SAP Sounds Off on SOA and Collaboration
SAP's initiatives surrounding SOA and ecosystem collaboration were at the core of CEO Henning Kagermann's keynote presentation to more than 15,000 attendees at SAP's user conference, SAPPHIRE '07, held in Atlanta. There are two key business trends driving adoption of enterprise SOA, according to Kagermann: the quickened pace of change in business, and the need to differentiate through innovation. For companies to successfully operate amid these conditions, according to Kagermann, they must capitalize on business network transformation--described by SAP as the optimization of a company's network of employees, suppliers, customers, partners, and distributors to maximize the productivity of non-differentiating tasks and to accelerate innovation.
"Business network transformation has become the primary source of competitive differentiation, and to do this you need a new IT architecture," Kagermann said. "Enterprise SOA is a way to architect IT for business network transformation." He added that the company has seen SAP NetWeaver used to integrate non-SAP systems, and that according to a recent Americas' SAP Users' Group survey, more than 53 percent of respondents view NetWeaver as being their strategic platform by 2010. "We have these easy to consume enterprise service bundles, we deliver innovation faster than ever based on a stable core, and we have a cross industry platform," Kagermann said.
SAP NetWeaver with SAP ERP and productized enterprise services is the company's business process platform for enterprise SOA. The company on Tuesday provided attendees with a glimpse of what's in store for the next surge of NetWeaver functionality, which includes Web 2.0, AJAX, and rich-client capabilities for simplifying the user experience and streamlining business processes, the company said. The next generation of SAP NetWeaver BI will feature a simplified Web 2.0-based user experience, increased self-service access to corporate information for business users, and will further embed intelligence in the context of daily business process, according to the company. SAP also added that it intends to deliver SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment, a Java EE5-based set of integrated tools for the construction and deployment of standards-based composite apps.
As for Monday's announcements that SAP made at SAPPHIRE, the company announced an expanded relationship with IBM to reach SMBs in Europe and Asia-Pacific through reseller agreements for SAP All-in-One solutions, and an extended partnership with Cisco Systems to jointly develop new "network-aware solutions." SAP also announced that it teamed with Adobe to deliver SAP Enterprise Learning Environment, combining SAP Learning Solution with Adobe Connect Professional, a Web conferencing solution, and an agreement with social enterprise management (SEM) software specialist Curam Software to deliver SEM solutions to the public sector. Leo Apotheker, SAP's president of customer solutions and operations and deputy CEO, is expected to provide detail about upcoming versions of Duet during his keynote.
Related Articles
SAP Declares "ByDesign Is Here" (Sort Of)
19 May 2010
SapphireNow '10: SAP's co-CEOs deliver back-to-back keynote addresses celebrating not only their first 100 days at the helm, but also the general availability of on-demand offering Business ByDesign 2.5 — two months from now.
SAP Insists "Mobile Is the New Desktop"
19 May 2010
SapphireNow '10: SAP executives explain the recent Sybase acquisition and set a date for the general availability of on-demand software Business ByDesign 2.5.
CIO vs. CFO: The C-Suite Deathmatch
20 May 2009
SAPPHIRE '09: Experts attempt to dispel stereotypes about the battles that rage over technology-purchasing decisions.
Speed and Clarity Drive SAP's Success
14 May 2009
SAPPHIRE '09: Keynote addresses by several SAP executives reflect the company's desire to quickly deliver business value for companies during the downturn.
SAP Promises "Innovation You Can Trust"
12 May 2009
SAPPHIRE '09: SAP co-CEO Leo Apotheker lays out his company's roadmap to navigate the economic crisis. "The only antidote to uncertainty is clarity," he says.
SAP Zeroes In On the Contact Center With M&A
16 May 2007
SAPPHIRE '07 International: The company acquires Finland's Wicom Communications; expect to see more large CRM firms buying contact center companies down the pike, according to one analyst.
Extending ERP Throughout the Enterprise
06 Dec 2006
As ERP end users demand greater functionality from their solutions, companies are having to weigh the difference between richer functionality and future integration woes.
SAP Takes a Dual Approach
19 May 2006
SAPPHIRE '06: The company highlights its hybrid on-demand/on-premise CRM offering, while persistently promoting its enterprise services architecture strategy.
SAP Targets Enterprise SOA
17 May 2006
SAPPHIRE '06: Amid "the industrialization of software," the German juggernaut continues its service-based strategy.
Buyer's Guide Companies Mentioned