For the most part, SAP has relied on
partners and resellers to deliver feature-rich SAP
mobile applications and fill the void of SAP's
limited mobile technology and feature functionality. So what does SAP's
acquisition of Sybase and its new platform mean for solution providers pitching
mobile offerings that plug into SAP?
Sybase has built a solid OEM business with mobile application and mobile
reseller players. Many of them embed a variety of Sybase products from the
database to the device management piece in their own solutions.
"There may be some overlap between us and the point players, and we will
begin to offer more SAP apps on our
platform," says Sybase Senior Vice President Gary Kovacs. But Kovacs
thinks there is enough business to go around.
"There are 100,000 SAP customers before you get into the midmarket,"
says Kovacs. "There is a lot of opportunity. Our partners are using best
of breed and innovating in the vertical application space. This means partners
can spend less time on the platform piece and focus on their vertical
integration piece. We don't have any of that."
Syclo, an enterprise mobile application and platform provider with a long
history in the mobile workforce space, has a strong and close co-innovation and
reseller relationship with SAP. At the Sapphire conference May 17, the company
also unveiled some new mobile applications for BlackBerry that fit into Research
In Motion's new "Super App" strategy.
The Syclo Smart Service Manager and Smart Approvals Manager solutions help
companies extend their use of the SAP ERP and SAP CRM applications to
BlackBerry smartphones, and take advantage of the native controls on the new
BlackBerry 5.0 platform.
When asked about the Sybase acquisition and what it meant for the industry, Syclo
CEO Rich Padula said, "It certainly elevates the mobile message and, as
they say, the rising tide lifts all boats."
Padula said he believes that Syclo's sweet spot with SAP is not affected by the
Sybase acquisition.
"SAP picked Sybase, RIM and Syclo as co-innovator partners, and carved up
the areas along those lines and expertise," Padula said. "We focus on
the mobile workforce and line of business applications. Sybase was brought on
for mobile CRM sales. SAP defined it before and nothing has really changed. The
acquisition doesn't change the strategy for co-innovating with the leaders in
their respective spaces."
The acquisition and the release of Sybase's new platform also provide a solid
opportunity for solutions providers who want to provide value-added integration
and software services.
Kovacs says Sybase plans to rely on its partner base heavily to implement and
sell the Mobility Platform. "Industry partnerships are very important. We
are enabling an ecosystem to integrate it. We have 15 world-leading SIs, and
more regionally."
The new SAP, post-acquisition and with Sybase's platform, could also spell a
brave new mobile world for the enterprise solutions space. SAP may be getting
into the cloud act. The new platform packaging may lead Sybase to become a
delivery platform for application and solution providers, allowing those
partners to focus on their applications and solutions while SAP/Sybase becomes
a cloud for mobile solutions of all types.
Kovacs says Sybase isn't there yet, but may get there over the next three
years.
Together, Sybase and SAP will, no doubt, become an industry force to be
reckoned with. That is, if the acquisition happens. The blogosphere is abuzz
with rumors that Hewlett-Packard may be interested in Sybase as well, which
makes a whole lot of sense after its recent purchase of Palm.
In reaction to the rumors, the week of May 17 an investor out of New
York filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block the
acquisition, citing terms that "operate as deterrents to other potential
bidders, ensuring that SAP acquires the company."
Regardless, together, the two companies are changing the game. And together they
just may have the gumption, the customer base and the software assets to lead
the mobile realm. After a decade of stalled market growth and perpetual
waiting, there are a lot of people (including me) looking forward to finding
out.
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