Putting Sybase in SAP Mobility Context (Near-Term)
By Rory Doherty, Editorial Director, Optimal SAP Advisor

 

SAP’s $5.8 billion bid for Sybase has generated considerable media coverage and underscores SAP’s commitment to enterprise mobility, but for many SAP customers, the near-, mid- and long-term impact of this transaction on their enterprise mobility initiatives remains unclear. Here are a few points that will help bring clarity to the SAP/Sybase merger in the context of near-term enterprise mobility.

 

Instant SAP credibility in enterprise mobility

 

By the end of 2010, according to Gartner, 1.2 billion people will carry mobile devices capable of providing a rich environment for the convergence of mobility and the Web. Affinity for smartphones, proliferation of converged mobile devices, and pressure to increase worker productivity make the time for enterprise mobility now. To satisfy the pressing customer demand for enterprise mobility, SAP needed to make a bold and decisive move, which it did in its bid for Sybase.

 

Sybase is the global leader for SMS and MMS interoperability with reach to 850+ mobile operators, 4 billion subscribers and the processing of more than 1.4 billion messages per day. Add to this thousands of enterprise customers currently using its mobility solutions, and it is undeniable that Sybase brings to SAP instant credibility in enterprise mobility, something SAP was struggling to achieve on its own with its NetWeaver Mobile offering.

 

(For more on smartphone growth and SAP’s enterprise mobility push, read The Smartphone Revolution: Coming to SAPPHIRE NOW and Prime Drivers for SAP Mobility)

 

Accelerated SAP enterprise mobility

 

SAP’s play for Sybase is not a bolt out of the blue. The two companies have partnered since March of 2009 as co-innovators collaborating on the delivery of SAP Business Suite software to mobile devices. In connection with this, Sybase recently received the SAP Pinnacle Award in the “Technology Innovator of the Year” category.

 

The fruit of the SAP/Sybase partnership available today includes products such as Sybase Mobile Sales for SAP CRM and Sybase Mobile Workflow for SAP Business Suite. These “out-of-the-box” mobility solutions are the first of many soon to hit the market as SAP and Sybase further integrate their solutions.

 

Equally important is the immediate availability of the Sybase Mobility Platform to SAP customers and partners. The recently unveiled Sybase Mobility Platform integrates best-in-class mobility servers, mobile applications and mobile services and allows SAP, SAP customers and SAP partners to quickly develop and bring to market an expansive array of enterprise-class mobile applications that unlock additional value from SAP solutions.

 

Tune in for the next installment of Optimal SAP Advisor for an examination of the near-to-mid-term impact of the SAP/Sybase merger on enterprise-mobility.