An enterprise partnership between Apple Inc. and SAP SE aims to develop mobile work apps — based on the SAP HANA platform — for iOS devices including iPhone and iPad.
The agreement includes a software development kit (SDK) and training materials to enable developers, partners and customers to quickly build native iOS apps geared for enterprise businesses based on Apple’s Swift interactive programming language and the SAP HANA Cloud Platform, an open platform as a service.
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. With a community base of more than 2.5 million developers, SAP is the ideal partner to help Apple “transform” how businesses around the world are run on iPhone and iPad, said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a statement.
The native apps will potentially enable mobile workers to access enterprise data and processes from their iPhone or iPad while in the field or working remotely. For example, the tools will be designed to enable a field maintenance worker to order parts, or enable a physician to share patient data with other healthcare professionals, the company said.
While not yet available, the SDK and native apps are expected to arrive in beta later this year.