SAP launches IoT cloud platform

By Business Cloud News

SAP this week pulled the curtain back on a version of its HANA cloud platform tailored specifically to Internet of Things applications, reports Business Cloud News.

The company said the private cloud service, based on its in-memory compute platform HANA, will provide the foundation for its IoT application services – analytics, telematics, its connected car services and manufacturing offerings.

SAP hasn’t commented on whether it will open up the platform for non-SAP applications. But the company said the move means it now offers an end-to-end spectrum of IoT services.

“SAP is helping customers reimagine their business with the most comprehensive portfolio of Internet of Things solutions from core business operations to the edge of the network,” said Steve Lucas, president, platform solutions, SAP.

“With the launch of SAP HANA Cloud Platform for the Internet of Things, our customers and partners now have the ability to connect anything to any app or business process in their company and business network. This will achieve operational excellence and deliver new customer experiences, products and services,” Lucas said.

As a sweetener the company will throw in free and unlimited access (for a limited time) to SAP SQL Anywhere, the SAP’s embeddable database for IoT devices, when customers sign up to use the HANA Cloud IoT service.

Siemens and Tennant are already running production deployments on the platform.

Paul Wellman, chief information officer at Tennant said: “Using SAP HANA, Tennant is able to differentiate its solutions and remain competitive in the cleaning equipment business. Now our customers can measure usage across their fleet to drive operational consistency, track machines to better manage assets and leverage this business intelligence to achieve significant cost savings.”

SAP has moved to strengthen its position among IoT incumbents over the past six months, and the company  is no stranger to data management and processing within the context of ERP, telematics and M2M.

The German software giant recently joined the Industrial Internet Consortium, an Internet of Things-focused membership group of telcos, research institutes and technology manufacturers focused on developing interoperability standards and common architectures to bridge smart devices, machines, mobile devices and the data they create. It also recently signed a deal with Deutsche Telekom’s enterprise IT-focused subsidiary T-Systems to build a cloud-based IoT platform for the connected car and logistics sectors.

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