DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/17 August) – A global information and communication technology company has introduced mobile applications specifically designed for small and medium enterprises (SME) here in a summit last week.
Darren Rushworth, country managing director of SAP Philippines, a large enterprise software application company, said these mobile solutions depend on the kind of business but the most commonly purchased is the basic business application.
He said most of mobile applications that SMEs in the country purchased are those that are used for inventory of stocks, approval systems, purchasing and financing.
“Mobile phones will be the main way people access technology. In the future, SMEs will be using more mobile phones to do their computing and buying, instead of laptops and desktops.
Desktops are almost dead. Laptops are taken over now by tablets and mobile phones altogether.
Absolutely, I think that’s the future,” he said.
The software that the company provides, he continued, is a development platform, which means the user develops his or her application and does not have to worry about the device, its brand and operating system.
Rushworth said the users of SAP applications in this city have businesses that are in transportation, chemicals, health care, education, utilities, consumer’s products, retail and agriculture.
Call or contact centers are also using these applications for leave application, recruiting, training, managing and other people applications, he added.
The SAP SME summit, with the theme “Innovation Starts Now,” had its third leg here after kicking off in Manila and Cebu in June, presenting to the participants trends and developments in the SME sector.
Bien Tolentino of Mustard Seed System Corporation, one of SAP’s 13 local resellers with only three in Davao, said cloud computing and e-commerce or online selling are the new trends among SMEs.
He said most of his company’s customers are from retail and distribution of goods and hardware businesses, adding that local support is being provided in its seven branches in Mindanao, including Davao and Cagayan de Oro.
The main product promoted in the summit is the SAP Business 1, which is a fully integrated application designed for SMEs, which can be used in mobile phones, Tolentino said added.
SAP’s other resellers likely participated in the summit, particularly Fastrack, Ansi, and Kaisa Consulting. Its partners were also there – ABM Global Solutions, Cisco Philippines, Dell Philippines, Orix Metro Leasing and Finance Corporation, Panduit Lamco and Questronix. (Lorie Ann A. Cascaro / MindaNews)