AT&T and business software giant SAP have partnered to help simplify the development of mobile apps for businesses.

The SAP Mobile Platform, which includes tools for app development, security and management, will be offered to AT&T business customers from the final quarter of 2013.

Businesses will be able to develop, launch, distribute and manage mobile apps that integrate with existing backend systems, whether they are provided by SAP or a competitor.

AT&T business customers will also have access to a library of pre-packaged mobile apps.

Chris Hill, senior VP at AT&T Business Solutions, said customers are looking to “truly change the way they work” with apps that go beyond voice, data and email. The partnership with SAP will help businesses “achieve new levels of productivity and innovation”, he added.

With its Mobility Solutions Services, which manages entire app projects for customers, AT&T said it offers “one-stop shopping” for organisations that want to rapidly go live with mobile apps.

The development of business apps can be expensive and time consuming.

According to research published in July, a quarter of enterprises spend more than $100,000 on average developing individual mobile apps. In addition, more than half of respondents to a survey by backend-as-a-service vendor AnyPresence said that it takes at least three months to develop an app.