Capgemini, VMware Team For Enterprise Mobility Management Around AirWatch
Capgemini and VMware have teamed on a strategic partnership, revealed by the two companies Tuesday, that will be centered around enterprise mobility management and end-user computing, in a move the solution provider said would help set it apart in its push into the Internet of Things.
The partnership will center around VMware's AirWatch offering, which the virtualization company acquired earlier this year for $1.54 billion. More specifically, the partnership allows Capgemini, No. 5 on CRN's SP500 list, to leverage AirWatch's Enterprise Managed Mobility solution as it bundles it with its Mobile Solutions service offerings.
The $13 billion solution provider will wrap services around the solution and tailor its deployments to specific clients and industries. The Paris-based company said base services will include AirWatch system administration, helpdesk support, mobile platform implementation, mobile application administration and AirWatch deployment. In addition to base services, extended services offered by Capgemini could include BYOD, managed mobility strategy, MDM migrations, customer application development and data analytics, the company said.
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While Capgemini already enjoys a global relationship with VMware, Senior Vice President and Head of the Mobile Solutions Global Service Line Fernando Alvarez said there is a value proposition within the bigger picture strategy and the company "felt that it was time and it was the right thing to do" to expand the partnership.
"Right now, our focus is not to do business with another mobile device management provider. We have a global footprint and we're very much providing mobile solutions around data. What was attractive about embracing this model is that there are elements of what VMware is doing today that capture our attention," Alvarez said.
For Capgemini, the bigger picture includes positioning its mobile divisions around the Internet of Things and corresponding data and analytics, which Alvarez called "the next big thing." Alvarez said embracing the AirWatch platform, in particular, will help take the solution provider to the "next level" with the Internet of Things. He highlighted the content management, mobile security and connection to the EMC family of products as key features to propel that.
The ultimate goal with both this partnership and for Capgemini's mobile solutions practice, Alvarez said, is to help position clients for the Internet of Things, including the information collected, how to monetize and gain insight from the data and how to leverage those tools for better customer relationships and growth. As mobility takes precedent in the workplace, Alvarez said leveraging mobile technology as the face, with analytics as the brain, cloud for scale and security to glue it all together will be crucial. The partnership will help bring Capgemini closer to that point, he said.
"The way we're going to grow is by helping our customers by putting very bold statements in front of them. ... We are able to make those statements because we have all this behind us after putting the business cases you can bring the tech companies to make it happen. That’s what companies are looking for. We felt this is an important element that we need to attract," Alvarez said.
"We believe it's the next way that we will be acting and behaving as thought leaders," he said.
While Alvarez said the market isn't fully mature for the Internet of Things, Capgemini is "ready to go now," and is currently working to establish itself as a thought leader in the industry. He said the VMware partnership gives the solution provider a leg up as customers begin asking about the technology and Capgemini looks to bring more solutions to market.
"This is just a piece of a bigger puzzle and I believe that [VMware] will and [does] have a role in how the market will develop in these areas...I think the winners are clearly out here," Alvarez said.
PUBLISHED SEPT. 9, 2014