Getting the Most for the Most
Date: September 23, 2008, Source: SAP Info, Author: Rosa Ortega, journalist, Mannheim, Germany
The signs in the foyer of the Partner-Port next to SAP headquarters in Walldorf, Germany, read like the who's who of the IT industry: HP, Novell, Bearing Point, Fujitsu Siemens, IBM. Even Oracle has a base here. And these global players also share the spacious, modern building with smaller companies. So this is a fitting setting for the International Association for SAP Partners (IA4SP), which has set up home here in order to represent the interests of its members to SAP.
Dr. Antonio Palacin, who heads the IBM SAP International Competence Center, says that SAP takes the interests of an association more seriously than those of an individual company. Palacin knows this from his own experience: IBM's numerous partners also communicate with "Big Blue" through self-run communities.
Michael Kleimeier, manager for the Walldorf branch of CTI Consulting and a member of the IA4SP board, agrees: "A midsize consultancy like ours with 40 employees has a better chance of being heard within a network." Palacin adds that IA4SP gives greater weight to the partners' collective interests communicated to SAP. Yet this is not the only benefit: "When partners talk to each other, they find they have more things in common."
For Palacin and Kleimeier, certification is a topic that affects everyone. "We need planning security and enough time to renew product certificates," says Kleimeier. This requires at least 12 months. At the end of 2007, SAP set a two-month deadline to check all certificates gained more than three years ago; Kleimeier finds this far too tight.
This particularly affects software for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, which cannot be used without the certificate. However, SAP cannot setup separate processes, such as certification, for each industry: Standard rules are required for the entire ecosystem. This is where IA4SP can contribute its ideas and suggestions, representing the interests of everyone involved.
Protection of investment is another important topic. When a partner markets an add-on product, it needs to be certain that it will get a return on its investment in employee training, development, and production. Kleimeier says that SAP has some catching up to do. Palacin agrees: "SAP must pay more attention to its partners' situation, otherwise they will lose confidence. And this is hardly in the interests of our shared customers."
Code of Conduct recommended
To avoid such conflicts, he recommends a code of conduct. This could state, for example, that SAP is not permitted to give preferential treatment to a particular partner company. "Sooner or later, the ecosystem will need such rules. It'll be better if the partners are involved in defining them from the start," says Palacin. IBM has had positive experiences with its "Partner Charta".
IA4SP's most urgent goal, however, is to improve the dialog between SAP and its partners. Working groups that meet regularly could help. "Here we see need for action and we will communicate this over the next weeks", Palacin announces.
Network of communication
Kleimeier emphasizes that communication is also very important within the network. "The total headcount of the five largest members amounts to 600,000 people. That represents a huge amount of expertise." Although the companies compete, they are more than willing to help each other within the network. If a company has a technical question, it will always receive an answer. "We also complement each other in many areas. We bring our business together," says Kleimeier.
Organizational matters were also a focus in IA4SP's first year. It has set up a wiki-based intranet to create a member forum available around the clock. Prospective members can gain a first impression by signing up as guests. IA4SP's Web site is now online, too.
Two working groups have been set up so far: one to look at license partnerships, the other at SAP marketing. Two more in the pipeline will deal with technical integration and partner programs. "We're still a work in progress," says Palacin. "But the benefits of the association are becoming more evident from day to day." By the end of the year, IA4SP expects to have 100 members.