SAP Enterprise Support Offering Rolled Out to All CustomersEvolved Services and Support Crosses Boundaries to Optimize Viability of a Solution Landscape; Graduated Pricing Plan for Installed Customers
WALLDORF, Germany, July 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SAP AG today announced that all SAP customers will be transitioned to its recently released support offering, SAP(R) Enterprise Support, as of January 1, 2009, further demonstrating a dedication to providing solutions and support offerings that meet the evolving needs of customers. Launched earlier this year to new customers (see May 6, 2008 press release, titled "SAP Announces Next-Generation Support Offering"), SAP Enterprise Support is the next generation of support offerings that supports mission-critical business processes and heterogeneous software environments. In the six months since its release, the offering has experienced positive market adoption, with more than 350 customers signed on. As part of this transition, current customers will begin experiencing some of the added benefits of SAP Enterprise Support, beginning in July at no additional cost, with graduated pricing beginning in January.
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Replacing previous support offerings, including SAP(R) Standard Support and SAP(R) Premium Support, SAP Enterprise Support provides SAP support through a 24/7 service-level agreement, continuous quality checks, support advisory and advanced support for implementing SAP(R) ERP enhancement packages and support packages. An enterprise edition of SAP(R) Solution Manager enables proactive risk reduction while helping to increase the business value of SAP solutions. SAP's leading operations methodology, Run SAP, helps customers beyond the go-live phase and focuses on application management, business process operations and administration. With SAP Enterprise Support, customers are provided an unrivaled comprehensive support offering at a cost that is below the average of maintenance fees found elsewhere.
"SAP Enterprise Support is the natural evolution of SAP's previous support offerings, and is an indication of ongoing trends in software support services," said Elaina Stergiades, senior research analyst, Software Support Services, IDC. "Enterprise customers are demanding a more robust support solution from their support providers and SAP is answering that call with SAP Enterprise Support. Integrating advanced tools with proactive support capabilities can free support staff to focus on high-value interactions with IT departments and end users. In addition, enterprises are looking for their support services providers to offer end-to-end capabilities for their environments. With SAP Enterprise Support, SAP will be able to provide a more complete software support solution for its customers."
SAP Enterprise Support Addresses Evolving Needs of Today's Global Companies
The ongoing growth of SAP's robust product offerings, the pervasiveness of business networks and mass adoption of service-oriented architecture (SOA) have challenged traditional support models. Announced formally at SAPPHIRE(R) 2008, SAP's annual customer conference, SAP Enterprise Support goes beyond bug fixes and support packages to provide companies with a holistic offering that helps to reduce the risk and maximize the value that customers receive from their IT investments. SAP Enterprise Support provides guidance and support related to end-to-end solution operations and identifies opportunities for increased efficiencies and business process improvements to optimize overall operations. The offering delivers support beyond a single element of the landscape in order to help customers operate solutions vital to their business, and addresses continuous innovation and investment protection so that customers can successfully deliver mission-critical business processes.
IT departments in companies of all sizes are under increased pressure to better meet and support the needs of the business. In particular, IT organizations are faced with the key challenge of minimizing system downtime and maintaining a stable core while implementing and managing differentiating innovation, from composite applications involving both SAP and non-SAP solutions. IT organizations that can efficiently manage a flexible infrastructure are better positioned to be a strategic partner to the business. With SAP Enterprise Support, IT organizations are poised to more easily address pressure to reduce operational costs by reducing time and money spent managing and operating their IT landscape.
Transition Timeline for Existing Customers
Demonstrating an ongoing commitment to relationships with customers and working with input from the Americas' SAP Users' Group (ASUG) and the German-speaking SAP User Group (DSAG) to solicit feedback, SAP has introduced a graduated timeline that meets the needs of customers making the transition to SAP Enterprise Support. SAP customers will begin experiencing some of the benefits of SAP Enterprise Support immediately at no additional cost. Beginning in January 2009, there will be a graduated pricing program that incrementally moves customers from their current pricing agreement for SAP Standard Support or SAP Premium Support to the SAP Enterprise Support pricing model of 22 percent of maintenance base by 2012 (for all solutions licensed prior to July 1, 2008, subject to contractual terms and conditions). For example, subject to specific contractual limitations, a typical customer paying 17 percent of maintenance base for SAP Standard Support in 2008 will pay a rate of 18.3 percent of maintenance base for SAP Enterprise Support in 2009.
