More than two thirds of organisations (69 per cent) are now using the latest version of SAP’s core ERP business suite, ERP 6.0, with a further 22 per cent still using the older R3 4.7 platform, according to a study by the UK & Ireland SAP User Group.
However only seven per cent of SAP users said they were currently using SAP BusinessObjects, showing that SAP still has work to do convincing users to adopt what is now its flagship business intelligence product.
“It is encouraging to see that so many SAP users are moving to ERP 6.0,” said Alan Bowling, chairman of the UK & Ireland SAP User Group. “Here at the user group we have highlighted the potential benefits of upgrading to ERP 6.0, such as enhanced levels of functionality and support.”
The research also looked at member’s usage of SAP’s current support offerings. Of those surveyed, over two-thirds (67 per cent) are now on the Enterprise Support offering, compared to 11 per cent on the recently re-introduced Standard Support. The group said that while the cost of Enterprise Support would rise this year, increasing the gap between the two support options to more than one per cent, these figures seemed to show that it was currently the favoured option in the majority of organisations.
The research also revealed that SAP has a lot of progress to make in encouraging organisations to create Customer Centres of Expertise. Only 14 per cent of respondents said they had certification granted by SAP recognising their organisations’ commitment to continuous improvement of SAP operations.