Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Cloud
    • Networking

    SAP Cloud, Application Strategy Taps Into SuccessFactors Acquisition

    By
    Robert J. Mullins
    -
    May 15, 2012
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      SAP is rolling out a suite of cloud-delivered applications that are tied to its February acquisition of SuccessFactors. The strategy is to offer cloud computing and application services for businesses in four specific categories: people, money, customers and suppliers.

      SAP executives detailed the company’s new cloud offerings at the Sapphire Now conference, which kicked off May 15 in Orlando, Fla. The new cloud-based suite of services is another stage in SAP’s evolution, as it moves away from being an on-premise software provider to a company that offers applications and services through the cloud that can be delivered to any device, anywhere.

      The first new offering is the people solution, which combines SAP’s payroll management software with SuccessFactors’ human resources offering, called Employee Central. The money solution manages corporate financial processes, including order-to-cash and invoice-to-pay, as well as travel expenses. It also integrates with Employee Central.

      The customer solution offers customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities that SAP says go “beyond the outdated capabilities of existing cloud-based sales force automation tools” by adding social media capabilities, such as the SAP Social Customer Engagement OnDemand application. It also integrates with on-premise SAP applications such as its Business Suite software and a CRM product. Finally, the supplier solution is based on the SAP Sourcing OnDemand solution for strategic sourcing, supplier and contract lifecycle management.

      SAP’s cloud strategy shows that the on-premise based enterprise software company is getting serious about the cloud, according to a blog post by Forrester analyst Stefan Ried.

      “SAP’s new cloud strategy is all about business applications in large enterprises,” Ried said. “[It’s] a significant move to offer business applications for large enterprises rather than just SMBs [small and midsize businesses] and a few niche cases.”

      The announcements at Sapphire Now and the SuccessFactors acquisition highlight the rivalry between SAP and Salesforce.com, which delivers CRM and other business applications in a software as a service (SaaS) model. Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff and SAP Chairman Hasso Plattner famously debated cloud versus on-premise software in a public forum in Silicon Valley in 2008. Benioff said SAP’s on-premise platform was outdated, while Plattner said customers want to be able to customize software for their unique needs, something they can’t do with a cloud-delivered application.

      SAP is also developing its cloud strategy to compete against Oracle, whose CEO, Larry Ellison, initially also dismissed cloud computing, but in February acquired Taleo Corp., a maker of cloud-based HR software, for $1.9 billion.

      SAP also announced at Sapphire Now support for another growing trend in the enterprise with a new series of mobile software applications for interacting within the enterprise and with customers. The business applications address travel expense management, training, preparing for a customer briefing and workplace safety. The consumer mobile apps enable mobile banking and mobile payments.

      Robert J. Mullins
      Robert Mullins is a freelance writer for eWEEK who has covered the technology industry in Silicon Valley for more than a decade. He has written for several tech publications including Network Computing, Information Week, Network World and various TechTarget titles. Mullins also served as a correspondent in the San Francisco Bureau of IDG News Service and, before that, covered technology news for the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. Back in his home state of Wisconsin, Robert worked as the news director for NPR stations in Milwaukee and LaCrosse in the 1980s.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×