Samsung and SAP to team up at MWC to show how Android can help the business sector

Samsung and SAP AG are reportedly going to announce at Barcelona that they have shaken hands on a joint venture to help show off how useful and safe the Android OS is for business. SAP is the global leader in enterprise software and already has access to the boardroom of many corporations. People familiar with the unannounced plans say that the duo will combine on email encryption as well as device-management systems that can be used on handsets to remotely update software and turn the camera on and off.

SAP's deal with the Korean based manufacturer is its first such agreement for Android  flavored phones and follows similar deals with RIM for the BlackBerry OS and Apple for iOS. Samsung is trying to gain more acceptance in the boardroom for Android, and now is seen as the perfect time. In the fourth quarter of last year, the most recent three month period completed,  Android ran on more than half of all smartphone models while sales of handsets that can handle business email and streaming video rose 47% to 149 million units.

With BlackBerry seen as vulnerable before shifting to a brand new OS, now would be the best time for Android manufacturers to launch an attack on the corporate world. Ulrich Trabert, a software analyst at Bankhaus Metzler in Frankfurt said, "Companies need more pre-configured tablets and smartphones which comply with their advanced security requirements, naturally, SAP is looking for a partner who is dominant on the Android platform."

Samsung spokesman Jason Kin confirmed that Samsung and SAP will be making a joint announcement at MWC 2012, which starts in Barcelona on February 27th. Kin would not reveal the nature of the announcement and SAP would not comment. The latter's acquisition of Sybase in 2010 for $5.8 billion allows businesses to use SAP software on smartphones and tablets.

Don't forget that phoneArena will be in Barcelona next week for MWC 2012 and we will be offering our usual complete and timely coverage of the expo.

source: Bloomberg