SAP, Sybase Team Up on SMBs

Making further inroads into the small and midsize business sector, SAP AG and Sybase Inc announced a partnership Monday that will combine SAPs applications offering with Sybases relational database system.

As part of the agreement, SAP, of Walldorf, Germany, will integrate its Business One software with Sybases ASE (Adaptive Server Enterprise) relational database management system.

Sybase, based in Dublin, Calif., will also work with SAP to develop and market mobile- and wireless-based software for Business One customers. The new mobile software will be geared toward specific vertical industries and geographic markets, officials said.

In addition, SAP and Sybase will both market and sell the integrated products to the SMB sector. The companies plan to home in on such companies in the financial services, health care, insurance and telecommunications vertical markets.

SAP for its part offers two lines of software for the SMB sector: Business One and mySAP All-In-One.

Less than a year old in the United States, Business One is geared toward large, global companies that have smaller subsidiaries looking for a scaled down ERP (enterprise resource planning) system that can be integrated with their larger SAP ERP system. The drawback to Business One is that its not on the same code base as SAPs enterprise products.

All-In-One is part of the mySAP family of products but relies on partners to build out vertical functionality.

The combined Business One and ASE product will be available in the second quarter of 2004.