|
Welcome to the Microsoft Partner Solutions for SAP ISV
Alert
By
Sean Thompson, Managing Director, SAP Strategy
Welcome to the Microsoft Partner Solutions for SAP ISV Alert, created
to help our partners be the first to know about news regarding
Microsoft’s technology and marketing offerings surrounding SAP.
Congratulations on being one of our founding subscribers. The primary
goal of Microsoft Partner Solutions for SAP is to make sure our
partners are aware of -- and utilize -- all of the opportunities
created by the Microsoft platform for SAP. We believe that these Alerts
will be a great communication tool for that goal. The Alerts are
designed to be more flexible than a regularly distributed newsletter;
instead of a set distribution schedule, you can look forward to
receiving an Alert whenever we have relevant news to share.
The Microsoft value proposition helps organizations increase the value
of their SAP investment with people-ready solutions that bridge the gap
between structured business processes and the familiar work environment
of their end users. The results speak for themselves: Over 58,000 SAP
installations run on Microsoft Windows -- more than all other platforms
combined. 2/3 of all new SAP installations are on Microsoft Windows,
and 42% are deployed on Microsoft SQL Server. Customers have
successfully deployed SAP on SQL Server with over 2500 concurrent
users. AND more success stories are happening every day.
Our goals for the Microsoft platform for SAP are simple:
|
1.
|
Increase
employee productivity by providing a familiar
Microsoft environment.
|
|
2.
|
Drive
business performance by providing employees fast
access to relevant business data throughout BI platform.
|
|
3.
|
Simplify
interoperability with an integrated application platform for
enterprise-ready infrastructure.
|
|
4.
|
Drive
Real-World Business Practices by integrating CRM and ERP
within the familiar Microsoft Office environment.
|
I am excited
to announce a pilot program between Microsoft and Wellesley Information
Systems to help our partners reach SAP customers (See “New Ways for
ISVs in the Microsoft Partner Solutions for SAP Program to Get in Front
of Customers” below). Partners have been telling us that visibility
with SAP customers is one of the most critical things we can help them
with, and I’m confident that this program will fit the bill. I look forward
to your feedback.
We know that our ISV partners are a critical factor in the success of
the Microsoft platform within SAP environments. I hope these alerts
will contribute to your success.
Happy New Year,
Sean Thompson
|
Microsoft Partner Solutions for SAP
New Ways for
ISVs in the Microsoft Partner Solutions for SAP Program to Get in Front
of Customers
Microsoft is piloting a program with Wellesley Information Systems
(publisher of SAP
Insider and SAP NetWeaver Magazine) to provide you with
significant savings on marketing initiatives that reach SAP customers.
Leveraging Wellesley’s database of over 200,000 worldwide SAP
decision-makers and influencers, Microsoft and Wellesley will make your
marketing dollars more efficient and effective through targeted webinar and white paper programs. To be considered for these
pilot programs, contact Ken Kiefer of SAP Insider at +1.781.751.8707 or
via email at ken.kiefer@WISpubs.com
and mention that you are a Microsoft partner.
Accelerate Your Business with
Microsoft
Are you aware of all
the advantages working with Microsoft offers? If you build solutions on
alternative technologies or platforms, then consider adding
interoperability or migrating to Microsoft technologies. This lets you
tap our expanding market and enables you to develop more innovative
solutions.
J+N
Do you use Java today and want to leverage .NET? J+N was formed to provide
a community of service and solution providers to assist partners and
customers of all sizes who want to use both Microsoft .NET and J2EE
technologies.
NXT Initiative
How do you exploit the Microsoft-based opportunity? The NXT initiative
provides complete, end-to-end support to software companies that want to
move or cross-platform their solutions to the Microsoft platform.
Windows Platform
Consider expanding from UNIX platforms to Windows. The Windows platform
has evolved to become the industry standard in enterprise-class, business
computing. Discover how you can realize the business benefits of
interoperability or migration from UNIX platforms to Windows.
Office Business Application
Take advantage of the market presence of Microsoft Office system. Office
Business Application (OBA) Services enables you to expose your solutions
to the large installed base of Office users. OBA consists of: workflow;
search; the Business Data Catalog; a new, extensible user interface;
Microsoft Office Open XML Formats; and the Web Site and Security Framework.
Midrange or Mainframe
Do you want more information on how you can take mainframe and midrange
applications to use Microsoft technologies to reach a broader market of
customers and partners? Click here!
SQL Server News
|
SQL Server
SP2 Brings Better Performance and Optimization for SAP Customers
With the
introduction of SQL Server Service Pack 2, SAP customers and partners
will see improvements in performance and functionality. The primary
benefits are improved performance and storage space optimization due to
data compression (varDecimal) and manageability enhancements such as
improvements in database maintenance plans, enhanced management reports
and a new copy database wizard. SP2 also adds SSRS integration with
MOSS/SharePoint and given that SSRS is a certified front-end to SAP BI, is a productivity
enhancing addition for SAP customers.
Some specific updates and benefits to look for:
Driving Innovation:
|
|
•
|
Support
for the upcoming Windows Vista
|
|
•
|
Data
Mining Add-Ins for Office 2007, which enables data mining functionality
from SSAS to be used directly within Excel 2007 and Visio 2007.
|
|
•
|
SSRS
integration with MOSS 2007. This allows integration with the Report
Center in SharePoint, providing seamless consumption and management of
SSRS reports within SharePoint.
|
|
•
|
SSAS
improvements for Excel 2007 and Excel Services relating to performance
and functionality.
|
Performance/Enterprise:
|
•
|
Data
compression (varDecimal), significant for data warehouse and SAP BW
scenarios. This requires less disk storage of decimal data, increasing
overall performance.
|
|
•
|
In
response to customer feedback, the SQL Server SP2 provides enhanced
management capabilities for DBAs. This includes improvements in
database maintenance plans, enhanced management reports, and a new copy
database wizard.
|
Evidence Update
Customers continue
to increase their success with Microsoft and SAP. Below are case studies
of some of the latest success stories.
Sony Ericsson, Swedish manufacturing customer, November
2006
Sony Ericsson Migrates SAP from UNIX to Windows Server, Boosts
Reliability, Cuts Cost
Lockheed Martin, US manufacturing customer, August 2006
Lockheed Martin Unit Moves SAP from UNIX to Windows, Cuts Technology Cost
41 Percent
Mannington Mills, US manufacturing customer, December
2005
Mainframe-to-Windows Move for Mannington Mills Supports Rapid Growth,
Saves $500,000
Dimension Data, South African IT/Professional Services
customer, November 2005
Global Technology Firm Saves $500,000 Yearly and Enhances Customer
Service
International Game Technology, September 2005
Manufacturer Cuts Database Administrator Costs for SAP Deployment by 75
Percent, Enables Growth
Paper Converting Machine Company, US, January 2005
Manufacturer Cuts Costs 50 Percent by Migrating SAP from IBM to Windows
Server and Dell
|
