SAP AG recently announced that it is expanding the scope of solutions for which customers can "switch on" new features without disrupting operations for system upgrades. Under the marquee "Innovations 2010," SAP is unveiling a number of industry-specific and line-of-business enhancements across multiple products including SAP Business Suite software; the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio; the SAP NetWeaver technology platform; solutions for governance, risk and compliance; industry packages; and solution extensions and social collaboration.

Companies across all industries, including HSE24, Heraeus, Tenneco and Tyson Foods, are taking advantage of innovations from SAP to help gear their organizations for business growth and improved profitability. In choosing the business software that underpins these efforts, company leaders and line-of-business executives want faster deployments, outcomes and time-to-value. They cannot afford to disrupt operations to upgrade their systems or absorb the costs of integrating disparate applications into their IT frameworks. By expanding the scope of "switch on" software enhancements to address even more specific demands, SAP enables customers across all industries to run better as they grow and transform their businesses.

For SAP customer Heraeus, enhanced features for specific industries help the company manage its diverse portfolio of businesses, including precious metals, sensors, biomaterials and medical products, dental products, quartz glass and specialty light sources. "Having accurate financial data is important for every company, but when you deal with precious metals it is absolutely essential," said Martin Ackermann, CEO, Heraeus infosystems GmbH, and CIO, Heraeus Holding GmbH. "By having this data easily accessible we gain more transparency in our transactions and potential risks, helping us to make quick decisions when shifts occur in the various markets that we operate in. With the new functionalities provided by SAP, we intend to be able to easily access the right data, at the right time, which will provide the insight we need to make informed decisions."

Industry enhancements also deliver value for SAP customer Tyson Foods. "As one of the largest food production companies in the world, Tyson Foods continually invests in technology that helps us to be more agile, innovative and efficient so we can better serve our customers," said Kenny Rawls, enterprise solution architect, Tyson Foods. "Together with SAP, we are able to address some important industry requirements, which in turn will allow us to grow our SAP footprint."

Innovations 2010 also focuses around helping companies adopt four strategies relevant to today's most pressing business challenges, including:

• Managing a lean enterprise: Companies are looking to revitalize their operations while using working capital and assets more efficiently. They are conserving cash, cutting costs and making process improvements for quicker immediate returns and a lasting impact for the future. Companies across all industries seek to pursue shared services strategies to simplify business support processes, improve engagement with vendors, suppliers and employees, as well as standardize and redistribute corporate best practices globally.
• Harnessing the collaborative power of social communities: Increasingly, social communities are a source of collective knowledge and collaboration as well as a vehicle to promote or detract from a company's brand. Companies that harness the power of social media channels offer another touch point where they can drive a differentiated experience that engenders reach, collaboration and loyalty. For employees in companies of all sizes, the SAP StreamWork application delivers the first and only on-demand collaborative decision-making application, helping small work groups share information and make decisions in real time.
• Transforming business models for growth: Companies that make the most of their business networks are able to quickly adapt to market changes, talent shortages and the changing demands of consumers. The ability to work across organizational boundaries with best practices, in-source and outsource capabilities and business processes that can be borrowed from other industries is critical to innovation today. For example, convergent charging and billing capabilities meet the high-volume and usage-based invoicing needs of telecommunications companies. They can also help utilities, high tech and media companies as they enter new markets, acquire new customers and evolve their products, services and business models.
• Accelerating business information for faster, smarter decision-making: Whereas management must make many decisions based on guess-work, in today's fast-paced business environment, accuracy is critical. SAP BusinessObjects Explorer software, accelerated version, combines data navigation capabilities with in-memory technology so business users can comb through huge amounts of information instantly – and be more precise in their decision-making. Designed to be intuitive and easy to use, people can get a wide, aerial view of their information, pinpoint data and then drill down to the detail for smarter, faster decisions.
  

SOURCE: SAP Expands the Scope of Solutions so Customers can Switch on New Features without Disrupting Operations for System Upgrades