What Do Developers And Influencers Think About The New SAP Mobile Developer Program?

[Former Member]

SAP has lowered formerly-forbidding barriers for mobile developers to build within its ecosystem.

Here's the announcement from Monday. It boils down to four things:

1) A free 30-day trial to SAP's lauded mobile app development platform, SUP, and the market-leading SAP ERP application;

2) Access to the above software, including a downloadable SDK, via the Amazon Web Services hosted service (hosting fees with AWS still apply);

3) A new, simpler partner program for mobile developers, including the ability to sell their apps via the SAP Store at an attractive 85:15 split in their favor;

4) New ways for mobile developers using the popular Adobe PhoneGap, Appcelerator Titanium and Sencha Touch platforms to connect and exchange data with the SAP mobile platform.

For more, read the FAQ by SAP mobile evangelist Ian Thain or watch the recorded webcast.

Some observers criticized the use of AWS as being kludgy and not being free for developers. But initial reaction has been mostly positive:

Adrian Bridgwater, Dr. Dobbs: "SAP's mobile technology strategy has ratcheted up a gear this week with the launch of a new glut of developer services and industry interconnections."

Rick Whiting, CRN: "The latest efforts build on a series of announcements SAP made at its Sapphire Now conference in May where company executives touted channel opportunities around the SAP Mobile Platform and Afaria mobile device management software."

Dave Courbanou, Channelnomics: "SAP’s success remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: SAP is making an aggressive push into the US marketplace and its surrounding trends. Stay tuned."

 

“Providing free license and access to community resources for mobile developers is a key step in expanding SAP’s developer eco-system”, says thorstenster/blog at AOK Systems and SAP Mentor. “It adds value both to customers that will benefit from extended innovation and to developers making their engagement easier and affordable. Developers can easily start developing business mobile apps with the SAP Mobile Platform, hone their skills to mobilize existing applications,  create new apps – ultimately forming a business for themselves”.

Courtney Bjorlin, ASUG News: "Paying special attention to developers is a crucial piece of SAP’s strategy for mobile, HANA, cloud and the newer area of APIs, says (SAP's David) Brutman, who helps head a team formed in the last few months solely to engage, interact with and recruit developers (a task that used to be handled by each product team)."

Reed also told TechTarget that letting developers retain the intellectual property, i.e. the apps, that they build using the free trial of the SAP platform or sell through the SAP Store for Mobile Apps was a big deal. "They've conquered the IP ownership issue, which is no small feat for SAP."

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There will be four SAP webinars focusing on how to use mobile in different industries, including distribution, utilities, finance and chemicals. Sign up here.