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By Rob Garretson
Sybase and SAP used the annual CeBIT trade show in Hanover, Germany to announce the immediate availability of a new mobile business process automation tool for iPhones, Windows Mobile devices and Nokia Series 60 phones, as well as CRM software for the iPhone and Windows Mobile.
The new releases are the first fruits of the mobile partnership that the enterprise software giants launched nearly a year ago. Last March, the companies announced they would work together to give mobile workers access to business processes from SAP Business Suite 7 through the Sybase Unwired Platform. The new applications -- Sybase Mobile Sales for SAP CRM and Sybase Mobile Workflow for SAP Business Suite -- are designed to let mobile employees access business processes from a smartphone, without having to log into a virtual private network.
The applications, which have been in extended beta-testing since third-quarter 2009, according to Sybase, operate in an enterprise mode that is segregated from the personal applications on the phone to maintain security. The users’ address book data is accessed when they log into the enterprise applications -- so they can make phone calls and text their contacts -- but other personal applications are inaccessible until users log out of the enterprise apps.
The Business Suite application lets customers access workflow items and alerts, time recording, and travel requests from their smartphone. It is available now from both companies for the iPhone, Windows Mobile 5 and 6.5 devices, a the third and fifth editions of the Symbian-based Nokia Series 60 phone. Last week, the companies submitted the iPhone application to Apple for inclusion in the iPhone store, and they expect it to be available there shortly. A version for Research in Motion’s BlackBerry devices will be ready during the second half of this year.
The Mobile Sales application gives SAP users remote access to their CRM information about prospects and deals in progress, including up-to-date contact lists and analytics, from an iPhone or Windows Mobile phone, and lets them update that information from the field.
The Workflow app will costs about $10 per user, per month, officials said, and the Sales CRM license will costs about $15, not including options and any custom development.
The products are not the first mobile CRM offerings for either SAP or Sybase. Last year SAP announced a similar partnership with Sybase competitor Syclo. And Sybase has been pushing its iAnywhere mobile office products and Sybase 365 enterprise-to-consumer software for more than a year, including recently added modules for delivering SMS coupons, promoting loyalty programs, and launching interactive mobile ad campaigns.
Conspicuously absent from the CeBIT release were versions of the new mobile apps for the Palm and its WebOS, which was listed as a target platform at last year’s announcement of the Sybase-SAP partnership. The companies have not fielded many customer requests for a Palm version, officials said. They’ve gotten more queries about Google’s Android platform, which they may include in a subsequent release, they added.
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