SAP Buys Syclo, The Mobile Enterprise Specialists
The acquisition should make BYOD with SAP relatively painless
SAP, the world’s largest business software company, has announced plans to acquire Syclo, a provider of mobile applications and technologies for enterprise users, at a press conference in San-Francisco yesterday.
As smartphones and tablets are entering the workplace, SAP hopes this acquisition will enhance its mobile solutions, as well as improve mobile asset management and field service solutions on Sybase Unwired Platform.
Enabling the Mobile Enterprise
According to research by Gartner, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common Web access devices worldwide by 2013. Smartphones and tablets are infiltrating the workplace, and they need secure, convenient software to prevent BYOD policies from becoming an IT manager’s nightmare.
Syclo has more than 15 years of exclusive focus on enterprise mobility solutions, and more than 750 clients worldwide. It has been working with SAP for a number of years, offering mobile apps that help companies extend business systems developed by German software corporation to a wide range of mobile devices.
“Syclo and SAP have cultivated a strong partnership, and today’s announcement is the next step in delivering a fully-integrated mobile platform and enterprise application portfolio to both Syclo and SAP customers,” said Rich Padula, CEO at Syclo.
Key areas of Syclo expertise include enterprise asset management, field services, inventory management and workflow improvements. The solutions developed by the company appeal to both traditional mobile employees as well as an increasing number of employees in other roles who are embracing smart devices in the workplace.
“With this acquisition, SAP adds momentum to our already powerful mobile portfolio,” said Sanjay Poonen, president of Global Solutions at SAP. “Syclo brings both domain-savvy expertise and industry-leading solutions, as recognized by customers and analysts. This will drive innovation and mobility in the workplace.”
Upon receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and satisfaction of certain other conditions, SAP will acquire 100 percent of Syclo’s equity, and its employees will join SAP.
Syclo apps will be integrated with the SAP mobile platform and SAP Afaria, giving the company an edge in the growing mobile enterprise solution market. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2012.
Acquisitions seem to be all the rage these days. Just recently, SAP bought up cloud software company SuccessFactors. But it has nothing on Dell, which has been buying companies left and right like there’s no tomorrow.
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