SAP partners from across the Gulf region reiterated their commitment to delivering and implementing cutting-edge software solutions at a recent information-sharing symposium in Doha, Qatar.
A key component of the event’s multifaceted agenda saw a healthy turnout of partners from Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Yemen take part in an in-depth survey to determine how to improve dialogue and customer service.
Among other things, the findings revealed that 78% considered their union with SAP to be of key strategic importance.
Encouragingly, 92% regularly discussed the roll-out of SAP innovations with their customers at CEO level, while 80% claimed they “strongly” believed in SAP’s revolutionary in-memory computing technology.
The latter is set to gain considerable momentum in the region in the shape of SAP HANA, a g platform built on the fulcrum of in-memory computing that facilitates the analysis of large, non-aggregated data at unprecedented speed. According to SAP, the platform paves the way for real-time analytics and applications, enabling organisations to assess business operations based on large volumes and variety of detailed data in real-time. In addition, SAP is also delivering new class of real-time applications powered by the SAP HANA platform, which can be deployed as an appliance or delivered via the cloud, it was reported.
“The partner information day was a hugely constructive exercise that not only reinforced strong bonds but also yielded a vast mine of information that we can now act on to improve the level service we offer our customers,” said Mazen Jabri, head of ecosystem and channels, SAP MENA.
“Partners are absolutely critical to our growth, and we look forward to ramping up our capacity for mutual business success in the coming years,” he added.
SAP started a new global strategy to empower its ecosystem and channels from January 2011 with the aim is to improve channel mix (indirect license and maintenance business generated by SAP channel) four-fold over the next four years, including an ambition to secure 100% of all small and medium sized (SME) wins through partners.
The number of newly recruited partners adopting the SAP PE VAR v2.0 contract exceeded 50 over the past 12 months, with more than 50% contributing to business growth within the first six months of their recruitment, the company reported. Most adopted SAP’s strategic innovation strategy, which focuses on cloud, mobility and big data, representatives added.
Partners remain critical to SAP’s long-term growth strategy, which includes doubling its addressable market and reaching 1 billion people and global revenue of € 20 billion by 2015, SAP representatives said.
SAP’s ability to achieve success with its partners in MENA was recently bolstered with the roll-out a four-year plan worth US $450 million that will up-skill local talent and drive sustainable innovation and growth in the region.
The plan includes recruiting more than 500 additional employees, opening several new offices and expanding the company’s partner ecosystem and the SAP University Alliances program. Additionally, significant increases will be made in the availability of comprehensive, innovative and localised service offerings.
SAP MENA will also establish a dedicated “Training and Development Institute” that aims to certify 2,000 new consultants within the next four years. This will triple the company’s existing consulting capabilities in the region and further support the localisation of SAP solutions to meet fast-growing regional industry needs, the company said.
“SAP partners operate in an unmatched collaborative environment where together they can accomplish more,” added Jabri.
“Together partners overcome traditional barriers to growth and profitability, like the need to move faster than the competition and the uncertainty surrounding change and innovation, through relevant industry relationships,” he concluded.
