SAP Indtroduction – SAP Largest Enterprise Software Firm in the World

SAP AG (ISIN: DE0007164600, FWB: SAP, NYSE: SAP) is a German global software corporation that provides enterprise software applications and support to businesses of all sizes globally. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the largest enterprise software company in the world (as of 2009). It is also the largest software company in Europe and the fourth largest globally. The company’s best known products are its SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (SAP ERP) and SAP BusinessObjects software.

SAP is the world’s largest business software company and the third-highest revenue independent software provider (as of 2007). It operates in four geographic regions: EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), AMERICA (United States and Canada), LAC (Latin America and Caribbean), and APJ (Asia Pacific and Japan), which represents Japan, Australia, India, and parts of Asia. In addition, SAP operates a network of 115 subsidiaries, and has R&D (Research & Development) facilities around the globe in Germany, India, the US, Canada, France, Brazil, Turkey, China, Hungary, Israel, Ireland and Bulgaria.

SAP focuses on six industry sectors: process industries, discrete industries, consumer industries, service industries, financial services, and public services. It offers more than 25 industry solution portfolios for large enterprises and more than 550 micro-vertical solutions for midsize companies and small businesses.

SAP partners include Global Services Partners with cross-industry multinational consulting capabilities, Global Software Partners providing integrated products that complement SAP Business Suite solutions, and Global Technology Partners providing user companies with a wide range of products to support SAP technology, including vendors of hardware, database, storage systems, networks, and mobile computing technology.

Solution extensions partners: this is a small number of companies which provide functionality that complements SAP solution capabilities. These enhancements fulfill high quality standards and are certified, sold and supported by SAP directly. These partner companies include Adobe, CA Technologies, Hewlett-Packard, IDS Scheer, OpenText, Nakisa, Inc, ICON-SCM, and SmartOps.

Also See: High Level & Fundamental understandings of SAP System Architecture