What is SAP?

, , Leave a comment

In 1972, five former employees of IBM got together and decided to put up their own software outfit. They named their company, Systeme Anwendungen Produkte which is German for Systems Applications and Products in Data Processing. The company was founded with a purpose of developing products that would allow clients to use a single corporate database for multiple applications. This was no simple task but with persistence and determination they managed to achieve more than they had anticipated. Today the company’s products have gone beyond that original dream and are now in use in more than one hundred countries around the world by clients from all sectors. The company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as well as the NYSE and is one of the stronger and stable stocks in the technology sector.

SAP develops software that coordinates resources and activities in order to deliver complete business processes. Creating a central database for the software used in the organization which is useful as it aids in streamlining business operations. For example, the SAP R/3 which has over one million users was designed in modules for various functions. FICO which is financials and controlling, human resource, sales and distribution and materials management are some of the functions that these modules were created to serve. Though these modules addressed specific tasks, they were designed to link with others where required. This ability to work independently or interdependently has been one of the reasons for the growth in the popularity of SAP software. These product features are geared to the achievement of enterprise resource planning. ERP has been embraced by other software developers trying to match the standards set by SAP applications.

Another important feature of SAP applications that has seen it grow in leaps and bounds is the security of its applications. With the ever increasing threat from information technology criminals, SAP has continued to provide secure and reliable applications with every new product or version released. Most products have over the years been developed targeting large corporate clients though SAP is currently shifting focus to solutions for the small and medium sized businesses. SAP applications run on most platforms and are compatible with a wide range of hard and software.

The newer versions and products released are all internet enabled packages in line with the current need for products that are internet friendly. The latest SAP platform employs technologies that integrate systems and information flow, bring company resources and employees together while establishing and maintaining connections between teams, resources and processes in a manner that was previously perceived as almost impossible.

With its many significant milestones and a colorful history of overcoming challenges, SAP has risen to be among the top five software developing companies in the world and the biggest in Europe with leading IT firms such as IBM and Microsoft using SAP application in their business operations. With almost forty thousand employees engaged in more than fifty countries around the globe, SAP is definitely a company to watch out for now and in the future.

Tea Time Quiz

[forminator_poll id="23176"]
 

Leave a Reply