SAP Leads Next Wave of Computing With In-Memory Innovation

FRANKFURT, Germany and ORLANDO, Fla., May 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SAP AG (NYSE: SAP), a pioneer in business software innovation, will drive the next significant wave in computing with its latest in-memory offerings. Today SAP outlined its plans for a new combined hardware appliance and software solution that will dramatically increase the availability and speed of business information, enabling companies to make better decisions faster. The announcement was made at SAPPHIRE® NOW, being held simultaneously in Frankfurt, Germany, and Orlando, Florida, May 17-19, 2010.

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One of the highest priorities for organizations of any size and across any industry is managing and analyzing the soaring quantity of data, and harnessing that information to improve their business. SAP has always understood this and has addressed this challenge by developing in-memory solutions such as SAP® BusinessObjects™ Explorer, accelerated edition, which allows customers to explore business data faster. To power the next generation of business intelligence, business planning and business analytic applications, SAP is now working with leading hardware partners to deliver an in-memory software and hardware appliance optimized for real-time analytics using data from operational systems, data warehouses, real-time events and the Web. New High-Performance Analytic Appliance With Software from SAP Enables Business Users to Model Business Scenarios and Analyze Data in Real-Time Without Disruption

Today, customers are dealing with an information explosion that includes data in both transactional and analytic applications, as well as new kinds of data from social networks and the Web. New software being developed at SAP, the SAP® Business Analytic Engine, will use in-memory technology with a powerful calculation engine, combined with easy-to-use, business-centric data modeling tools and data management tools. The software will enable business users to instantaneously access, explore, model and analyze transactional, analytical and Web-based data in real-time in a single environment, without impacting the data warehouse or other systems.

To further enhance performance, SAP will offer a new high-performance analytic appliance comprising the SAP Business Analytic Engine delivered on optimized hardware from strategic vendors across the SAP ecosystem. As part of its commitment to deliver innovation without disruption, SAP is designing the appliance to connect to customers' IT systems, automatically find the right data and prepare it for use so that customers can run real-time analytics and conduct complex analytic queries in real-time.

For example, a utility company employee could look at usage data to identify patterns over a particular region or time period, and then analyze that data comparatively enabling real-time planning based on immediate access to usage data. Employees at a manufacturing company could analyze asset utilization in real-time on transactional data, while a financial services firm could perform real-time risk management and measure market exposure by combining structured credit scoring data with unstructured data, including information from the Internet.

With this technology, SAP aims to further deliver on the promise of "real" real time. Business people will be able to analyze data quickly and iteratively, answering important business questions almost instantaneously. The new appliance will make existing applications faster and support mixed workloads – meaning analytic, performance management and transactional applications will be able to run in a single environment. This new foundation will both accelerate the SAP Business Objects portfolio and SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse customers will also be able to use this technology to develop and deploy powerful new types of applications.  

Building on SAP and HP's strategic alliance and joint go-to-market initiative for the SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse Accelerator software and SAP BusinessObjects software, SAP has selected HP as one of the first strategic alliance partners to provide converged infrastructure technology for the new high-performance analytic appliance.

"Customers need to be able to turn data into information, information into insight and insight into advantage," said Tom Hogan, executive vice president, Enterprise Sales, Marketing and Strategy, HP. "The combination of SAP Business Analytic Engine with HP's server portfolio helps customers harness the power of information to create business insight and drive better decision making for their organization."

"The future of computing is here and we are on the threshold of an era that will radically change how people interact with data and make decisions," said Vishal Sikka, chief technology officer and member of the SAP Executive Board leading Technology and Innovation. "Imagine sitting at your desk or using your mobile device and being able to pull and analyze data instantly — and how that would improve every aspect of your work life. Moving forward, our customers will be able to develop better business simulations and plans, do real-time inventory and price optimizations, or quickly evaluate the effect of currency changes in financial systems. Using the new in-memory offerings from SAP will give customers real-time transparency into their business and help ensure that they are executing their corporate strategies as planned. The speed and agility provided by in-memory computing will change the game for our customers, allowing them become the best-run companies in their industries."

SAPPHIRE® NOW

With SAPPHIRE® NOW, SAP marks the next evolution of its SAPPHIRE customer conference and networking events, offering SAP customers, partners and prospects even more opportunities to engage in dialogue with peers, participants and thought leaders around the globe. Being held simultaneously in Orlando, Florida, and Frankfurt, Germany, May 17-19, 2010, this enhanced, real-time event connects attendees on site with global participants through state-of-the-art broadcast studios and a newly designed online experience that incorporates the latest social media and community functionality. Whether onsite or online, participants can gain insight on how innovative business solutions from SAP are enabling long-term, profitable business growth. For more information about the Orlando show, visit www.sapandasug.com; for the Frankfurt event, visit www.sap.com/sapphire/emea. Join the conversation via Twitter at @SAPPHIRENOW and visit the SAPPHIRE NOW Social Newsroom at sapphirenow.blogs-sap.com.

SAP and the Americas' SAP Users' Group (ASUG) are co-locating their premier events in Orlando, where the 2010 ASUG Annual Conference takes place May 16-20.

About SAP

SAP is the world's leading provider of business software(*), offering applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. With more than 97,000 customers in over 120 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE, under the symbol "SAP." For more information, visit www.sap.com.

(*) SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning, business intelligence, and related applications.

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During SAPPHIRE NOW (from May 17 to 19), to speak with press contacts on site, please dial the SAP press room: Orlando: +1 (610) 661-0469; Frankfurt: +49 (6227) 7-74065.

SOURCE SAP AG