SAP and Microsoft Announce Availability of Duet Enterprise, Launch Joint Partner Program

REDMOND, Wash., and WALLDORF, Germany — Feb. 1, 2011 —
SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq “MSFT”) executives today announced general availability of Duet Enterprise software, their joint product, and showcased early customer and partner adoption. In addition, SAP and Microsoft launched the new SAP-Microsoft Unite Partner Connection program. President of Microsoft Office Division Kurt DelBene and SAP Executive Board Member Vishal Sikka kicked off the Duet Enterprise Virtual Launch Summit by detailing how the companies’ combined software strategies provide greater value and business potential for their mutual customers and partners.

Duet Enterprise connects Microsoft SharePoint 2010 and SAP solutions, providing end users with easier access to business processes and data. Businesses deploying Duet Enterprise can enhance the return on their existing IT investments and create a more collaborative infrastructure that will help improve overall productivity.

“Customers and partners have frequently requested deeper integration between their two leading IT solutions from SAP and Microsoft. Duet Enterprise delivers on that need by combining the power of the SharePoint business collaboration platform and the familiarity of Microsoft Office 2010 applications with world-leading business process solutions from SAP,” said Eric Swift, Microsoft SharePoint general manager. “The partnership between our companies has never been stronger, and we believe this release will provide substantial benefits to our customers and partners.”

In discussing Duet Enterprise and the SAP-Microsoft Unite Partner Connection program, Jean-Claude Viollier, head of Global Channels & Partners at Capgemini, said: “With more than 6,000 Microsoft practitioners and 8,000 SAP practitioners around the globe, it’s critical that we stay focused on the technology and business investments with the greatest promise for return. An essential part of that includes closely coordinating our efforts with Microsoft and SAP, and we expect Unite Partner Connection to be an outstanding resource.”

Collaborating for Business Growth, Better Solutions

With Duet Enterprise, customers and partners can build solutions that integrate the worlds of process and collaboration, and that provide immediate value to all employees:

“We use Duet Enterprise at Infosys as a framework to standardize the delivery of scalable solutions integrating SAP applications and SharePoint,” said Mandar Kumar Ananda, senior project manager, IT – CRM, Infosys. “We delivered an account workspace solution with information from SAP Customer Relationship Management, documents from Microsoft SharePoint and the tools for teams to collaborate.”

“By using Duet Enterprise for workflow approvals of invoices, we are empowering our internal users with critical data and information derived from SAP applications without the need to log in directly,” said Nevzat Ertan, chief technology officer and senior manager, Sandvik Tooling. “Through the integration of SAP data and SharePoint, we have enhanced business planning and optimized procurement functions based on faster invoice approval cycles.”

“Duet Enterprise extends the power of SAP applications for many of our customers who also use Microsoft SharePoint,” said Michael Reh, general manager and senior vice president, Information Worker Solutions, SAP AG. “This provides users with streamlined productivity and better decision-making. It is built on project ‘Gateway,’ which enables easy and standards-based access to SAP applications. And together with SharePoint, the software delivers a layer of interoperability that allows customers and partners to focus on creating solutions that drive business growth while helping ensure that all technical integration aspects work reliably together.”

Joint Partner Program Unites SAP and Microsoft Partners for Success

Building on almost two decades of partnering, joint innovation and customer focus, Microsoft and SAP have launched SAP-Microsoft Unite Partner Connection, a joint partner program that will create new opportunities for partners to reach more customers. Created in direct response to partner feedback and requests, the program will help partners of both companies increase their business opportunities more effectively through a better understanding of Microsoft and SAP joint solutions and product road maps.

Designed for members of both the SAP PartnerEdge program and the Microsoft Partner Network, SAP-Microsoft Unite Partner Connection drives alignment and collaboration among SAP, Microsoft and participating partners. Partners can identify, plan and deliver innovative, cost-effective solutions that tap the full potential of SAP and Microsoft software to help customers maximize their existing IT investments and scale to meet dynamic business needs.

Initial members of the SAP-Microsoft Unite Partner Connection program include Atos Origin, Logica and Wipro. Through co-innovation, go-to-market support and training, partners will be better equipped to help customers optimize their business planning and technology investments. For further information on the program, visit the SAP® EcoHub site at http://ecohub.sap.com/unite.

Additional Information

For more information about Duet Enterprise, visit the Duet Enterprise site at http://www.microsoft.com/duet. And for details on the Duet Enterprise Virtual Launch Summit, please visit http://duetenterprisesummit.com.

About SAP

As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 109,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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