Introducing SAP Mobile Start

Let’s consider customers who use one or more SAP S/4HANA systems as their Digital Core. The landscape can be diverse with on-premise, cloud, and hybrid deployment options coming into the picture if they use multiple SAP LoB solutions, for example, SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP Fieldglass, and so on.

The customers may have built custom processes and apps to meet their requirements, which should be consumed along with the standard business content. The end users may also need to process tasks and notifications from multiple back-end solutions.

There may be external users who connect from outside the core network, for example, partners/end-consumers who access the content via the internet, own employees who may be working from home or while on the move, and so on.

The customers' IT teams will need to make the business content available for the end-users in an efficient way, irrespective of the deployment model in play. Security and authorization of business data is also a key consideration.

End users will need an easier way of accessing the apps, irrespective of which SAP LoB solution is behind that app and which deployment model is used.

The answer to these requirements is a central entry point in the cloud, which is based on SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition.

The business content from SAP LoB solutions can be federated or manually integrated into this service and made available on a launchpad site on SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP).

Working styles have been drastically changing across industries with mobile becoming the prevailing experience and a critical driver for process innovation. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the transformation towards a hybrid (onsite/remote) way of working.

Business processes are increasingly becoming automated. Data generated by intelligent, connected devices are reshaping the core processes of many industries. What does not change is that the people (end users) need to be at the heart of their business processes (and the software solutions that enable these processes), calling for experiences that truly matter to them and help to get their job or tasks done anytime, anywhere, regardless of their work style.

The Intelligent Enterprise should therefore be a people-centric system that adapts to the business needs by providing contextually relevant insights to users, allowing them to make informed decisions in real time and from anywhere.

SAP Mobile Start is the native mobile application (native entry point) for all SAP users that addresses those needs, tailored to their tasks and workstyle. It brings the content that is deployed on SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition.

• Native notifications and business widgets on the device home screen allow the mobile user to access important tasks and take direct action, anywhere and anytime. The notifications are also presented in the notification center within the app.
• Native device search (only supported by iOS using Apple Spotlight Search) allows users to search and open native and web-based apps.
• Voice commands using Siri shortcuts enable the end user to monitor their business, for example, overdue receivables or the days sales outstanding (DSO) figures via Siri voice commands. New voice commands can be created using Apple Shortcuts. Find more information on the SAP Help Portal.

SAP Mobile Start brings the content from a launchpad site created using SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition. It also integrates with device features, for example widgets, native notifications, and so on, as outlined in the previous section.

SAP BTP is a technology platform that brings together data and analytics, artificial intelligence, application development, automation, and integration in one unified environment. It gives you access to a wide range of services that can be leveraged when extending or integrating other solutions.

SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition is one of those services that enables organizations to establish a central entry point. The following services are automatically provisioned as part of SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition:

• Notification service – can federate notifications from SAP solutions, for example, SAP S/4HANA
• An instance of SAP Mobile Services – allows administrators to adjust security and other settings for SAP Mobile Start, for example, passcode policy, theming, and so on.

Business content from SAP LoB solutions can be federated or manually deployed on a launchpad site created using SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition. The focus for this learning journey is SAP S/4HANA and SAP S/4HANA Cloud. Integration with SAP S/4HANA uses Cloud Connector and SAP S/4HANA Cloud uses communication scenarios, as covered in later units.

Note

The platforms/products supported by SAP Build Work Zone, standard edition is covered in help.sap.com; this includes SAP Business Suite. However, the mobile app has SAP S/4HANA as a system prerequisite; refer to help.sap.com.