SAP and Sybase Show Off Mobile Applications

Rather than build its own mobile computing platform, SAP opted to partner with Sybase to integrate the Unwired Platform for mobile applications that Sybase developed with SAP Business Suite applications, said Vinay Iyer, SAP head for CRM marketing.

The first two mobile computing platforms to be supported are Mobile Windows and the Apple iPhone. Support for additional platforms such as the Blackberry from Research in Motion (RIM) and Google Android devices are expected later this year.

The first two SAP applications to leverage the Sybase platform are a Sybase Mobile Sales for SAP and Sybase Mobile Workflow for SAP Business Suite.

Mike Munroe, director of business development for Sybase, said it took the two companies the better part of a year to roll out these first two applications because of the deep level of integration between the Sybase Unwired Platform and the NetWeaver backend software that SAP applications rely on.

For IT managers, he said this level of integration is going to be critical because long-term customers are going to have to support multiple mobile computing platforms, which Sybase software allows them to do without having to recompile every application for each platform.