DUBLIN, Calif., April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sybase, Inc., an SAP company (NYSE: SAP) and industry leader in enterprise and mobile software, today announced that Sybase, based on evaluation of Sybase® Afaria, has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. in the Leaders quadrant in its Magic Quadrant for Mobile Device Management (MDM) Software report, authored by Phillip Redman, John Girard and Leif-Olof Wallin (April 2011).(1)

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The Gartner report points out that, "by 3Q10, there were more than 30 global smartphone vendors and more than 10 mobile operating-system platforms, although the top four (Apple, Android, RIM and Symbian) control 89% of the total market. Most adopting companies that had previously standardized on a mobile platform (for example, BlackBerry in North America and Symbian in Western Europe) now need to support multiple operating systems, and Apple and Android have become more popular. However, most organizations don't have anyone responsible for managing mobile devices."

"Today's Mobile Device Management has become much more complex and savvy companies must include application management, asset control and device security for their mixed environment of task and information workers," said Joe Owen, vice president of engineering for Afaria. "These requirements are even more urgent with emerging platforms such as Android where MDM capabilities are slowly evolving but enterprises need to provide IT services to these devices in the near term. Sybase and SAP are leading the way to provide a comprehensive solution that meets the complex business mobility needs faced by today's IT managers and allows users to enjoy the benefits of mobile devices in a secure and seamless environment."

Sybase Afaria is relied upon by enterprises and managed mobility partners around the world to empower the mobile workforce and support IT departments. Sybase Afaria enables enterprise IT to fully manage and secure a wide range of personal and corporate smartphones and tablets including Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, Symbian and more, in both hosted and behind the firewall environments. Additionally, Sybase Afaria's seamless over-the-air (OTA) delivery of in-house and publicly available apps, combined with on-device enterprise portal technology ensures that only approved mobile users are granted access to internal applications and data.

According to the Gartner report, "The MDM market is quickly evolving. The requirements and definitions are changing rapidly, and vendor offerings will evolve quickly and be even more capable and mature by next year. High demand is creating a frenzy of development, as well as hope. Although many of the successful MDM providers have focused almost exclusively on mobility, during the next few years, those managing PCs will also be investing and looking for opportunities in the MDM space. Most vendors now offer on-premises or software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based tools, and more-mature managed service offerings will emerge during the next three years to drive growth in the industry."

"The IT services required in today's enterprises have moved far beyond mobilizing email and with the pervasiveness of today's devices, enterprises are recognizing the importance of controlling and securing applications as part of their overall mobile device management strategy," said Oliver Bussman, CIO of SAP. "Whether considering a SaaS or in-house approach, a comprehensive security strategy is critical to effectively manage mobile data, applications and devices. SAP and Sybase encourage enterprises to address Mobile Device Management within the larger context of their overall mobile application strategy and not as a standalone decision."

To learn more about the 2011 Gartner Mobile Device Management Software Magic Quadrant, Gartner clients may access the report on www.gartner.com. For more information on Sybase Afaria, please visit www.sybase.com/afaria.

The complete report can be found here.

About the Magic Quadrant

The Gartner Magic Quadrant is copyrighted 2011 by Gartner, Inc., and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Sybase

Sybase, an SAP company, is the industry leader in delivering enterprise and mobile software to manage, analyze and mobilize information. We are recognized globally as a performance leader, proven in the most data-intensive industries and across all major systems, networks and devices. Our information management, analytics and enterprise mobility solutions have powered the world's most mission-critical systems in financial services, telecommunications, manufacturing and government. For more information, visit www.sybase.com. Read Sybase blogs: blogs.sybase.com. Follow us on Twitter at @Sybase.

Sybase is a registered trademark of Sybase, Inc. or its subsidiaries. SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries all over the world. All other company and product names mentioned may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Forward-looking Statement

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

(1) Magic Quadrant for Mobile Device Management Software, Publication Date: April 13, 2011, by Phillip Redman, John Girard and Leif-Olof Wallin, ID Number: G00211101

SOURCE Sybase, Inc.