SAP weaves growth strategy around Netweaver

SAP, the global major in enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, is increasing its thrust behind its Netweaver platform and is seeking to transform itself into a platform focussed company from a product centric one for its customers.

Netweaver is an open integration and application platform that incorporates a series of software applications such as business intelligence which work in tandem with the ERP solution.

Prior to this platform, an enterprise customer had to get these additional applications from other vendors like BEA Systems and then integrate them onto SAP's solution.

"With Netweaver, the pain of external integration is taken out as we are offering these solutions at no additional cost," said Simon Dale, VP, Business Development, SAP, Asia-Pacific.

SAP is also embracing the Independent Software Vendors (ISV) in a major way and encouraging them to develop applications on the Netweaver platform.

"There are a whole host of possibilities for ISVs to develop applications and we are looking to double the revenues from this kind of sales," added Dale. Currently, SAP rakes in $2.5 billion from selling to customers applications sourced from ISVs and integrated onto the Netweaver.

Dale further noted that if the applications from ISVs are top of the class, "there is a possibility of integrating those applications into the mainline ERP solution."

Currently, SAP's ERP has modules which covers 26 major sectors such as oil and gas, manufacturing, retail, publishing and the like.

SAP Labs in India is also playing a crucial role in enhancing this platform as the primary integration and application platform within the SAP customer base. The team in India is driving innovation on diverse areas such as development platforms, business intelligence, knowledge management and collaboration.

SAP will be also announcing a new version of its ERP solution by March which will be more flexible in its usage have a new user interface, built in business intelligence, a new backend and which will be more flexible in its usage.