|
Page 1 of 2
By Bob Violino
Like other enterprise software application vendors, SAP has plunged into service-oriented architecture technology in a big way and industry analysts say the German software giant, which built its business on its enterprise resource planning software, is trying to leverage its position in the enterprise application market and offer CIOs a one-stop shop for SOA technology.
In marketing its SOA offerings, SAP is emphasizing ease of adoption and making a SOA implementation "relevant to the business needs of its customers," according to a spokeswoman.
To that end, it provides SOA solutions tailored to 26 specific industries. The banking solution, for example, includes support for functions such as analytics, compliance, deposits management and loans management, while the telecommunications solution supports functions such as network lifecycle management, marketing analytics, sales and service fulfillment and customer service.
SAP counts among its SOA customers Arla Foods (consumer products), Hubert Burda Media (media), Gisa Gmbh (IT service), Jebsen & Jessen (wholesale distribution), Valero Energy (oil and gas), Eastman Kodak (chemicals) and Phillips (high technology).
"Mass adoption of SOA is currently underway," says Chris Horak, head of marketing for SAP NetWeaver. "More than 6,700 customers have adopted SAP's approach to enterprise SOA" since the vendor completed its SOA roadmap last year, he says. SAP offers the service-enabled SAP Business Suite, pre-packaged enterprise services, and SAP NetWeaver, which provides the technology foundation for SOA.
But customers are succeeding with SAP's SOA tools whether or not they use the industry-specific packages.
To showcase how customers are leveraging enterprise SOA for business success, SAP in 2007 launched an enterprise SOA contest that recognized the efforts of customers and business partners that have created "a new breed of composite applications to achieve significant business impact," according to the company. More than 30,000 votes were cast against a list of the top 10 entries, determined by a panel of industry experts. Sharp Electronics was honored as the winner for its advanced use of enterprise services and portal technology to drive sales and customer satisfaction.
Next: What Sharp Did
|