"SAP consulted with multiple ASUG members for guidance in creating a transitional plan to SAP Enterprise Support that took into consideration organizations of all sizes and implementation stages -- hence the graduated timeline," said Mike O'Dell, CIO of Pacific Coast Companies, Inc. and chairperson of the Americas' SAP Users' Group (ASUG). "At ASUG, we do whatever it takes for our members to succeed. And providing experience-driven education is a cornerstone of delivering on that promise. As customers embark upon the SAP Enterprise Support transition, we at ASUG are eager to play a prominent role in educating our members about the SAP Enterprise Support program and the potential impact it can have on the business."
For SAP customers still operating on SAP(R) R/3(R) 4.6c and 4.7, SAP has lengthened the period of extended maintenance currently offered as part of the company's 5-1-2 maintenance schedule (see July 20, 2004 press release, titled "SAP Extends Successful Maintenance Strategy"). This added period of one year makes the move to SAP Enterprise Support cost-neutral as customers plan their transition to SAP ERP from SAP R/3.
"As the market leader in business software solutions, SAP serves a customer base of the world's most innovative leading companies, and they need a support offering that is equally innovative," said Uwe Hommel, executive vice president, SAP Active Global Support, SAP AG. "SAP customers are embracing and taking advantage of the increased flexibility and agility of an SOA strategy, as well as complementing their SAP solution landscape with composite applications and third-party solutions. SAP Enterprise Support, unlike any other offering, addresses all of these elements, beyond traditional support, to enable companies to more rapidly and efficiently achieve the benefits of SOA -- while keeping their core systems running smoothly. SAP remains committed first to customer success and SAP Enterprise Support is yet another innovative offering that helps our customers become best-run businesses."
About SAP(R) Enterprise Support
SAP Enterprise Support is SAP's new holistic support offering for SAP customers. Available at 22 percent of license fees, SAP Enterprise Support joins SAP(R) MaxAttention(TM), and SAP(R) Safeguarding in the company's array of support offerings. For more information please visit:
http://www.sap.com/services/enterprise-support-notice/index.epx.
About SAP
SAP is the world's leading provider of business software(*), offering applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. With more than 47,800 customers (excludes customers from the acquisition of Business Objects) in over 120 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE, under the symbol "SAP." (For more information, visit http://www.sap.com/)
(*) SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning and related applications such as supply chain management, customer relationship management, product life-cycle management and supplier relationship management.
Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.
Copyright (C) 2008 SAP AG. All rights reserved.
SAP, R/3, mySAP, mySAP.com, xApps, xApp, SAP NetWeaver and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries all over the world. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Data contained in this document serve informational purposes only. National product specifications may vary.
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Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)
For more information, press only:
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SAP Press Office, +49 (6227) 7-46315, CET; +1 (610) 661-3200, EDT;
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Telechips inc. Licenses ARM Mali-200 GPU to Deliver Dynamic User Experiences Across a Wide Range of Multimedia Designs
SEOUL, Korea and CAMBRIDGE, England, July 16 /PRNewswire/ --
- OpenGL ES 2.0 Conformant Mali-200 GPU Enables Dynamic 2D and 3D User
Experiences on all Classes of Mobile Consumer Devices
Telechips Inc. (KDQ: 054450) and ARM [(LSE: ARM); (Nasdaq: ARMH)] today
announced that Telechips is the first Korean licensee of the ARM(R)
Mali(TM)-200 graphics processing unit (GPU), bringing advanced 2D and 3D
graphics capabilities and low memory bandwidth usage to a range of portable
consumer devices, including PMPs, PNDs, home and in-car audio and mobile
phones.
