Meets Demand for Linux-based Solutions in World’s Fastest Growing Market
China — SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced the availability of a new Linux version of SAP Business One, its integrated and affordable business management solution for small and medium enterprises, in China. The new offering addresses strong market demand for Linux-based solutions by small businesses in China and delivers on SAP’s commitment to providing customers with flexible solutions, an open platform and the freedom to use the IT platform of their choice. The announcement was made at the SAP Innovation Forum, an event where SAP customers, partners and other interested parties in China could gain insight into technology issues that will play a critical role in the future of Chinese business from one of the world’s leading technology visionaries in Beijing, July 6-7.
Available exclusively in China and offered in conjunction with IBM, Novell, Red Flag and Sybase, the Linux version of SAP Business One is available to customers through SAP’s local network of reseller partners.
“While the Linux overall market is in nascent stages, our research forecasts 18 percent cumulated annual growth rate for the next five years, with most potential in markets such as China where public government endorsements and policies are boosting visibility for Linux and open source,” said Deepinder Sahni, Senior Vice President, Global SMB Market Sizing & Segmentation, AMI Partners. “As with the emergence of any new operating system, the availability of compatible applications and effective business management tools will spur adoption by companies that are driving growth in the market.”
About the Solution:
The Linux version of SAP Business One features all the benefits of the solution, providing a single software solution for automating business processes and delivering an accurate, unified view of critical, up-to-the-minute information across customer relationship management, manufacturing and finance. The solution will be available on both IBM DB2 and Sybase databases as well as operating systems by Novell and Red Flag. The announced SAP Business One on Linux version supports two modes: one in which both server and client are running on Linux platform, and the other in which the client runs on Windows.
Introduced in China in 2003, SAP Business One is quickly establishing itself as the business management solution of choice among small and medium enterprises in China. With more than 500 customers, the solution provides integrated business management capabilities and eliminates the costs and headaches associated with tying together multiple applications from disparate vendors.
“China’s emerging SMB market provides a dynamic opportunity for Linux adoption, as many Linux SMB purchases are associated with first-server purchases,” said Klaus Zimmer, President & CEO, SAP North Asia. “This presents us with a good market opportunity for our initial efforts to introduce SAP Business One on Linux and allows us both to meet local market demand and develop valuable experience for potential application in other markets. We will base any future activity in other markets on our experience in China, as well as other factors such as local demand and partner availability.”
