Apple, SAP Partnership Focuses On iPhone And iPad In Enterprise

Apple and SAP have teamed up, in a partnership that will combine native apps for the iPhone and iPad with the SAP HANA platform, focusing on enterprise customers.

Under the partnership, Apple and SAP plan to deliver a new SAP HANA Cloud Platform software development kit (SDK) for iOS, providing businesses, designers and developers the tools to build their own iOS apps for the iPhone and iPad, based on the SAP HANA Cloud Platform.

“These native apps will provide access to core data and business processes on SAP S/4HANA, while taking full advantage of iPhone and iPad features like Touch ID, Location Services and Notifications,” Apple states.

A new design language for SAP Fiori for iOS “will take the award-winning SAP Fiori user experience to the next level by combining it with a consumer-grade iOS experience”, while a new SAP Academy for iOS will offer tools and training.

The new SDK, design language and academy are scheduled to begin rolling out before the end of the year.

Under the partnership, SAP will develop native iOS apps for critical business operations, to be built with Apple’s Swift programming language, offering “a familiar user experience with the SAP Fiori for iOS design language”.

“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,” Tim Cook, Apple CEO, commented.

“As the leader in enterprise software and with 76 per cent 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.”