The US-based devices giant Apple has joined hands with business software major SAP to bring SAP’s HANA to iOS to boost enterprise business.
Earlier, Apple signed partnerships with IBM and Cisco Systems to enable Apple products to reach more business professionals.
SAP, whose business software runs inside 87 percent of the world’s 2,000 biggest companies, said it would work with Apple to develop mobile business apps for iPhones and iPads that run on its HANA database software.
“This partnership will transform how iPhone and iPad are used in enterprise by bringing together the security of iOS with SAP’s expertise in business software,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.
SAP is the leader in enterprise software with 76 percent of business transactions touching an SAP system.
“Through the new SDK, we’re empowering SAP’s more than 2.5 million developers to build powerful native apps that fully leverage SAP HANA Cloud Platform and tap into the incredible capabilities that only iOS devices can deliver,” said Tim Cook.
The companies plan to deliver a new SAP HANA Cloud Platform SDK for iOS that will provide tools to build own iOS apps for iPhone and iPad, based on SAP HANA Cloud Platform, SAP’s open platform as a service.
Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP, said: “By combining the capabilities of SAP HANA Cloud Platform and SAP S/4HANA, together with iOS, the leading and most secure mobile platform for enterprise, we will help deliver live data to people wherever and whenever they choose to work.”
To help SAP’s 2.5-million member developer community take advantage of the new SDK and Apple’s innovative hardware and software, a new SAP Academy for iOS will offer tools and training. The new SDK, design language and academy will begin rolling out before the end of the year.
SAP will develop native iOS apps for critical business operations. These apps for iPhone and iPad will be built with Swift, Apple’s programming language, and will offer a familiar user experience with the SAP Fiori for iOS design language.
SAP applications and services enable approximately 310,000 business and public sector customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably.
Newer rivals like ServiceNow and Salesforce.com already are targeting field workers with some products that run on smartphones, Reuters reports.
According to a 2014 study by business software maker VMware, Apple’s reputation as a business-computer supplier is out of date. Two-thirds of enterprises allow employees to use Apple computers as well as traditional Microsoft Windows products.
In September last year, Tim Cook boasted that Apple’s enterprise business had generated $25 billion, or roughly 14 percent of the company’s revenue, in the past year. The vast majority of its revenue continues to come from phones, computers and related services aimed at consumers.
Apple runs its supply chain for managing its global manufacturing and logistics operations on SAP software, according to market research firm Gartner.
