In 1972, five entrepreneurs had a vision for the business potential of technology. Dietmar Hopp, Hans-Werner Hector, Hasso Plattner, Klaus Tschira, and Claus Wellenreuther founded SAP in 1972. SAP means Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung which is German for "System Analysis and Program Development.” The name was later changed to Systeme, Anwendungen und Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung which meant Systems, application and products in the data processing in German. With one customer and a handful of employees, SAP set out on a pathway that would not only transform the world of information technology, but would alter the way companies do business forever across the globe. Based on market capitalization, SAP is the world’s third largest independent software manufacturer. SAP is listed on the German DAX index and at the New York Stock Exchange. SAP is the recognized leader in providing collaborative business solutions for all types of industries and for every essential market. SAP is the focus of today’s technology revolution, developing innovations that not only help businesses run like never before, but also improve the lives of people around the world. As the market leader in enterprise application software, SAP help companies of all sizes and industries operate better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device, SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more resourcefully and use business visions more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 251,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. SAP operates as an online transaction processing system. SAP operates in three geographic regions EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa). SAP’s goal of conquering the middle market will be very difficult to achieve; competition will be much more intense in the middle market than it will in the
References: http://global.cmich.edu/programs/content/mba/CompaniesWhoUseSAP.pdf http://www.sap.com/partners/overview.html http://www.voices.yahoo.com/sap-ag-worlds-largest-inter-enterprise-software- 7575934.html?cat=3 http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/SAP_AG_(SAP) http://www.worker.cob.csuchico.edu/chico_01/megacenter.html