Winning the Enterprise Mobility Race
By Sam Sliman, President, Optimal Solutions Integration
Implementing and running SAP is often described as a “journey,” which is a fitting metaphor -- mostly. Problem is that for many the word “journey” suggests a casual movement from one destination to the next. But we know from experience that the SAP journey can at times be an all out race fueled by competition, innovation and the unrelenting pressure to run businesses faster and better.
Enterprise mobility is a good example of a present-day race in your SAP journey, and the 4 x 400 relay is another apt metaphor for this specific race. The 4x4 requires multiple, talented runners. Each leg of the 4x4 is vital. As in all things sports and business related, victory hinges on a winning lineup. Here are the four stars of your 4x4 relay enterprise mobility race team:
1. Employees
When it comes to mobility, employees are first out of the gate. The starting gun went off for them years ago. As voracious, seasoned consumers of smartphones, tablets and mobile applications, today’s employees are well conditioned for the enterprise mobility race. Not only are they self-trained and fast learning on mobility, they also wholly expect employers to provide them with a steady stream of new, innovative mobility applications that boost productivity, empower them to work smarter and faster, and complement their fast-paced, multitasking, always-on lifestyle.
According to a Yankee Group survey, business execs predict that more than 57 percent of employees will use personal smartphones for work in 2011. Yankee Group also predicts that the U.S. mobile workforce will grow to nearly 44.5 million by 2018. According to Forrester, mobile workers globally will number 397.1 million in 2012, up from 187.9 million in 2010, an increase of 73 percent. IDC pegs the global mobile workforce growing to 1.2 billion by 2013.
You can’t beat the price of a Bring Your Own (BYO) mobile device policy, and when it comes to support, today’s mobile-savvy workers are capable of resolving the majority of mobility-related problems on their own, keeping costs low and freeing IT to accelerate innovation.
Businesses best at harnessing the pre-existing, consumer-fueled mobility skills of their employees will get off to the best start and have a decided edge in the enterprise mobility race.
2. SAP/Sybase
SAP has made enterprise mobility a top priority, and the recently released Sybase Unwired Platform (SUP) 2.1 is proof positive that SAP is in it to win it when it comes to helping SAP customers compete in the enterprise mobility race.
SUP 2.1 greatly simplifies the development, deployment and management of mobile enterprise applications by addressing pressing mobile application challenges such as back-office integration, secure enterprise access, reliable push data synchronization and support for multiple device types.
SUP 2.1 features a new, standalone SDK, numerous pre-built mobile app components and hybrid Web containers, and an OData SDK for creating lightweight, Web-based apps that easily link to SAP systems thanks to SUP 2.1’s built in SAP NetWeaver Gateway capabilities. SUP 2.1 also includes the latest version of Afaria, the Sybase device management platform recognized by IDC as an industry-leader for the past ten years.
The announcement of the SAP EAM Work Order mobile app this week brings SAP’s number of released mobile apps to 20. SAP plans to release a total of 50 mobile apps by the end of 2011, and has identified approximately 150 partner mobile apps that will likely be rolled out in the near future. SAP also is developing a mobile app store slated for launch in the first quarter of next year.
SAP’s advances with in-memory database technology signal a transformational moment in the evolution of enterprise mobility, enabling business users for the first time to instantaneously access, explore, model and analyze transactional, analytical and Web-based data in real-time in a single environment on any device.
To be sure, the SAP/Sybase combo significantly quickens the pace of the mobility race and keeps SAP customers running strong.
3. LOB Leaders
Because of mobility’s rapid time to value, relatively low cost, mature technology, and affordable service rates, enterprise mobility projects are increasingly being green lighted and budgeted by line-of-business (LOB) leaders.
LOB leaders are well positioned to identify and prioritize feasible targets for mobile applications -- from low-cost, quick-win productivity apps to more strategic and complex mobile applications that improve existing business processes and/or create new high-value processes, some of which will drive revenue.
Development time ranges from under 30 days for simple applets to 8 -12 months for mobilizing more complex and/or newly created processes.
With nearly 90 percent of Fortune 50 companies having already deployed mobile apps and 65 percent of all companies planning to deploy five or more mobile apps in 2011, the enterprise mobility race is well underway.
It is clear that enterprise mobility adoption has reached an inflection point and will continue to soar in the years ahead, and that LOB leaders will continue to help their company sustain a lead in the mobility race by discovering new areas and processes ripe for mobilization -- particularly points where corporate strategy and day-to-to-operations need tighter aligning.
4. The SAP Integrator
Enterprise mobility involves much complexity -- from the numerous mobile platforms, applications, devices, and operating systems; to increasingly sophisticated location and geo-spatial device capabilities; to security and device management challenges; to integration with back-end systems, business applications and ultimately, core business processes.
Successfully navigating mobility’s many choices and deep complexity requires a breadth of knowledge and an array of specialized business-process and technology skills that most organizations do not have in house. To fare well in the enterprise mobility race, SAP customers should seek out SAP consulting partners with the broad-based expertise to ensure all facets of their mobility strategy and execution are aligned and moving forward in lockstep at the appropriate pace.
SAP recently granted select partners the opportunity to sell Sybase-branded enterprise mobility apps and solutions for mobile application development, device management and security. As a long-term SAP partner, Optimal Solutions was tapped to provide a perspective on this development.
Said Optimal Solutions SVP Elliott Garofalo, “With several SAP-Sybase mobility solutions now in our back pocket, we can offer an extremely attractive mobility stack that integrates business processes, mobile platforms and development tools. The fact that SAP and Sybase are standing behind this offer allows us to move into the market for mobility solutions at full speed.”
In-depth knowledge of enterprise technology and mobility solutions, deep, industry-specific business process knowledge and a close understanding of what their SAP customers need most to increase productivity makes SAP integrators perfect anchors for winning the enterprise mobility race.
For more on SAP enterprise mobility, download the free Optimal SAP Advisor Report - Why SAP Mobility Now? >
