SAP for the midmarket: Special Report

SAP's new, on-demand offering for the midmarket, Business ByDesign, was one of the top stories of 2007. With the product due for wider release in the first quarter of this year, Business ByDesign promises to have an impact in 2008 as well. In a recent SearchSAP.com podcast, ASUG CEO Steve Strout revealed that the organization will become a Business ByDesign customer this year, first using the product to enable some website improvements. SAP will need many more organizations like ASUG if it is to reach its goal of 100,000 customers by 2010.

Since January is SAP for SMBs (small and medium-sized businesses) month at SearchSAP.com, we take this opportunity to look back at SAP's midmarket progress in 2007, some interesting customer wins, and how Business ByDesign will perform in the future.

SAP in the midmarket analysis

• ASUG CEO discusses challenges for 2008: ASUG has its work cut out for it in 2008 with all of SAP's 2007 acquisitions, new products, and its own Business ByDesign implementation.
  
• SAP Business ByDesign and the midmarket: Five questions answered: SAP's midmarket strategy, and its three products aimed at the space, has generated plenty of questions. At its Influencer Summit, SAP provided some answers.
  
• TechEd: SAP terms on the rise: Ever heard of an SAP Certified Master? That's just one of the terms that are on the rise, according to SearchSAP.com site expert Jon Reed.
  
• SAP Business ByDesign promising but needs work, analysts say: SAP Business ByDesign beats existing on-premise vendors, but analysts say that to win against true SaaS providers, it needs usability and pricing improvements.
  
• SAP Business ByDesign product demo: Interested in SAP Business ByDesign? Last week, SAP unveiled BBD to the world with a short demo. Check out that demo here.
  
• A1S: How it will affect SAP jobs: It is too early to tell how Business ByDesign (formerly A1S) will affect the SAP consulting market, but there are indicators that can help SAP consultants anticipate where new jobs will be.
  
• SAP's A1S, All-in-One or Business One; what are midmarket firms to choose?: With SAP set to introduce A1S in 2008, speculation continues as to whether it will compete with the company's other midmarket offerings.
  
• ERP innovation: SAP, Microsoft lead the way: SAP and Microsoft are leading an ERP innovation renaissance, thanks in part to their acquisition strategies, according to Forrester Research.
  
• ERP market strong through 2011, SaaS products gain share: Globalization and the midmarket will drive strong growth in the ERP software market through 2011, according to AMR Research. SaaS products will also become more popular.
  
• SAP All-in-One vs. MS Dynamics: SAP may have a lock on the biggest companies, but Microsoft Dynamics is on the move and may give SAP a run for its money in the midmarket. Read the case for each solution here.
  
• Can someone with SAP Business One experience and certification break into SAP BI or XI?
  

• SAP All-in-One ushers in New Era: New Era ditched PeopleSoft in favor of SAP All-in-One to improve its interaction with customers and become more global.
  
• Business ByDesign gets thumbs up from early adopter: MindWorks, one of SAP Business ByDesign's early customers, appreciates the product's features and pricing but says it still has room for improvement.
  
• SAP Business One goes to the dogs: With the help of SAP Business One, Pooch Inc. hopes to change the luxury pet supply market.
  
• SAP All-in-One replaces Sage mid-project: A medical supplies company replaced Sage with SAP All-in-One mid-project, costing itself two months, but still finished on time and on budget.
  

Product news

• SAP Business ByDesign: An introduction: SAP yesterday released details of SAP Business ByDesign, formerly A1S. This podcast investigates details of the product and how customers can use it, with SAP's SMB head and an early customer.
  
• SAP All-in-One gets improvements, customers: SAP All-in-One will offer 60 new best practices and recently secured its 10,000th customer.
  
• SAP on-demand offering targets midmarket: SAP continued its midmarket push this week, announcing a new SOA-based product with on-demand pricing.