German software company SAP announced the global
availability of a product for companies delivering professional
project-based services at CeBIT yesterday.
MySAP Professional Services software targets professional
service companies that provide project-based offerings. This
latest product brings the number of industry-specific systems
developed by SAP to 23.
The Professional Services software helps companies plan,
organise, track and analyse their business activities, employees
and costs.
SAP also used CeBIT to announce its intention to collaborate
with Vodafone and HP in delivering mobile business systems and
services to enterprises in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Under the agreement, SAP will provide its Mobile Business
software while HP will offer a range of hardware, such as
notebooks, Tablet PCs and mobile printers, and services, including
consulting and systems integration. Vodafone will provide network
connectivity.
Fielding questions at a news conference, SAP chief executive
officer (CEO) Henning Kagermann said the company's US launch of its
Business One software for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
has been delayed. it required some additional features and the need
to build a new distribution channel, resulting in the delay, he
said.
Kagermann declined to say when the software would be available.
In Europe, Business One has about 1,300 customers and 100
distribution partners.
SAPreleased details of a beefed-up version of its enterprise
resource planning (ERP) application that may appeal to existing or
potential customers daunted by the prospect of rolling out the full
set of mySAP software.
The product will bundle previously separate applications,
including the SAP portal and exchange products, as part of the core
offering. While customers can buy the product without having to
also license customer relationship management or other modules,
there will be core functions embedded in it, such as analytics for
human resources and financials, said Deborah Schmidt, global vice
president of enterprise solutions.
Schmidt said SAP was exploiting its NetWeaver integration
platform that will deliver portal, marketplace and business
intelligence functions. This way, customers who primarily want ERP
functions but also need some other functions, such as business
analytics, will have a way of getting it more easily without
procuring the full mySAP licence.
MySAP ERP is available now.