for ways to handle employees and remote work.

The service, formerly known as Apple Business Essentials, will assist businesses with everything from device setup to employee onboarding and provide a companion app that allows employees to install work applications and manage the business.

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“It is designed to manage Apple devices across that lifecycle of the device, and it’s comprised of three core pieces. It’s got device management, along with storage, as well as support in one single subscription,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Enterprise and Education Marketing.

Enterprise solution market

Apple’s solution will compete with Microsoft 365, which has a market share of 79.6%, and Google Workspace, with nearly 2% market in 2020, according to ByBrands’s research.

Indian firm Zoho enjoys about 18.5% of the market share and is the second-largest enterprise solution provider globally.

However, Microsoft Corp and Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc dominate the U.S. large enterprise services markets while Apple is providing solutions for small businesses.

Apple’s solution

The solution will provide 24/7 Apple support and iCloud storage for a subscription, starting at $2.99and $12.99 per month per user, depending on the number of devices and the amount of cloud storage the company wants.

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The subscription service offers up to 2 terabytes of iCloud storage, and for an additional monthly cost, Apple will also provide a service to repair or replace broken hardware at a business within four hours.

However, the company has not determined the pricing for the Apple Care service.

Apple said it is currently in beta testing in the U.S. and is slated for a full release in spring 2022.

Last year, in June Apple, acquired Fleetsmith, which provided enterprise solutions to companies for Apple devices, for an undisclosed amount.

The startup built technology that takes advantage of Apple’s Device Enrollment Program, allowing IT departments to bring devices online out of the box.

Picture Credit: Apple