SAP Canada Inc. plans to target the SME market space with its business process management (BPM) solutions.
The company has also added two new channel partners to its SME partner network and the company wants to expand on this even more.
Conrad Mandala, vice-president of SME at SAP Canada, says the SMB market space inside of SAP is one of the company’s best kept secrets and the Business One and Business All-In-One solutions both target this particular space.
“Most people see us as the company for the large enterprise,” Mandala says. “We have more than 28,000 SME companies globally and they contribute over one billion dollars, or more than 30 per cent of SAP’s yearly software orders.”
Former AMD manufacturer’s representative J-Squared Technologies Inc. of Kanata, Ont. and et alia Canada, a Toronto based SAP partner, are the two latest additions to SAP’s PartnerEdge program. J-Squared Technologies focuses on the implementation of SAP Business One for customers in the electronics and high technology market space. et alia Canada, is concerned with the development, support and implementation of SAP Business All-In-One solution. et alia has developed CREW for Construction and CREW for Professional Services, which are qualified SAP Business All-in-One partner solutions designed to meet the specialized needs of growing construction and services companies.
SAP Business One solution is specifically designed for the small and midsize business space. The software integrates under a single system, business functions that help with sales, distribution and financial operations. For the midsize enterprise market, SAP has created Business All-In-One, a solution that allows companies to grow and expand just as their businesses do.
Mandala, a Queen’s Golden Gael hall of famer, says SAP Canada has 20 Business One and seven Business All-In-One channel partners who are deploying these solutions across the country. Globally, the company has well over 1,300 partners that help bring the Business One and Business All-In-One products to market.
“Our strategy to grow and build our channel is based on the quality of our partners,” Mandala says. “Our number one focus is to go out to market and spend as much time and be selective with the partners we bring on.”
Mike Nykoluk, president of J-Squared Technologies, says with the SAP Business One solution, there has already been a tremendous amount of interest for the product.
“Business One is the only tool that takes information such as financial, inventory, shipping and receiving, invoicing, etc. and integrates it all onto their e-commerce site,” Nykoluk said.
Similarly, Brad Nicolaisen, president and founder of et alia, explains his company has primarily been focused on the U.S. market over the past nine years. Recently, the company made the decision to expand into the Canadian construction and services industry.
“What’s interesting is the tables have turned with the Canadian and American economy,” Nicolaisen said. “Canadian GDP growth is surpassing U.S. growth. We have an existing customer in Calgary and we’re going to leverage on our existing wins to help us expand our presence in Canada.”
Both J-Squared Technologies and et alia Canada are now a part of SAP’s PartnerEdge partner program, a program that helps partners get information and incentives in order to help sell SAP software.
“We also give our partners value points in PartnerEdge that contributes to discounts with the products,” Mandala said. “We’re going to continue to grow our channel to help them bring solutions to our customers.”
Mandala also notes that SAP partners can look forward to SAP’s latest solution, Business ByDesign, a solution, he says, shows SAP’s consistent commitment and loyalty to the SME space. SAP Business ByDesign is an on-demand software solution with built-in service and support and Mandala says he is confident that partners will see huge market opportunities with it.
“This will be a complimentary solution for our partners that shows our commitment to SME and it’s a solution that will enable them to go after an untapped market place.”
