Introduction
The Systems, Applications, and Products (SAP) for data processing are software made by a German software vendor to prepare suitable business models (Gillot, 2008, P.279). ‘The SAP Company founded in 1972 is headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, and it is the largest global business software company ‘(SAP, 2011).
With more than 53,000 employees at various departments in more than 50 countries worldwide, the company suits itself in the all-important global markets through a global network of SAP Labs from Bulgaria, Canada, China, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, and the United States, enhancing SAP to have a local presence, while organized globally (SAP, 2011). Moreover, the company seeks to empower other companies of all sizes and industries to run better by running on a platform of service-oriented architecture (SOA), SAP Netweaver technology, and in-memory computing, all of which enable it to offer companies great flexibility and responsiveness.
SAP has various application areas including workflow, sales and distribution, production planning, human resource management, financial management, assets and material management, plant maintenance, quality management, industry solution, controlling and project implementation. The company’s major business is selling licenses for software solutions and related services including consulting, maintenance, and training services for software solutions (SAP, 2011). The software solutions are for standard business processes and technologies; but there are also specific industry-based solutions crafted to aid companies in improving their business processes to be more effective, efficient and allow for advancements.
The Product and Services features and benefits derived from enterprise and SME
Products
The SAP product portfolio contains the following key software applications: SAP Business Suite, SAP Business All-in-One solutions, SAP BusinessObjects portfolio, SAP solutions for sustainability and the SAP NetWeaver technology platform. Generally, the SAP Business Suite empowers businesses to create, customize, carryout and control business activities and processes to suit them to new strategies and IT processes.
SAP’s Business Suite consists of five enterprise applications including “SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), SAP Customer Relationship Management (CRM), SAP Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), SAP Supply Chain Management (SCM)and SAP Supplier Relationship Management (SRM)” (SAP, 2010). The SAP Business Suite applications ensure that there is rapid improvement of transparency in all business units and information silos within them, thus increasing capacity to make accurate business decisions and reducing inconsistencies. They provide a platform through which one can effectively organize the various aspect of a company such as a cost, raw inputs, labour, processes, and marketing.
The SAP Business All-in-One solution mostly handle the needs of small businesses and medium-sized companies looking for an all configurable solution to aid in the running of the business(SAP, 2011). On the other hand, the SAP Business Objects portfolio handles the needs of small to large companies. The large enterprises benefit through the following solutions from this application: first, the business intelligence solutions enable users to make applicable, informed decisions based on data and analysis (SAP, 2011).
Secondly, the enterprise performance management solution improves the company’s image and competitiveness through positioning, transparency, and improved confidence. Thirdly, the governance, risk, and compliance solutions enhance a steady balance of risk and opportunities within the business. Lastly, analytic applications enable business users to make a better decision and increase competitiveness. The SME gains from interactive, open business intelligence and performance management solutions for midsize companies and free software trials (SAP, 2011).
The SAP solution for sustainability enables enterprises to carefully manage their sustainability strategies and improve business performance (SAP, 2011). The SAP NetWeaver technology platform enables enterprises to integrate information, business processes, and technologies by laying the foundation of the SAP applications.
Services
The SAP Company offers consulting maintenance, and training services for its software solutions through the following organizations: SAP Consulting, which has a global team with diverse expertise that can help enterprises successfully implement business processes and technological changes. Secondly, SAP Active Global Support (SAP AGS) enables enterprises to effectively manage SAP and non-SAP applications improving integration, and reducing losses.
Thirdly, SAP Education enables enterprises to get high quality on-site or online courses provided simultaneously with other SAP products and training services. Thus, enterprises leap the benefits of being updated and more knowledgeable in their fields. Lastly, SAP Custom Development enables enterprises to make a wide range of customization to their processes and applications, thus improving flexibility in their businesses.
Conclusion
Through three-tier architecture, the vast ability for componentization and customization provided by SAP, every company using SAP stands to gain greatly in its processes and its future advances and updates. SAP, though expensive to acquire and maintain, provides companies with ultimate capabilities to handle all their process and solve problems arising using the best system for integration of technology systems and IT strategies (Anderson, Nilson & Rhodes, 2009, P.36).
References List
Anderson, G., Nilson, C. &Rhodes, T., 2009. SAP Implementation Unleashed: A Business and Technical Roadmap to Deploying SAP. NY: Sams Publishing.
Gillot, J., 2008. The Complete Guide to Business Process Management. NY: Lulu.com. (Online). Web.
SAP. 2010. SAP Website. (Online). Web.