IDC analyst Rüdiger Spies on how SAP's global partners can grow with the software giant and the importance of gaining the relevant certification.

The SAP World Tour, which T-Systems supports as a global partner, has been on the road since March. How do you rate the importance of this event?
The SAP World Tour is an important forum – and not only because it provides many opportunities for talking to customers. The SAP portfolio is incredibly broad, and this event is the perfect platform to showcase it.

Does participating pay off for SAP partners?
Being an SAP partner is a privilege. It signals to customers that your company is not just any old service provider. And participating in the World Tour is certainly worth the extra cost and human resources required. Partners have a booth at the events, and they are also prominently featured in the World Tour program – greatly increasing visibility.

And the other way around – how important are partners to SAP?
They are incredibly important. This is evident in the amount of attention SAP pays its partners. For example, they can get involved in the development process and provide key input for new industry-specific solutions via executive circles.

What requirements must SAP partners fulfill to ensure a successful partnership?
They need to be able to provide a level of industry expertise that goes beyond “normal” insight, especially when it comes to their knowledge of business processes.

And what about customers? Do large global corporations still have some catching up to do when it comes to harmonizing their SAP landscape?
Yes. Many companies are running different SAP applications and systems in each department. And country organizations still sometimes leverage their own solutions. Consolidating all these solutions into one large global system is one of today’s key challenges.

What does this mean for SAP service providers?
To grow with SAP, service providers must be able to work across multiple countries. For example, automotive players have started to transfer more responsibility onto their suppliers. And suppliers must ensure that their products are always available in sufficient amounts. To do this, their software systems need to be integrated with those of the automaker. And that means the providers that serve SAP’s major customers must be able to provide local, on-site support in several countries around the globe.

The economic crisis is dominating the minds of senior executives. Has the crisis changed the types of demands placed on SAP?
Companies are considering outsourcing as a way of rapidly cutting costs. Service providers that are able to offer savings have good prospects.

Do companies have different needs in times of growth?
In times of crisis, more emphasis is placed on optimizing inventory. In boom times, short delivery times are a priority – so customers don’t switch to a competitor. This means service providers must be able to quickly adapt SAP solutions to reflect the current economic situation. And customers require more than a basic SAP installation. The solutions must be fine-tuned to the users’ specific needs.
Considering all this, how important do you think SAP certification is?
For SAP, certification is important for monitoring quality. And many SAP customers require partners to be certified. Without the relevant certification, service providers often have no chance of winning a deal. It is also an important way for SAP to ensure its partners’ level of expertise remains high.