Apple and SAP have entered into a partnership to combine iOS apps with the functions of the SAP Hana platform. In addition, developers are to be supported with training and tools to create their own native iOS apps.
"We are proud to take this special partnership between Apple and SAP to a new groundbreaking level," said Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP. "By enabling people to have an agile and intuitive business experience, we are empowering them to know more, care more and do more. By combining the powerful capabilities of SAP HANA Cloud Platform and SAP S/4HANA, along with iOS, the leading and most secure enterprise mobile platform, we will help put data at people's fingertips in real time, wherever and whenever they choose to work. Apple and SAP share a commitment to shaping the future to improve the world and people's lives."
Apple and SAP are planning a software development kit (SDK) for companies, designers and developers. This should make it easier to develop your own iOS apps based on the SAP Hana Cloud Platform. These apps should be able to access the business processes in SAP S/4HANA and at the same time use the functions of Apple devices.
This should enable users to access important data, processes and user interfaces and make decisions or initiate actions from their iPhone or iPad
"This partnership will transform the way iPhone and iPad are used in the enterprise by bringing together the innovation and security of iOS with SAP's deep expertise in business software," said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. "As the market leader in enterprise software and the fact that 76% of all business transactions involve an SAP system, SAP is the ideal partner to help us truly transform the way companies around the world do business. Through the new SDK, we are empowering the more than 2.5 million members of the global SAP developer community to build powerful native apps that take full advantage of the SAP HANA Cloud Platform and unlock the incredible possibilities that only iOS devices offer."
The two companies also want to jointly develop native iOS apps for business-critical core processes. These are to be developed on the basis of Swift, Apple's programming language. They are to be similar to SAP Fiori for iOS in terms of operation.
The SAP Fiori for iOS designer language combines the design possibilities with the user-friendliness of the Apple operating system. SAP Academy for iOS provides tools and training to help SAP developers use the SDK and Apple's hardware and software. All tools and training courses are to be made available before the end of 2016.
Sources: SAP, Apple