SAP AG revealed plans for an expansion of its partnership with Intel. SAP and its long-term technology partner Intel intend to introduce a ground-breaking offering that will be offered on Intel Xeon-based systems via original equipment manufacturer and hardware system providers based on SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell and the database SAP MaxDB.

    The offering targets midsize companies in the manufacturing, service and trade industries and directly addresses the demands in these market segments for quick and easy implementation, and tailored yet scalable solutions at predictable costs. Midsize companies are expected to see significant benefits from this comprehensive offer, as it allows quick time to deployment of end-to-end business processes at a low total cost of ownership. The announcement was made at CeBIT 2008, the world's leading information technology showcase, being held in Hanover, Germany, March 4-9, where a prototype of the new offering is being presented at the SAP booth.

    "The powerful combination of advanced hardware innovation, quad core Intel Xeon processors and SAP Business All-in-One will bring substantial business benefits and lower cost for midmarket customers," said Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manager, Digital Enterprise Group, Intel Corp. "Together with SAP, we plan to offer a solution that is optimized and validated on the Intel Xeon Processor Architecture and deployed on modular servers by our partner OEM system providers."

    The modular servers will be available for midsize enterprises and will provide outstanding server performance, helping to meet the unique demands of small and midsize enterprise customers. A prototype of the offering will be shown at the SAP booth at CeBIT 2008 and will run on an NEC system based on 45nm Intel Xeon processor technology, meeting the initial modular server specifications.

    The package includes SAP MaxDB, the affordable, simple and reliable high-performing database optimized for SAP solutions, and is based on SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell, a secure, reliable solution at low cost. The new offering for SAP Business All-in-One is designed to combine software, database and hardware into one package, with all components optimized to help midsize companies drive down TCO. Today, more than 700 midsize companies run their SAP applications on Linux, and more than 35 percent of those in combination with SAP MaxDB.

    The SAP initiative and optimization work done by Intel for the Intel Xeon platform is part of a series of planned partnerships with multiple hardware vendors to offer solutions for midsize companies that lower TCO, maximize cost transparency and offer comprehensive functionality to streamline core business operations. As a result, the fast-start program for SAP Business All-in-One offers best practices for pre-configured industry functionality in a defined package that can be rapidly implemented without complex adaptations. Ecosystem Embraces Planned Alliance SAP partners are free to make the intended offering part of their services portfolio, and it is already being heralded by the SAP partner ecosystem.

    SAP Services will help you to maximize your success through a combination of SAP experts, methodologies, tools, and certified partners – plus a comprehensive portfolio of service offerings. These offerings span all phases of your solution life cycle, from planning to building to running. So you can align your IT and business strategies, get your software up and running fast, and keep it operating at peak levels – ensuring that IT supports your business goals. With the easy-to-use solution configurator, prospective customers can quickly configure the SAP Business All-in-One solution according to their needs and immediately receive a cost estimation for the solution, including SAP MaxDB, based on SUSE Linux, the Intel Xeon-based server systems as well as implementation.