SAP, Sybase Announce Applications for iPhone, Windows Mobile

SAP and Sybase have partnered to push two applications for mobile workers seeking to use their smartphones to execute specific business processes. The two products are Sybase Mobile Sales for SAP CRM, which gives road warriors access to SAP CRM 2007 through either an iPhone or Windows Mobile smartphone, and Sybase Mobile Workflow for SAP Business Suite, which allows business processes such as workflow alerts, time recording and travel requests to be filtered through a secure e-mail inbox.
Both products have been built on the Sybase Unwired Platform, with an eye toward extending the reach of SAP Business Suite applications.
“Over the last few years, we have seen significant shifts in the expectations of end users and their relationship with enterprise software,” Kevin Nix, SAP senior vice president of Business Solutions and Technology, wrote in a March 2 statement timed to coincide with the company’s announcement at the CeBIT trade fair. “The new generation of business users demands immediate access … any time, anywhere, using mobile devices.”
SAP originally announced its partnership with Sybase, which provides enterprise and mobile software, in March 2009. The partnership’s first order of business was to enable SAP Business Suite 7 to fully run on Apple iPhone, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry smartphones and other mobile devices, using Sybase’s mobile enterprise application platform to engage with SAP’s CRM solutions.
The partnership is not exclusive, leaving both companies open to exploring deals with other software- and middleware-producing entities.
In recent months, SAP has undergone a management shakeup, naming a new chief operating officer and elevating the executive vice president of SME (small and midsize enterprise) to the executive board, in a sign of the company’s increased focus on that market segment. On Feb. 7, CEO Leo Apotheker announced his resignation, following the company’s report of a 12 percent drop in operating income and a 9 percent drop in revenue for 2009.
Increased cost pressure on many of SAP’s customers following the global recession has led the company to take steps such as offering Business Suite 7 in modules without requiring an upgrade to the whole platform. SAP has also partnered with Microsoft, IBM and others to help sell its products through new channels.