High-performance 2D and 3D graphics are driving a step change in
advanced screen displays, from next-generation user interfaces and
gaming on mobile phones, personal media players, in-car media systems
and home audio devices, through to smooth mapping and photo-realistic
views on personal navigation devices. Supported by the ARM Mali
graphics stack, the OpenGL ES 2.0 conformant Mali-200 GPU enables high
performance while maintaining the long battery life that is critical in
mobile devices. Telechips, a Korean-based leader in the design and
development of digital media processors, selected the Mali-200 GPU for its
ability to address multiple product markets, encouraging innovation into the
software supply chain and maximizing the benefits of graphics acceleration
with a single GPU solution.
"As a major player in the innovative Korean semiconductor market,
Telechips aims to stay at the forefront of technological advancements in
order to remain competitive," said Min-ho Seo, chief executive officer and
president of Telechips. "We selected the Mali-200 GPU for its ability to meet
the full range of performance points to enable our chip sets to bring
visually stunning graphics to the widest range of target consumer products."
"Telechips is an agile and innovative silicon vendor with the flexibility
to drive graphics acceleration into all classes of portable devices," said
Michael Dimelow, marketing director, ARM Media Processing Division. "We
welcome the opportunity to work with Telechips to bring the capabilities of
the market-proven Mali-200 GPU to multiple product markets and at multiple
price points, contributing to the ARM vision that soon all consumer visual
experiences will be enhanced by graphics hardware acceleration."
About the Mali-200 Graphics Processing Unit
The low-power, high-performance ARM Mali-200 graphics processing unit is
the world's first to pass OpenGL ES 2.0 conformance at up to 1080p HDTV
resolutions and brings highest image quality for 2D and 3D graphics on any
device with a screen. The product features a programmable shader pipeline,
the highest fill-rate efficiency on the market with alpha-blended pixels,
full scene anti-aliasing with no additional bandwidth overhead, and
alpha-blending of an unlimited number of layers, all without compromising
power. The Mali-200 GPU has the lowest memory bandwidth of any embedded GPU,
enabling very low power usage and extended battery life.
Furthermore, ARM Mali middleware complements the Mali-200 GPU to create
the most complete, openly licensable graphics stack available in the market
today. This full graphics solution from ARM is supported by the Mali graphics
ecosystem that harnesses the reach and power of the ARM Connected
Community(TM). The Mali-200 GPU is ARM's most widely licensed GPU to date.
Further information on ARM embedded graphics solutions is available at:
http://www.arm.com/products/esd/multimediagraphics_home.html
About Telechips
Telechips is a leading fabless semiconductor company in Korea. It
designs and develops multimedia platforms for application markets
ranging from portable MP3 players, car audio, home audio, mobile phones, and
broadcasting such as mobile TV, DAB and its products support a comprehensive
range of multimedia and communication technologies such as MP3, camera,
video, mobile TV and GPS navigation. Telechips customers include market
leading companies such as Samsung, Philips, Sony, JVC, Hyundai, Thomson
(RCA), and LG.
About ARM
ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital
products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to
imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM's comprehensive
product offering includes 32-bit RISC microprocessors, graphics processors,
enabling software, cell libraries, embedded memories, high-speed connectivity
products, peripherals and development tools. Combined with comprehensive
design services, training, support and maintenance, and the company's broad
Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast,
reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. More information
on ARM is available at http://www.arm.com
ARM is a registered trademark of ARM Limited. Connected Community and
Mali are trademarks of ARM Limited. All other brands or product names
are the property of their respective holders. "ARM" is used to represent ARM
Holdings plc; its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional
subsidiaries: ARM, Inc.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Ltd.; ARM Taiwan Limited; ARM
France SAS; ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; ARM Belgium N.V.; AXYS Design
Automation Inc., ARM Germany GmbH; ARM Embedded Technologies Pvt. Ltd.; and
ARM Norway, AS.
ARM Ltd
Contact Details: ARM PRESS OFFICE: +44-208-846-0797, Eureka Endol, Lee Kwang Woo, Text 100, Telechips Inc., +44-208-846-0704, +82-2-3443-6792, londonarm@text100.co.uk, michelle.spencer@arm.com, Ma40481@telechips.com, Lorna Dunn ARM +44-(0)1223-400835 lorna.dunn@arm.com. Star Meza, Text100, +1-415-593-8431, Star.meza@text100.com -, Erik Ploof ARM +1-425-880-6033, erik.ploof@arm.com
