SAP and Sybase roll out enterprise mobile apps

SAP and Sybase have launched a new series of mobile apps based on the Sybase Unwired Platform. The effort is aimed at enterprises a number of business verticals, including manufacturing, consumer products, utilities, high-tech, oil and gas and retail.

The joint strategy is designed to help quickly equip enterprises with a mobile workforce, the companies said. According to a survey of IT decision-makers by Forrester Research, 75 percent of organizations deploy mobile applications to increase worker productivity, and more than 60 percent of companies will make mobile applications a priority over the next year. The study cites improved customer satisfaction as the driver of mobilizing applications for 42 percent of firms.

The first apps to be introduced focus on field service, retail execution, work order processing and productivity, but the companies plan to expand into human resources, procurement, finance and sales in short order.

“SAP and Sybase plan to offer a robust portfolio of apps, from simple to complex,  across all industry verticals,” said Dan Ortega, senior director of product marketing for Sybase. “Our partner ecosystem will build around 80 percent of the apps, and SAP will be build around 20 percent. We will provide a comprehensive platform and tools for the rapid development of these apps.”

According to Jack Chawla, senior director of technology marketing for SAP’s mobile business unit, enterprises will turn to a platform like this for reasons to avoid the complexity of assembling their own mobile workforce strategy or buying apps ad hoc.

“Developing mobile applications without a platform like SUP is complex,” Chawla said. “A mobility platform is required to effectively access varied back-end data sources, as well as to connect to the variety of mobile devices found in a typical enterprise.”

Enterprises also need a platform to scale across the potential range of applications required, all of which need to be developed quickly and managed in a consistent and secure manner, he said. Platforms like this also boost an enterprise’s flexibility and offer more variety.

“Mobile devices span a wide variety, including smart phones, tablets, POS terminals, auto telemetric devices and more,” Chawla said. “You need a platform that abstracts the individual nuances of these devices from the programmer.”

Chawla added that enterprises will be well-equipped to evolve in a rapidly changing mobile environment.

“SAP believes that just like the internet transformed how business was conducted, enterprise mobility will do the same in even more pervasive and profound ways,” he said. “We want to help our customers transform and grow their business by leveraging mobile technologies and processes.”