Mobility Options Availed for Enterprises through SAP Mobility

SAP has always been known for providing businesses with enhanced enterprise resource management (ERP) solutions. However, the rise in the usage of mobile devices has compelled SAP to develop effective mobility solutions, and today SAP managed to transform itself into a leader in the enterprise mobility space. SAP mobility has become very important for most of the present-day mobility programs. 

 

Evolution of SAP Mobility Platform

As time passed, SAP wanted to enable its customers to leverage mobility services in a much better way. That is when they shifted their focus their efforts on developing the SAP Cloud Platform Mobile Service. Later that it was evident that SAP needed to beef up the mobile offerings of the organization, and that is when the SAP Mobile Cards for Android was launched. 

 

Soon after that, the SAP Cloud Platform for Android was launched as well. Further, SAP partnered with the iOS giant Apple to provide customers with iOS SDK, making it much easier to develop rich, complex, native iOS applications. The SAP users from Europe hugely welcomed this development as it is known to be the market with the most potential because of the large mobile internet base.       

 

However, that does not change that Android was still one of the most important components of SAP's mobility portfolio. Nonetheless, announcements about the iOS SDK release have customers a much-needed option to develop robust and attractive mobile applications. 

 

But let us not forget about SAP Fiori that has existed in SAP's ecosystem for quite a while and is adaptably designed to be used on mobile devices. However, the mobility requirements of the market are changing at an unprecedented pace, mainly driven by cross-platform solutions, Internet of Things (IoT), offline capabilities, among many other. This makes it challenging to determine how SAP mobility fits in the service ecosystem to get the most out of it. Therefore, let us take a detailed view to get a better understanding.

Prospects for Organizations to Develop Mobile Applications

 

SAP Mobile Platform SDKs for iOS and Android

SAP provides its customers with mobile SDKs through the cloud platform across native platforms like iOS and Android or, as seen in some cases, through Hybrid platforms. SAP mobile applications can be developed on either one of the two SDKs, SAP Mobile Platform SDK and SAP Mobile Platform SDK for iOS. Further, another option is available for the developers to leverage the SAP Fiori to reuse different design elements for iOS.

 

Apart from all the other factors, the most influential factor here is the business's requirements that determine which will be better for the company. As mentioned earlier, there have also been cases where an application was too complex, which meant that enterprises had to leverage the hybrid system equipped with numerous frameworks and technologies.   

 

All in all, businesses that wish to leverage SAP Mobility have the following options in front of them:

 

Native Development: This option is excellent for businesses equipped with dedicated developers for both Android and iOS and a considerable budget to bring about much-improved performance and productivity. 

 

HTML5 or Hybrid Applications: Businesses can leverage Sybase Mobiliser, SAP NetWeaver Gateway, and Syclo Agentry to develop hybrid mobile applications. However, there might be certain conditions or consequences for developing hybrid mobile applications, such as slow performance, and few organizations can make this compromise.

 

Cross-Platform Development: We all know that cross-platform development is not very good for developing complicated mobile applications based on SAP. Nonetheless, it is great for developing less complex and more straightforward mobile applications. In cross-platform development, developers can use Appcelerator, Nativescript, or even React Native. 

 

When it comes to React Native, developers can use the SAP Hybris-as-a-Service (YAAS) to develop native mobile applications. However, developers must not forget to note a couple of issues with the performance in React Native and optimize them accordingly. Otherwise, it may lead to further unwanted complications in the process of developing a mobile application.  

 

SAP Fiori: Businesses can leverage the SAP Business One Service Layer to develop SAP Fiori mobile applications that would be hybrid by nature. 

 

Infrastructures Offered by SAP to Enable Customers Develop Native Mobile Applications:

SAP is known for providing its customers with some top-notch mobility infrastructures that include mobile services through the SAP Cloud Platform that was earlier known as the SAP HANA Cloud Platform that rallies the highly effective SAP S/4 HANA and other third party systems. 

 

Further, one also gets access to different back-end services, including push notifications, analytics, offline access, logging, and business logic. In addition, there are some highly effective platform services offered by SAP, such as integration, identity and API management, security, and the SAP HANA database.  

• If an enterprise requires SDK for developers, they can use the SAP mobile platform for iOS and Android.
• If the requirement is for SAP back-end systems, they can leverage the SAP Hybris-as-a-Service(YAAS) and the SAP S/4 HANA.
• Organizations can use the integration, identity, SAP HANA, security, and API management if the enterprise requires cloud platform services.
• When organizations require mobility services, SAP provides them with business logic, engagement analytics, push notifications, offline access, and, lastly, tracing and logging.
  

Conclusion

One thing is clear the SAP provides organizations with numerous options to fulfill provided their mobility requirements. However, always make sure to evaluate the needs of the business before choosing any of the SAP mobility solutions. The best thing to do here is leverage SAP consulting services and find the ideal mobility solution for the enterprise.