Syclo

Syclo was a United States-based enterprise mobility software company that developed platforms and packaged applications for employees working away from a central office. Founded in 1995 in Illinois by Richard Padula, the company grew out of an earlier consulting project that produced a wireless order-entry system for field workers at Sprint Nextel. Its principal technology was designed to connect handheld computers, smartphones, and other mobile devices with enterprise applications and back-office systems. The company operated in the mobile enterprise application platform market, sometimes described as the MEAP sector. Its software extended enterprise resource planning, enterprise asset management, customer relationship management, and field-service processes to technicians and operational staff. Syclo concentrated particularly on industries in which workers maintain widely distributed or high-value physical assets, including utilities, oil and gas, and life sciences. These customers often require offline-capable workflows, synchronization with central systems, device management, and structured data capture in locations where connectivity may be unreliable. Syclo's principal platform was Agentry, a mobile application development, deployment, and management environment. Agentry used a fourth-generation programming approach and supported the construction of wireless business applications without requiring each customer to build a completely independent mobile architecture. The platform also incorporated mobile device management capabilities. On top of Agentry, Syclo marketed the SMART Mobile Suite, a collection of workflow-oriented applications for functions such as field service, inventory, and asset maintenance. The company established an early healthcare reference deployment in 1998, when Rush University Medical Center became the first organization identified in the available reference material to implement the SMART Mobile Suite. Over time, Syclo reported deployments across more than 750 customers, 35 countries, and 20 industries. Its products were positioned as operational software for technicians, field engineers, warehouse personnel, and other mobile workers rather than as consumer applications. On April 10, 2012, SAP announced an agreement to acquire all of Syclo's equity. The financial terms were not disclosed, and the transaction was expected to close during the second quarter of 2012. Following the acquisition, Syclo became part of SAP's mobile software activities and its technology was incorporated into SAP's broader mobile platform and enterprise application strategy. The standalone Syclo brand was subsequently phased out, so the company is treated as a defunct independent brand even though elements of its technology continued within SAP offerings.

Syclo's origins were connected to Competitive Advantage Systems, a consulting business associated with Richard Padula. That firm developed a computer-based wireless ordering system for Sprint Nextel field workers. The project demonstrated the need for software that could connect mobile employees with enterprise processes, and Padula founded Syclo in 1995 in Barrington, Illinois, to pursue that opportunity. In 1996, Syclo introduced Agentry, its flagship mobile development platform. Agentry was intended to provide a reusable foundation for building, deploying, and administering wireless business applications. Rather than treating mobile software as a separate consumer-style product, the platform focused on extending established enterprise systems to technicians and staff operating outside a central office. Its capabilities included support for mobile workflows and embedded device-management functions. Syclo subsequently developed the SMART Mobile Suite as a set of workflow-specific applications built on Agentry. The suite addressed operational activities such as field service, inventory handling, and maintenance of enterprise assets. These use cases were especially relevant to utilities, oil and gas, life sciences, healthcare, and other sectors with distributed workforces and expensive physical infrastructure. Mobile applications could be used on handheld devices, smartphones, and mobile computers, allowing staff to access or update enterprise information while working in the field. Rush University Medical Center in Chicago became the first organization identified in the available historical material to deploy Syclo's SMART Mobile Suite, doing so in 1998. This early healthcare implementation illustrated the company's broader strategy: provide specialized mobile workflows while linking them to enterprise resource planning, enterprise asset management, customer relationship management, and related back-office systems. Over the following years, Syclo operated in the mobile enterprise application platform market. Its commercial proposition combined a development and runtime platform with packaged applications, helping organizations deploy mobile processes across multiple departments and industries. The company stated that the SMART Mobile Suite had been implemented by more than 750 customers in 35 countries and 20 industries. Its focus remained business mobility for field technicians, service personnel, warehouse employees, and other workers whose jobs required access to enterprise data outside a conventional office environment. SAP announced on April 10, 2012, that it intended to acquire all of Syclo's equity. The announcement did not disclose the transaction value and indicated an expected closing in the second quarter of 2012. The acquisition gave SAP additional mobile application technology and industry-specific field-work capabilities at a time when enterprise customers were increasingly adopting smartphones and tablets. After the transaction, Syclo became part of SAP and its technology was integrated into SAP's wider mobile software activities. The independent Syclo identity was eventually discontinued, making the brand defunct as a standalone company while its technology and concepts continued to influence SAP mobile offerings.

1. 2012SAP announces acquisition

   SAP announced plans to acquire 100 percent of Syclo's equity in a transaction whose financial terms were not disclosed.

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2. 1998First reported SMART Mobile Suite deployment

   Rush University Medical Center became the first organization identified in the reference material to deploy Syclo's SMART Mobile Suite.

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3. 1996Agentry platform introduced

   Syclo introduced Agentry, its mobile application development, deployment, and management platform for wireless business applications.

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4. 1995Syclo is founded

   Richard Padula founded Syclo in Illinois after an earlier consulting project produced a wireless ordering system for Sprint Nextel field workers.

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Enterprise mobile application and field-work software provider for asset-intensive industries.

• AgentryMobile enterprise application platform1996

  Agentry was Syclo's core mobile enterprise application platform. It provided a framework for developing, deploying, and managing wireless business applications and was designed to connect mobile workers with enterprise systems. The platform used a fourth-generation programming approach and included mobile device management capabilities. It served as the foundation for Syclo's workflow-specific application products and supported mobile use cases involving field service, asset maintenance, inventory, and other operational processes.

• SMART Mobile SuitePackaged mobile enterprise applications

  SMART Mobile Suite was a collection of workflow-oriented mobile applications built on the Agentry platform. It was aimed at organizations whose employees performed service, maintenance, inventory, and other operational work away from a central office. Syclo positioned the suite for sectors such as utilities, oil and gas, life sciences, and healthcare, and reported implementations with more than 750 customers across 35 countries and 20 industries.

• 2012SAP agrees to acquire SycloM&A

  Syclo operated in mobile enterprise software, while SAP was expanding its capabilities for mobile access to enterprise applications and business processes.

  What changed. SAP announced an agreement to acquire all of Syclo's equity. The announcement stated that financial terms were not disclosed and that closing was expected in the second quarter of 2012.

  Aftermath. Syclo became part of SAP, and its technology was incorporated into SAP's mobile software activities. The independent Syclo brand was later phased out.

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• 2012SAP announces agreement to acquire Syclo

  SAP announced plans to acquire 100 percent of Syclo's equity, bringing the mobile enterprise software provider into SAP's mobile technology portfolio. The financial terms were not disclosed.

  M&A
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1. Syclo