Jump to content

Thought Leadership Series

The value of our Unite Partners

For this installment of our Thought Leadership Series, we invited Rustum Broacha, VP of Ecosystem and Channels at SAP, to provide us with an overview of Duet Enterprise's partner program and the value that partners bring to customers interested in implementing Duet Enterprise. Learn about the skills and expertise required by the program and discover how that expertise may help customers drive innovative initiatives.

1. What is the SAP-Microsoft Unite Partner Connection Program?
This is a joint program for mutual partners of both companies – SAP and Microsoft. The program is quite unique. You can look at it as a new era of collaboration focused on helping our mutual partners succeed with our joint solutions, especially in the area of SAP and Microsoft interoperability. The program currently focuses on SAP solutions running on Microsoft products such as Microsoft SQL Server and Duet Enterprise, a product jointly developed by both companies that enables customers extend SAP business processes and leverage SAP data via an integration between SAP and Microsoft SharePoint.
The Unite Partner Connection program opens up new revenue streams for our partners and provides comprehensive support and education programs that help our partners develop and market SQL Server and Duet Enterprise based solutions. However, the goal of the program is not only to help partners, but also customers. Customers can learn about product synergies, business benefits, and co-marketing opportunities.
2. Why should a company consider hiring a Unite Partner?
Experience, TCO, and risk management would be the key phrases that come to mind. Each Unite Partner is reviewed and selected by both SAP and Microsoft for their depth of SAP and Microsoft product knowledge/experience and their track record for providing high value to customers. Most importantly, our Unite partners are provided with comprehensive training programs and support systems that enable them to apply best practices, improve productivity, and lower implementation costs, which lowers program risk and overall TCO for our customers.
3. What services are Partners currently delivering to Duet Enterprise customers?
Our partners use Duet Enterprise to develop solutions that leverage the data contained within SAP to extend and simplify company business processes—essentially making them available to all appropriate enterprise employees in a very useable, efficient, and understandable way. The services our partners provide range from providing specific industry point solutions to developing comprehensive horizontal solutions like extending/simplifying CRM or HCM business processes.
It's important to highlight that since Duet Enterprise provides an interoperability foundation, having a knowledgeable partner with industry or Line of Business (LOB) expertise and experience in developing SAP and Microsoft based solutions is key to helping companies realize the full potential of Duet Enterprise.
4. What type of skills should customers look for when considering a Partner for their Duet Enterprise project?
Customers should look for the set of skills that are typically represented within our Unite partners:
  • A reputation for being a knowledgeable and a respected system implementer for SAP and Microsoft customers,
  • Deep SAP and Microsoft implementation skills—with Duet Enterprise (or SAP NetWeaver Gateway) and SharePoint experience,
  • A solid understanding of Duet Enterprise implementation best practices, and
  • A thorough understanding of the specific domain area/business process where you want extend/enhance your SAP business process via SharePoint and Office.
5. How can Partners help customers innovate through Duet Enterprise?
The right partner can help customers innovate in a number of ways:
  • First, they have a solid understanding of SAP, Duet Enterprise, SharePoint/Office, and Duet Enterprise implementation best practices, so they understand the extensive capabilities and potential of the solution framework;
  • Secondly, they have deep industry and domain expertise that enables them to quickly understand the customer's key business challenges in the context of industry business process best practices;
  • Thirdly, they have access to SAP and Microsoft Duet Enterprise Support Centers and a library of Microsoft SharePoint site templates and business objects that enable them to rapidly create secure and administrable collaboration workspaces and composite applications. These workspaces and applications allow users to participate in SAP business processes and to collaborate on SAP data through very familiar applications such as Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft SharePoint.
6. How many Partners are currently enrolled in the SAP-Microsoft Unite Partner Connection Program?
We started the program on a global level and we brought in reliable partners from SAP and Microsoft. As of today, we have 7 mutually confirmed global partners: Atos (Origin), Capgemini, Fujitsu, HCL, Logica, TCS, and Unisys. We are now in the process of expanding the program to the regions so in the near future, expect to see additional partners participating in the program.
7. What kinds of applications have been developed by Partners based on Duet Enterprise? Can you give a few examples?
Our Partners have done a great job at developing applications to help customers solve difficult business challenges or improve business processes leveraging Duet Enterprise. These applications cover areas such as HR, Procurement, IT, and Sales, and include different kinds of processes like workflows, approvals, etc.
Many examples of these applications can be found in the Partner's section on the www.duet.com web site. To give you a couple of specific examples, we have a partner that developed a Recruitment Portal application that helps Recruiters and HR Managers manage the hiring process, from end to end, through one point of entry. So instead of having to access different SAP systems and external data sources, users can go to a portal, powered by SharePoint, and view the entire process. The portal also enables employees to collaborate in real-time, and access reports and workflows. This application helps companies streamline and accelerate the hiring process by collecting required information in one easy to access location while simplifying the interaction with the SAP HCM system.
Another partner developed an application to help Procurement departments simplify their processes and reduce costs and expenses while increasing compliance with supplier agreements. This application guides employees through the buying process, provides them with information about the status of their orders, gives them access to the latest documents and agreements, and enables collaboration so they can make informed decisions. In this case, procurement information is pulled from different SAP systems and made available to users through a portal offering a familiar user interface powered by SharePoint.
8. What does the SAP-Microsoft Unite Program offer to Partners?
The Unite program offers many benefits to partners: comprehensive training materials and educational programs, access to Duet Enterprise and SQL Server experts, access to SAP/Microsoft GTM programs, the ability to leverage the SAP/Microsoft GTM channels, and, most importantly, the endorsement of SAP/Microsoft as a trusted and knowledgeable Duet Enterprise/SQL Server services provider which lowers risk for the customer and increases the Partners' revenue generation opportunities, just to name a few. We believe that customers will look to our Unite partners to help them lower IT costs, improve productivity, mitigate implementation risks, and enhance the value of their investments in SAP and Microsoft's products and technologies.
9. What is the process to enroll in the SAP-Microsoft Unite Partner Connection program?
First of all, the partner has to be an existing SAP and Microsoft partner. On the SAP side, the partner has to be under the PartnerEdge Program. On the Microsoft side, the partner has to be a member of the Microsoft Partner Network Program. The partner has to sign the Partner Participation Agreement which has to be approved by SAP and Microsoft. To get approval, the partner has to fulfill certain criteria such as to have a delivery practice for both company products with a record of customer success shown through customer testimonials, success stories, etc. The partner must also demonstrate its ability to support the customer from a geographical perspective (e.g., market presence either in multiple regions or a strong market presence in a specific region). Lastly, the partner must demonstrate its Duet Enterprise or SQL Server expertise or show specific plans on how it will build that competence over a specific time period. On average, the whole process may take up to 4 weeks depending on the situation.
10. Is there a fee to enroll in the program? Where can customers and partners find more information?
There is no fee to join the program. More information about the program is available on www.duet.com and on the Ecohub.