SAP will unveil a new class of on-demand software offerings that include a packaged integration into the company’s Business Suite software, at this year’s CeBIT in Hanover, Germany.
The company said the new offerings apply mobile and social networking technology to support the way people work today anytime, anywhere.
SAP described its new offering, called SAP Sales OnDemand, as "Facebook for the enterprise". The tool is believed to compete with similar products from Salesforce and Microsoft.
A key feature of the offering is social element. The company said with Sales OnDemand, sales professionals can interact with each other in a way similar to Facebook friends.
The SAP Business ByDesign offering is the platform on which the new line of applications is built. The applications leverage on in-memory technology and on-demand deployment and support for mobile devices.
The SAP Sales OnDemand offering is the first of the new applications, which will be previewed at CeBIT 2011 in Hanover, Germany, said the company.
In addition, the line-up of new line-of-business on-demand offerings includes the company’s Sales OnDemand and Sourcing OnDemand.
The Sales OnDemand is designed for sales professionals, offering them ways to collaborate with teams on opportunities, manage customer information, and communicate effectively with people in their networks.
The existing on-demand offering "Sourcing OnDemand" enables customers gain business value in the areas of strategic sourcing, contract lifecycle management and supplier management, claims the company.
SAP line of business on demand executive vice-president John Wookey said customer co-innovation, together with agile development practices, allows the company to develop more quickly and with greater certainty that they are meeting real customer business requirements.
"This is important as we seek to address this new business area, in which every person, however involved in supporting and meeting sales and business objectives, is our intended user and with these new offerings SAP is responding to the way in which people work together today to solve business problems anytime, anywhere," Wookey said.
Pricing of the new offering has not been finalised.
