The Smartphone Revolution: Coming to SAPPHIRE NOW

By Sam Sliman
President, Optimal Solutions Integration, Inc.

 

SAPPHIRE is always about new industry trends and breaking developments. After a rough 2009, SAP posted solid Q1 results in 2010 amid signs that innovation within SAP and the SAP partner ecosystem is gaining steam. In Optimal’s view, reinvigoration of “enterprise mobility” is one of the most significant developments of the last year, fueled by the increasing power (and prevalence) of the smartphone and the broadening array of mobile enterprise applications. Extending its applications to mobile devices is a top priority for SAP in 2010, and enterprise mobility is sure to permeate many of the sessions and drive much of the innovation showcased at SAPPHIRE NOW in Orlando.

Why enterprise mobility will be in high gear at SAPPHIRE

According to the U.S. Labor Department, business sector productivity increased at a 3.6% annual rate during the first quarter of 2010, well above the 50-year average growth rate of 2.1%. In fact, the U.S. productivity growth rate has remained well above the 50-year average since Q2 2009. The big question from economists today is whether this stretch of high productivity is the result of working harder or working smarter. Productivity gains from working harder, conventional economic wisdom holds, are typically short-lived, unsustainable. If this is true then it appears we are working smarter, and smartphones, expected to exceed 65 million in 2010, could very well provide the boost businesses need to keep productivity high.

Macroeconomic speculation aside, the truth behind our prolonged productivity increase is most likely a mixture of both -- we are working harder and smarter. I know at Optimal we worked hard through the recession helping our customers realize maximum value from their SAP investments. But like all growing businesses committed to delivering value, we’re constantly on the lookout for ways we can work smarter. Internally, as well as for our customers, we never stop searching for ways to leverage technology in a manner that reduces costs and makes sustainable productivity gains possible.

A workforce liberated from having to do everything from behind a PC can have a huge impact on the enterprise if widely put into practice. Employees untethered from PCs are more productive and free to work anytime, anywhere -- even while on the move. While enterprise mobility is not a revolutionary notion in and of itself, we are most certainly seeing marked advancements on the mobility front as virtual organizations and teams grow in number and employees increasingly want more flexibility in their work schedule and location. Enterprises that make this flexibility possible for their employees stand to reap tremendous benefits.

This in turn brings enterprises face-to-face with another emerging reality -- one that can truly have positive bottom-line impact. Because people are willing to adopt modified processes if it makes them more productive and allows them to work at their own pace, entire processes can be reengineered to make them more effective and efficient. This is an avenue for innovation that can and will lead to increased productivity, improved competitiveness and better profits for practically any enterprise willing to make the mobile plunge.

Enabling a process for the smartphone user is a great way to extend the value of your SAP investment. For years SAP and SAP customers have wanted to get the power of SAP into the hands of more users who can benefit from the substantial investments made in backend SAP systems. SAP understands the great potential of this opportunity, wedding its ‘on-device’ initiative to the company’s stated goal of reaching a billion end-users. Now, with the emerging portfolio of enterprise mobile applications, there is a clear and viable path to accomplish this. You will see this dynamic in full force at the upcoming SAPPHIRE events.

Enter Vivido Labs

With a highly mobile workforce and an SAP back office, we at Optimal recently started to reap the benefits of enterprise mobility by taking advantage of the growing popularity and affinity for smartphones among our employees. We’ve begun by enhancing the ability of our 600-plus workforce to enter time and expenses remotely, easily, accurately, and in a manner that reflects our adherence to principles of sustainability. For this we chose the offering from Vivido Labs, a leader in enterprise mobility solutions on the smartphone platform. We are impressed by the range of Vivido Labs’ portfolio of mobile applications that easily integrate with an impressive array of backend SAP and other business enterprise systems.

Understanding enterprise mobility in the context of the smartphone revolution, SAP’s product road map and today’s hyper competitive, work-smarter-not-just-harder business climate is vital to realizing the sustainable productivity gains your enterprise needs to successfully compete and achieve growth goals.   

You will have an opportunity to meet with both Optimal (Booth 3321) and Vivido (Booth 3414) at SAPPHIRE, as well as with other vendors of mobile enterprise applications. Check them out. The time for mobility is now – don’t be left behind!

 

For the latest smartphone stats, SAP executive mandates, and more Optimal perspective on enterprise mobility, check out Optimal SAP Blog: Prime Drivers for SAP Mobility.