Apple & SAP Launch Partnership to ‘Revolutionize’ Business Apps

Apple today has announced that it has partnered with SAP to “revolutionize the mobile work experience” for enterprise customers. The partnership will bring a new iOS software development kit and training academy so that developers, partners and customers can build native iOS apps according to their needs.

The result of the joint effort will be a new SAP HANA Cloud Platform exclusively for iOS. The SAP HANA Cloud Platform is a platform-as-a-service for extending, integrating and building apps. These native apps built using the SDK will provide access to core data and business processes on SAP S/4HANA, and will also take full advantage of iDevice features such as Touch ID, Location Services and Notifications.

“This partnership will transform how iPhone and iPad are used in enterprise by bringing together the innovation and security of iOS with SAP’s deep expertise in business software,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “As the leader in enterprise software and with 76% of business transactions touching an SAP system, SAP is the ideal partner to help us truly transform how businesses around the world are run on iPhone and iPad. 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.”

“We’re proud to take this special partnership between Apple and SAP to a groundbreaking new place,” said Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP. “In giving people an agile and intuitive business experience, we empower them to know more, care more and do more. By combining the powerful 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. Apple and SAP share a commitment to shaping the future, helping the world run better and improving people’s lives.”

There will be a new SAP Fiori for iOS design language, and the 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, the press release reads.