Hasso Plattner’s message at SAPPHIRE NOW 2010 was unmistakable: He took to the stage with his iPhone and iPad and demonstrated how to use the on-demand solution SAP Business ByDesign on mobile devices – including business intelligence functions. Plattner’s demo set the course for SAP’s strategy for the upcoming years: Business software for smartphones and mobile applications is set to dominate the market.

At the sixth Mobile Business Conference, held on July 8 and 9, Thorsten Stephan from SAP had little more to add to the company founder’s presentation when he revealed the company’s mobile business software strategy. As well as on-premises and on-demand, SAP will focus on on-device – in other words, software for mobile devices and mobile applications that you can obtain from a cloud, similar to using a service catalog. For example, it should soon be possible for users to research credit information by smartphone during visits to customers, without having to schlep along a laptop. As Stephan said, mobile applications that you can purchase or hire from a cloud according to need are a great opportunity for SAP partners, who can develop and configure these mini programs.

What’s more, SAP also thought of its customers’ customers. The mobile CRM software will also be enabled for bonus programs and payback systems. When shopping online, customers have to register and verify their identify using their e-mail address or cell phone number anyway. Similarly, they can also participate in bonus programs using e-mail or their cell phone.

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