Tangoe, SAP Ink Integrate MDM and Telecom Expense Management

Telecom expense management and mobile device lifecycle management vendor Tangoe, Inc. (TNGO) has has inked a deal with SAP AG (ADR) to integrate Tangoe’s Mobile TEM (telecom expense management) software suite with the SAP Mobile Secure portfolio.That portfolio includes SAP Afaria 7.0. What does this agreement mean for both companies? We’ll provide the details.

The agreement calls for joint development of interoperability between SAP Afaria mobile device management software (MDM) and Tangoe’s procurement, fulfillment, invoice processing, expense allocation, asset management, plan optimization, catalog management and carrier payment capabilities, the companies said.

Tangoe founder, President and CEO Al Subbloie said in a prepared statement that this agreement is an important step to a potential “multi-phased relationship” with SAP.

“More importantly, the agreement brings together one of the industry’s broadest enterprise mobility software providers and a leading provider of Mobile CLM solutions in order to more fully address the number-one trend impacting enterprises today — mobility management,” he said.

SAP Technology Solutions and Mobile Division President Sanjay Poonen said focusing on one aspect of mobility management is not the way to go, and we must instead take a look at the whole entire mobile ecosystem.

“The exponential growth of enterprise mobile computing requires robust and globally available solutions to proactively manage mobility usage,” he said. “We anticipate that our software development cooperation agreement with Tangoe will expand the SAP Mobile Secure portfolio to manage mobile communications in addition to mobile devices, applications and content.”

SAP Afaria is a MDM solution that secures devices, content, apps, and communications.

SAP recently unveiled SAP Mobile Secure, an enterprise mobility management solution portfolio, that includes device security and app management, app security and management, and content security.