SAP happy with hybris, HANA, Cloud taking roots in APJ

SINGAPORE: SAP’s performance for the year in APJ, as per the company's reckoning, reflected robust migration of existing and new customers to SAP Cloud and strength in its core SAP HANA and Analytics businesses. India delivered strong double-digit software revenue growth in Q4. The company also continued to see broad adoption of SAP HANA across industries and use cases in APJ.

SAP SE full-year earnings posted 59 per cent growth year-over-year in non-IFRS cloud subscriptions and support revenue (60 per cent at constant currencies) in Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) in 2014, driven by a strong demand for the SAP Cloud portfolio and the SAP HANA platform, as shared by the company. Non-IFRS cloud subscriptions and support revenue also grew 98 per cent year-over-year (87 per cent at constant currencies) in Q4 across APJ.

“Our strategy over the longer term is to have new and existing customers operating on the SAP HANA platform,” said Adaire Fox-Martin, President of SAP APJ. “We’ll continue to focus on our customer in everything that we do, and we have a duty to help them run better, run simple in the SAP Cloud powered by SAP HANA.”

The rise of e-commerce in the region is also boosting demand for omni-channel commerce solutions from hybris and cloud-based procurement and trading network from Ariba. Both hybris and Ariba are SAP companies. Increased demand for the SAP HANA platform was reflected in accelerated growth for SAP Business Suite powered by SAP HANA.

SAP acquired hybris in 2013 and the company officially became part of SAP from January 1, 2015. “What we’re seeing here is continued growth in customer interest and take-up in SAP Cloud and SAP HANA, which will bode well for 2015,” said Fox-Martin. “SAP will continue to catalyze a transformation that will lead to a Hyperconnected Asia. It is a fusion of the Internet of Things in various industries. Businesses will tap new customers and be more connected to communities through new networks.”

SAP customer highlights in the fourth quarter across APJ include Toll Group, Australia’s leading mover of freight, that has licensed SAP Simple Finance, the Ariba Network and contingent-labour management solution SAP Fieldglass. “This is a key development for Toll in establishing itself as a flexible, customer focused organization,” said Toll Group Chief Financial Officer Grant Devonport. “This system is a key to improving efficiencies and reducing IT complexity as we replace multiple existing legacy systems with an up-to-date and best in class solution.”

Among other customers is SMRT, Singapore’s multi-modal transport service provider that has been running the SAP ERP software since 2000 and is upgrading to the SAP Business Suite on HANA platform. With Suite on HANA, SMRT is said to be able to build capabilities for predictive maintenance and operational excellence that will assist the company to prioritize safety, service reliability and customer satisfaction.

Philippine Geothermal Production Company, which operates steam fields that produce geothermal energy, selected Ariba Procure-to-Pay and Contract Management solutions in their transition to a joint venture between All-First Equity Holdings, Inc. and Chevron and Meghna Group of Industries (MGI) in Bangladesh is implementing SAP Business Suite powered by SAP HANA, to leverage data and insights to assist them in making real-time business decisions.