List of Submitted Questions for SAP's Mobile Business Unit

Prashant Chatterjee, John Appleby

This is the list of questions concerning SAP's mobile strategy that readers have submitted to me over the past three days.  I am attending the SAP Influencer Summit this week and have shared these questions from the mobility teams at SAP/Sybase.  I have some answers already and will write these up in a separate article later this week.  If you would like to add a question to this list please email them to me and put SAP Influencer Summit Questions in the subject line.

Here is the latest compilation of questions submitted by readers of the blog http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/.


1. What is the financial model SAP promoting to encourage developers to adopt and propagate Sybase technology?

2. Is SAP competing with the independent software vendors? Why?

3. Will there be Android support in Sybase/SAP unwired platform ( confirmed date)?

4. When will there be BlackBerry OS 5.0/6.0 support in SUP?

5. What are the new features that will be in the next release of SUP?

6. What is the current time line for a merged Unwired/NetWeaver Mobile product?

7. Is there more specific info on the SUP product architecture that is publicly available?

8. What is SAP's take on HTML5 as a front end presentation layer.

9. Will we see an HTML5 adapter from Sybase like for iOS, RIM, WinMo etc.?

10. What is SAP’s mobile strategy for big customers for midsize and small customers? I assume the answer could be “Sybase” what I would not quote as a “strategy”. Expecting bit more content based on customers’ requirements and budgets. My experience is, that smaller companies (or with only few mobile users to start) would not go into Sybase solution because of costs and complexity.

11. What is the future ERP/ECC Licensing model for mobile solutions? Could there be a new license type for mobile solutions (other than e.g. Sybase)? There are topics like License costs for “indirect use” etc. where a “cheaper” License would be required as the user is restricted to the functionality the mobile app offers.

12. Is there a product roadmap available for the Unwired Platform and/or additional applications being developed on the platform? If the answers are no, then will they commit to a date on getting a roadmap published?

13. I would like to upgrade myself with mobile technology. Can you please help me to know how to upgrade myself with mobile tech. What sequence of steps should I follow to develop SAP mobile application knowledge?

14. How do the likes of Syclo and ClickSoftware fit into the SUP architecture? Given that SAP has a co-innovation partnership with Syclo, and a relationship with ClickSoftware, how do they see these partnerships evolving in the future? When is SAP likely to make announcements regarding this?

15. Does SUP mean the end of the Netweaver Mobile platform?

16. Industry Analysts have talked about Sybase implementations typically taking 12-15 months to go from design into production. Why does it take so long, where is the complexity?

17. How are the SAP/Sybase applications developments coming along?

18. What training plans are available for developers?

19. One of the important question we have, is that there is no Roadmap concerning applications that will be delivered by SAP through the platform Sybase? We really want to know if a new Mobile Sales will be available and when?

20. My question concerns the architecture of the Mobile Solution: 2 middlewares: SAP NW 7.1 + Sybase. When do they plan to consolidate both and how?

21. Is SAP looking at enabling the mobility for the SME customers also?

22. Is the SAP mobility solutions affordable / provide sufficient ROI to SME customers?

23. Are they seeing any demand from SME customers?

24. I would like to know to what extend does SAP have plans to use Sybase Mobile technology like Afaria and the Unwired Platform to develop mobile applications for BI/BW, or if they are going to further develop the SBO Explorer app only?

25. How SAP NetWeaver Mobile and Sup will be integrated? When?

26. Now that SAP has a SDK toolbox to mobilize some processes, we need to know where to put our effort?

27. What is the status of the project Gateway ?

28. Going Native is good but it requires a lot of knowledge. Do you think that a model driven approach + Mobile UI rendering approach (like Syclo) will be integrated within the SAP Solution.

29. How is SAP/Syclo going to move SMART solution on top of the SUP? Will SAP promote this approach?

30. Will SAP provide a methodology to mobilize processes + a roadmap to help customers?

31. What will be the evolution of the business model for SAP related mobile application? Will we get business apps at 1,99$?

32. What are the SAP recommendations in term of profile to build in an internal team that will support/develop mobile processes with SAP tools?

33. When will standard training be provided by SAP?

34. When will the roadmap be made public?

35. What applications are SAP planning to build themselves?

36. What is the future of DOE and NetWeaver Mobile – will these survive in the shakedown vs SUP?

37. There has been talk of a ‘one fits all’ SUP SDK – is this true, or will future developers still have to resort to .Net, Java and Objective C etc.?

38. Any news on SUP-enablement of Syclo?

39. Is ClickMobile really only going to be SQLAnywhere-ised? Surely that’s not a real fit with strategy?

40. What exactly are ‘Mobile Instant Value Apps’ – and does this represent a true future for SAP Mobile?

41. What will/might Gartner say in this year’s MEAP Magic Quadrant?


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Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
Phone +1 208-991-4410
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join SAP Enterprise Mobility on Linkedin:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2823585&trk=anet_ug_grppro

Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant, mobility analyst, writer and Web 2.0 marketing professional. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.