Historically, much has been said and written about SAP being too big to care, too difficult to install and only appropriate for the largest companies. That was the mantra of its competitors' in the past and was built upon the perception of SAP 20 years ago. Times change, however, and SAP changed with the times. It recognized that it could and would create great software for companies of ANY size. The company that was once the mainstay of mega-caps is now the preferred path to Running Better for over 210,000 SME companies. Those who are informed and knowledgeable now recognize that the phrase "SAP is too large" is antiquated.
Today, 80% of SAP's customers are small and mid-size enterprises. Its platform was specifically designed to enable these businesses to adapt required technology to their specific business model. SAP recognized the need for speed and built full ERP platforms that can be installed and running in as little as a single day with the modular Business One solution, and 2 days to 2 weeks with other ERP solutions. In addition, the development team created a large menu of Rapid Deployment Solutions for specific requirements that can be available in as little as 9 days. Too long to deploy ... I don't think so.
SAP also recognized that it could leverage its unique global expertise to more effectively meet local business requirements. SME solutions now deliver products that deliver these valuable insights in 80 countries in 30 languages, Additionally, hundreds of applications from SAP partners around the world are also available to the most remote outposts such as Alice Springs, Australia to major cities in any region. SAP leveraged its knowledge and experience as the global software leader and specifically designed and built their SME solutions as only the #1 software provider in the world could. Living in the past is not an option at SAP. Leading their customers into the future is.
This future is obviously built around the Cloud and SAP has declared that it is and will continue to be the Cloud company based upon HANA. This statement is not to be taken lightly as it clearly spells out how SAP will continue to evolve. SAP has over 38 million Cloud users today. That is more than any other enterprise vendor. The SAP Business One Cloud on HANA solution includes that same functionality and available add-ons as their on-premises solution. This affordable alternative allows SMEs to free up capital for other uses and also delivers the added assurance that their data is protected in the most secure data centers. This real-time, in-memory platform is currently the operating system of choice for over 1,500 startups. They know that the choice of software at the beginning stages of their growth curve will affect their performance as they grow. That is why SAP was their obvious choice.
Today, when I hear someone trot out the old, stale "SAP is too big and unwieldy" claim, I look at the facts. Almost a quarter million SMEs choose SAP to run simpler and to run better. Installs occur in days or just a few weeks. Access to global expertise at the local level provides advantages only SAP can offer. Cloud-centric designs and implementation mean low cost alternatives and rapid time to use as a standard. It means that SMEs have a menu of choices that can be tailored to ANY size business. Why would they not look at SAP?
