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Further demonstrating its focus on building, nurturing and supporting a broad ecosystem of partners around its solutions for small, midsize and large customers, SAP AG (NYSE:SAP) today announced plans to unify its various partner activities into a single, powerful program designed to make SAP the clear partner of choice in the business software marketplace. The expanded program, known as SAP® PartnerEdge™, will encompass thousands of partners who resell, build, implement or provide services for SAP products and solutions. The program will also include enhancements to SAP Partner Service Benefits Package, including additional training, marketing and other resources to help partners deliver long-term satisfaction to SAP customers. The announcement was made at the EMEA Enterprise Services Partner Summit, being held in Amsterdam on Oct. 17.One Partner Program, Multiple Partner Tracks
SAP PartnerEdge currently serves indepdendent software vendors (ISVs) focused on developing solutions for SAP® Business One and mySAP™ All-in-One applications, and the value-added reseller (VAR) partners who sell and implement them. Over the next 12-18 months, SAP intends to evolve SAP PartnerEdge to offer a single, world-class structure to serve ISV, systems integrator (SI) and technology partners that build solutions with SAP technology for customers of all sizes, not just in the small and midsize enterprise (SME) space. With the lines blurring between VARs, SIs, and ISVs, SAP PartnerEdge will be extended to provide a comprehensive business framework and offer unprecedented support beyond its initial rollout to partners serving SMEs to partners that sell, as well as partners that deliver, build upon and support SAP technology, as well.
“As SAP continues to invest in expanding our partner ecosystem, we’re listening to the feedback from our partner community,” said Rami Branitzky, senior vice president, global software solution partner program, SAP. “For years, software vendors have established partner programs based on who partners are versus what partners do. SAP’s intent is to evolve its partner program to meet the changing needs of the global partner community, while fostering new models of co-innovation.”
Partners Power Up Across the Globe
Since the program launch in mid-2005, SAP PartnerEdge has introduced a series of key enablement components, including e-learning curricula available in nine languages to more than 2,000 partner organizations; an online partner collaboration network involving 3,000 users and over 300 partner solutions; and ongoing global sales training and education programs for partners serving small and midsize customers. Rolling out steadily across the globe, SAP PartnerEdge is now live with full deployment activity in SAP’s EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions, with ongoing deployment planned through early 2007 in both North and South America.
Increasing numbers of channel partners are taking advantage of the program’s educational benefits, with more than 1,300 new partner representatives achieving certification to sell and consult on SAP’s solution and service offerings since the new curriculum was made available. The volume and speed of partners achieving certification highlight SAP’s commitment to channel enablement and building a highly qualified partner channel network that avoids over-saturation in geographic, industry and solution markets.
“Successful partner models depend on mutual trust, support and the ability to deliver on commitments,” said Peter Geelen, general director at mYuice, a successful partner selling, implementing and supporting SAP’s SME offering, based in Den Bosch, Netherlands. “The tools and increasing enablement we are receiving through SAP PartnerEdge have introduced a new level of responsiveness, focus on our business and overall engagement that has substantially enhanced our relationship with SAP and ability to serve customers.”
New SAP Partner Service Benefits Package for Quality Customer Support
Addressing a key issue for channel partners to support their small and midsize customers, SAP has introduced enhancements to SAP Partner Service Benefits Package, a comprehensive package of technical, service and educational enablement benefits that includes:
Proactive Technical Advice – provides a single point of contact, the Partner Services Advisor (PSA), who provides support on SAP PartnerEdge inquiries and guidance on organizational and content-related activities. The PSA proactively contacts partners to define a tailored service plan based on individual partner demands and requirements.
Technical Services – puts partners in touch with multiple experts within SAP who support the development, implementation and operations of SAP solutions.
Enablement Support – provides “how-to” information on integration and certification services, release strategy and product roadmaps for solutions and partner program.
Knowledge Transfer – provides 24/7 access to a pre-defined set of online self-service business and technical educational offerings, including role-based curricula enabling partners to develop their skills and prepare for certification programs for both partner employees and partner-developed software.
“In a move to continue to enhance the total partner experience, we are evolving SAP PartnerEdge to take a more holistic view of how partners engage with SAP,” said Donna Troy, executive vice president, Global SME Indirect Channels, SAP AG. “By offering multiple tracks under the SAP PartnerEdge umbrella, we are continuing to build out the programs, tools and resources available to our partner community to ensure they are supported in the best way possible and can focus on what is most important – our mutual customers.”
EMEA Enterprise Services Partner Summit
The EMEA Enterprise Services Partner Summit is the opening event of SAP® TechEd ’06 in Amsterdam and provides SAP’s software solution provider and implementation partners with an opportunity to learn more about the services, resources and programs available within the SAP ecosystem. For more information on the EMEA Enterprise Services Partner Summit, please visit http://www.enterpriseservicesforum.com/
SAP® TechEd ’06 in Las Vegas, Tokyo, Amsterdam and Bangalore
More than 15,000 SAP customers, partners and technical community are convening at SAP TechEd ’06 to learn how to transform existing business processes and IT landscapes and take advantage of the power and flexibility of enterprise service-oriented architecture. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, SAP’s largest ecosystem education event of the year offers more than 900 hours of lecture-driven and hands-on sessions. Following successful events in Las Vegas, Nevada, Sept. 12 – 15, and Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 5 – 6, SAP TechEd is being held in Amsterdam, Oct. 18 – 20 and Bangalore, India, Nov. 8 – 10, 2006. For more information, please visit www.sapteched.com
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