RIM and SAP Bring CRM to Blackberry

By Greg McNevin

May 6, 2008: CRM specialist SAP is pushing into portables, announcing that it will be integrating its software with RIM’s incredibly popular Blackberry handhelds.

Co-developed by SAP and RIM, the move could usher in significant changes to the customer relationship management (CRM) landscape, as it would give mobile workers full access to SAP’s software from virtually anywhere, at anytime.

Nicknamed “crackberry”, the handheld has a reputation for addictiveness as it is always connected, however, this will certainly be a positive feature in the minds of companies when it comes to CRM, particularly given the focus on better customer relations at the moment in Australia.

“This is a major win for RIM and for SAP, but much more importantly for any mobile professional that works anywhere in the world today,” said Bill McDermott, president and CEO of SAP Americas, Asia Pacific and Japan. “They don't want to be chained to a desktop or tethered to the wall; they want to be out on the street selling something to somebody who needs a solution.”

“[They] will have applications, business processes and productivity on [their] hip," said McDermott.

SAP says that it expects its CRM application to be integrated with the device over the next few months, with more of its business applications, such as enterprise resource planning and supply chain management suites, to follow suite afterwards.

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