We dont have enough people to implement SAP

What were the highlights of SAP Indias performance during 2007?



SAP India has been the fastest growing geography, and for the first time

stands at #1. We have doubled our license revenues. Further, we more than

doubled the total number of customers, tripled the growth in the SME sector, and

made dramatic improvements in customer satisfaction. All our businesses have

been triggered full scale on all parameters.

In January 2007, our total number of customers stood at 1,350, whereas now we

stand at the 3,000 mark. Also to be considered is the fact that our total number

of customers far exceeds the combined total of all our competitors.

What are your key highlights from the large and small & medium

enterprises perspective?



In large enterprises, the biggest license deal has been in India. These

enterprises have been buying solutions for expansion, thus, creating a need for

efficiency to keep pace with the growth. In order to do this in a scalable

manner, they need business processes enabled by software based on open

standards. Another driver of our business has been compliance. A large number

of SMEs are automating their business processes for the first time, creating a

demand for companies that have expertise. Among SMEs, we have grown by 235%.

What are your plans for the year 2008?



In our present agenda, retail and the Indian public sector are top

priorities. Indias retail sector being hugely unorganized, leaves it with a

huge scope for growth and opportunity. Further, our next focus will be on the

engineering and construction operations segment.

What are your new product initiatives?



We will soon launch SAP Business by Design in India for small companies, and

start customer engagements with the revival of SAP User Group. The increased

effort in this direction is because we believe that we have reached a critical

mass in India, and that the only pawn holding us back from growing dramatically

is the lack of implementation of qualified people.

We need around 60,000 new SAP consultants globally to meet our demands; and

given Indias spectacular brainpower and culture of IT excellence, around 30,000

of these should be from India. This is why the partner ecosystem is very

important. No single company will be able to meet all the software needs of our

customers; hence, we need the help of ISVs as well.

Sudesh Prasad



Sudeshp@cybermedia.co.in