SAP has become a part of the Industrial Internet Consortium, which is involved in accelerating and promoting the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) in business.
The enterprise application software maker will be working closely with 140 other members in the Industrial Internet Consortium to provide test beds, reference architecture use cases, along with frameworks and security for IoT.
SAP IoT global co-lead Nils Herzberg said: "SAP believes strongly in the Industry 4.0 initiative and is making the same commitment to the IIC.
"We see that by joining the IIC and continuing our efforts with Industry 4.0, we will try to ensure that our customers will be the true beneficiaries from both IoT initiatives."
According to SAP, IoT is expected to connect core business systems to IoT-enabled devices at the edge of the network, which will help the businesses to get operational efficiencies and facilitate formation of a new business models from the ground up.
SAP presently helps its customers to employ practical business solutions with a range of cloud-based IoT solutions, and SAP solutions for IoT are powered by SAP HANA Cloud Platform.
SAP HANA helps businesses to produce real-time insights from sensor data, in-memory computing and geo-spatial functionality, and offers open APIs which enables third-party providers to develop IoT applications.
SAP IOT global co-lead Michael Lynch said: "With the SAP HANA Cloud Platform and next-generation IoT solutions we already bring to our customers, SAP intends to combine the untapped potential of digitisation and connectivity that is the cornerstone of the IoT.
"IIC membership shall ensure that SAP customers can drive value for their business without disruption in harmony with other IoT systems and solutions."
Industrial Internet Consortium president William Hoffman said, "SAP is already playing a role in the German-led initiative, Industry 4.0. Now, as an IIC member, they will be able to play a similar role on a global scale."
