It's been over 18 months since SAP AG acquired enterprise and mobile software organisation Sybase, but how has this shaped SAP and how has the relationship between the two companies developed?
California-based Sybase was acquired by SAP in May 2010. The merger was designed to bring together two IT leaders and further the theme of unwired enterprises, an idea both companies had been pursuing. It was billed as a symbiotic partnership which would allow the organisations to better meet the needs of their customers, who it was hoped would benefit from greater productivity, speed and growth.
The $5.8 billion (£3.64 billion) buy-out was hardly a surprise for many analysts and industry experts who soon spotted that it was largely to help SAP boost its business database software offerings and compete better with rivals Oracle.
This was not a claim that SAP co-chief executive Jim Hagemann Snabe ever denied and he spoke excitedly about the future of the partnership.
"Innovation around Sybase's established database business will pave the way for 'real' real-time analytics and finally remove the decade-old barrier between business applications and business intelligence," Mr Hagemann Snabe argued.
He went on to explain that by using both SAP and Sybase software and services in conjunction this "will unleash the full power of mobility".
The acquisition of Sybase also spelled the start of another successful partnership between Mr Hagemann Snabe and fellow co-chief executive Bill McDermott, after they took the reins of SAP in February 2010.
By leading the company to a successful acquisition of Sybase, the world's fourth-largest database software company, this gave SAP AG a foothold in that market and encouraged confidence in the new board and the future of the company.
Three months after the acquisition, SAP and Sybase came together for the first time to share strategy and joint product direction. SAP AG confirmed that Sybase would be run as a separate, independent unit and unveiled co-innovations in three key areas. These included enterprise mobility, business analytics and enterprise information management.
Notable successes from their partnership include SAP High Performance Analytic Appliance (SAP HANA) development and the recent Capgemeni strategic relationship to provide enterprise mobility solutions.
The Essar Group chose to take advantage of the new partnership earlier this year, by implementing the SAP HANA platform and the 4.0 release of business intelligence solutions from the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio. The business also opted for mobility solutions from SAP and Sybase to help it to mobilise its critical business functions. This was aided by the selection of the Sybase Unwired Platform for application development.
Another recent business deal includes the IT consulting company Capgemini, who entered into a joint partnership with both Sybase Managed Mobility and SAP to receive mobility offerings.
Fernando Alvarez, vice-president of the firm, said: "Now is the time to expand into this market in cooperation with SAP and Sybase, leveraging their expertise and knowledge in mobile solutions."
These recent contracts represent the continued success of the SAP-Sybase partnership and the positive reputation the alliance has throughout the industry for delivering particularly strong mobile and enterprise solutions, as well as platform hosting.
While the relationship may still be in its early stages, it seems likely that it will remain a powerful one and could help boost the profits and innovation of both organisations.
As ever I would be interested to here your thoughts on this topic.
Best regards,
Dan
