SAP expands Business ByDesign functionality

SAP plans to accelerate its Business ByDesign programme this year

SAP has added new functionality to its on-demand Business ByDesign product, including business intelligence, customer relationship management (CRM) and procure-to-pay services.

Business ByDesign is SAP's complete on-demand enterprise resource planning suite aimed at the mid-market.

The product was launched in 2007, but SAP has struggled with the scalability issues inherent in running the solution through a virtual blade environment, and currently has just 80 customers in the six countries where it is available.

However, SAP Business ByDesign innovation vice president Rainer Zinow said that all the problems should be resolved by 2010, when the solution will be ready for as many customers that want to buy it.

And SAP chief executive Leo Apotheker said on Wednesday that the customer programme for Business ByDesign will be accelerated this year.

In the meantime, the release of feature pack 2.0 today will mean that customers with access to the product will have expanded functionality, as well as business support for 35 end-to-end process scenarios, according to SAP.

"With the availability of the feature pack 2.0, we significantly increase the value that our midsize charter clients are receiving from SAP Business ByDesign, " said Hans-Peter Klaey, president of SAP's small and midsize enterprise business organisation.

SAP has integrated its Business Objects business intelligence portfolio with the Business ByDesign offering, including the Crystal Reports software and dashboards from Xcelsius. The dashboards provide key performance indicators, such as cash and liquidity management and sales projections.

The company has also added to Business ByDesign applications targeted at services and manufacturing companies, such as CRM, order-to-cash with automated billing, project profitability and resource management, time and expense reimbursement, procure-to-pay and service and repair.

Enhancements to the collaborate aspects of Business ByDesign, meanwhile, will allow companies to collaborate more effectively internally, as well as with customers, suppliers and partners, through new groupware integration with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office, SAP said.

Business ByDesign now carries improved personalisation features and a series of new third-party web services.