With nearly 80,000 small-to-midsize customers worldwide, SAP relies on our partners around the globe to service this fast-growing and important segment of our market. With cloud-based solutions like SAP Business ByDesign, that reliance is even greater.
So I reached out to Hans-Peter Holz from SAP partner Steeb to get their view of what SMEs most need in today’s dynamic business climate.
What is your background?
I am the head of the SAP Business ByDesign team at Steeb. I have a degree in computer science and business administration. For the last 25 years I have gained vast experience in ERP-projects as project manager and managing director. I am working at Steeb for nearly 10 years now.
Tell me more about your company Steeb?
With more than 1,000 small and mid-size customers, Steeb is one of the leading SAP solution providers in Germany. Steeb supports its customers with tailor-made, proven solutions and a comprehensive range of services. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of SAP and employs about 200 people. Steeb is at home in the german midsize market since 1974. This defines our mission. We support small and medium-sized companies (SMEs), with products and services related to SAP, to become more competitive and long-term successful.
As a subsidiary of SAP, we are large enough to adopt the latest technological developments. At the same time we are down to earth to think and act for the customers best benefit.
What are the biggest challenges you see in midsize organizations?
SMEs are usually not well organized. Meaning, over time they have created themselves “solutions” that work within existing skills and needs, apparently. By regulatory, external market influences and competition, SMEs are forced for a better organization – in order to improve compliance, communication and customer access they have to overcome the bits of paper and the hand-written invoices.
Things such as Basel III, liquidity overview or a better understanding of customer information, gain urgency and get requested. This can not be achieved with the existing resources. The choice must fall on an integrated system, incorporating the latest technical and commercial parameters in the decision.
How does SAP Business ByDesign solve these challenges for SMEs?
As an On-Demand solution, SAP Business ByDesign is based on pre-configuration and a clear process structure. This offers a great simplification in two ways. First, the processes are described, defined and highlighted in e-learning, which leads to a clear and accessible platform for the user.
Secondly, what SAP offers with SAP Business ByDesign is not just the typical “software features”, SAP also takes the complete operational management. That’s why no additional IT costs occur.
At presentations with various interested parties the high level of integration of SAP Business ByDesign is always admired. Even prospects that already work with SAP systems – and their system-integration has become the measure of things so far – are always surprised how simple, easy to understand and fast SAP Business ByDesign is coming along.
In addition to operational matters, such as order entry or billing, the analytical tools stand out. In-Memory technology creates a real-time data rate. The corresponding relevance and accuracy of information, regularly surprises and convinces the audience.
For more information, visit our special ByDesign Microsite at www.steeb.de/byd
To contact Steeb:
Steeb Anwendungssysteme GmbH
Heilbronner Straße 4
74232 Abstatt
Germany
T +49 7062 673-0
F +49 7062 673-164
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sap_steeb
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sapsteeb.businessbydesign
XING: www.xing.com/companies/SAP%252fSTEEBANWENDUNGSSYSTEME
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/SteebGmbH
A special thanks to Kolja Czwielung and Stephan Meck for their support in facilitating this interview.
If you are a customer or partner looking to be profiled, let us know. You can email me at any time at michael.brenner@sap.com.
———-
Michael Brenner is a Sr. Director of Global Integrated Marketing for SAP. Follow the On Demand series or follow me on Twitter @BrennerMichael.
