In an effort to fast track mobile application development through a standardized mobile enterprise application platform, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) and Sybase, Inc ., an SAP company and industry leader in enterprise and mobile software, today announced Sybase Unwired Platform 2.1. The latest release will enrich the mobile application development experience through significant enhancements to its software development kit (SDK) and new developer resources for the more than 2 million members of SAP Community Network . Today’s announcement was made at SAP TechEd 2011 , co-located with Sybase TechWave and being held in Las Vegas, Nevada , from September 12-16.

As enterprises adopt mobile app lications, they are often faced with point solutions not capable of accessing critical data across the entire enterprise. This release of Sybase Unwired Platform is one of the first fully integrated mobile enterprise application platforms (MEAPs) architected to leverage existing developer skill sets and industry standards, reducing the heavy lifting often required with mobile application development.

“Enterprises must include mobile as a component of their app portfolio or become non-competitive,” said Jack Gold, president of J. Gold Associates, LLC. “But native and Web mobile application development can be difficult due to the diversity of device types, backend systems, etc. As a result, there is a compelling need for a unified, standards-based platform to ease the process for developers, reduce overall cost and accelerate time to delivery. The enterprise mobility market has matured and requires mobile enterprise application platforms to develop and deploy high-value apps capable of spanning across many lines of business. There is a compelling opportunity for companies like SAP and Sybase to create a developer community and partner ecosystem that enables highly functional and cost-effective mobile apps for enterprise deployment.”

Helping Companies Mobilize through a Standardized Platform 
Sybase Unwired Platform 2.1 and mobile SDK aim to provide a collection of new tooling, server components and libraries that will enable mobile and Web developers to more easily create a wide variety of mobile applications across various device platforms, including iOS, BlackBerry, Android, and Windows Mobile. Designed from the ground up to support various types of mobile requirements for companies of all sizes, the latest platform release is planned to include support for SAP data integration through SAP NetWeaver Gateway technology. This reinforces an already strong integration story for easier development of online applications connected to SAP backend systems. Additionally, Sybase’s industry-leading mobile device management (MDM) solution, Afaria , can be added to complete the platform by enabling IT to manage mobile devices and applications.

Highlights of planned new and enhanced features for developers and IT managers include:
• Standalone SDK install for easy access/download and integration with Afaria platform libraries
• OData SDK for development of online SAP mobile apps capable of accessing data and processes from SAP systems through SAP NetWeaver Gateway
• Support for multiple application types ,including rich offline apps with data synchronization, lightweight online-only apps and apps based on Sybase Unwired Platform Hybrid Web Container

Building a Strong Developer and Partner Community Ecosystem 
SAP and Sybase today also made available new developer resources such as video training and code samples to the more than 2 million SAP Community Network members. This expansive community provides value to the overall mobile ecosystem by contributing articles, blogs, tutorials and forum participation.

“With an existing developer community network of more than 2 million members and an SAP customer base of more than 170,000, there is tremendous opportunity for SAP and Sybase to innovate around and execute on our on-device strategy,” said Dr. Raj Nathan, executive vice president, chief marketing officer and head of Mobile Applications, Sybase. “The high interest in mobile apps and online store-like environments in the consumer space is now extending to the enterprise. However, the model requires a much different architectural approach to be successful. This marks a significant release for the entire mobile app developer community and our growing partner ecosystem, as they now have a standards-based, unified platform and community program to rally around and deliver high volumes of enterprise mobility apps.”

Sybase Unwired Platform 2.1 and the mobile SDK are planned for availability in the fourth quarter of 2011. R ead what SAP and Sybase partners have to say about these offerings: “ Partners Go Mobile With Latest Release of Sybase Unwired Platform ,” and watch footage highlighting rapid mobile application development using Sybase Unwired Platform: “ Video: SAP Mobility InnoJam, July 2011 .”