Microsoft and SAP, a German business software maker, have been working together for over 20 years. Today, Microsoft has announced an extension of their partnership with SAP in enterprise cloud computing, mobile devices, and other areas. By the end of next month, SAP will certify a number of their business applications to run on Microsoft Azure, including SAP Business Suite software, SAP Business All-In-One solution, SAP Mobile Platform, SAP Adaptive Server Enterprise (SAP ASE) and the developer edition of the SAP HANA platform.
“Monday’s announcement aims to extend the companies’ long-term partnership in three critical areas: enterprise cloud computing with business-critical SAP applications certification for Microsoft Azure; improved interoperability between data from SAP applications and Microsoft Office, including general availability of connectivity between SAP BusinessObjects business intelligence (BI) solutions and Microsoft’s Power BI offering; and mobile productivity with expanded development and support for Windows and Windows Phone 8.1,” according to SAP.
Moreover, the companies mentioned that customers will also have the ability to connect Microsoft Excel to SAP’s business intelligence platform and software. Microsoft is also planning on taking Windows Server to the cloud. Both companies will also develop and co-market SAP mobile apps for Windows.
“We know people want to be productive on the devices they love, wherever they are, which is why many of our customers’ favorite SAP applications already run on Windows and Windows Phone. Today, that gets even better. New, industry-specific apps for retail and banking, as well as updated versions of the SAP Mobile Platform with SDK’s for Windows and Windows Phone 8.1 are on their way. Previews will be out before the end of 2014 with general availability anticipated in 2015. Of course, customers will be able to manage and better secure all of these applications with Windows Intune and SAP Mobile Secure, giving enterprises the flexibility and control they need” said Takeshi Numoto, Corporate Vice President, Cloud and Enterprise Marketing, Microsoft.
Further reading: Cloud, Microsoft, Mobile, partnership, productivity, SAP
