When looking for a solution to augment SAP, have you ever seen the terms CertifiedSAP Partner or SAP-certified software?
Do you know the difference? Is there a difference?
In this post, we’ll learn more about the difference between being a CertifiedSAP Partner vs. SAP-certified software and why it’s important for your business.
Quick Facts About SAP
- SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products for Data Processing) is a platform created to optimize business management. SAP is an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) product/platform that integrates different parts of a company, no matter how the company is organized.
- SAPencompasses data from entire business regions (Europe, Americas, Africa, Asia), corporate functions (e.g.Production, Finance HR, Marketing & Sales), to the equipment used in the smallest part of a business operation such as the device used to track inventory or a point of sale tablet.
- Operating through customizable modules, SAP offers solutions for companies of all sizes in any industry.
- SAP is the most recognized and used ERP system in the world. As such, it is very common for companies to need products and services that complement and integrate well with SAP.
By now, odds are that you’ve heard the termsCertifiedSAP Partner and/or SAP-CertifiedSoftwarebefore, so what’s the difference, and why is it important?
CertifiedSAP Partner
A CertifiedSAP partner is an organization that has applied for and received certification with the SAP Partner Edge Program. Typically, these organizations are in the business of aiding companies in implementing, servicing, supporting, and extending SAP functionality. They can also be focused on reselling SAP software and services.
SAP realizes that its platform is improved by the partnership with service and software companies to help customers get the most out of their SAP ERP investment. As noted on the SAP website,” Our strategy is to deliver the intelligent enterprise for our customers so they can achieve their desired outcomes. But we can’t do it alone. Only when we join forces with businesses…can we deliver on the promise to help our customers create smart, best-run businesses that help make the world run better.”
There are four different types of SAP-certified partnerships, including selling SAP solutions, servicing SAP solutions, Hosting SAP solutions, or building complementary solutions for integration with SAP. Within each type, there are different levels of partnership, such as silver, gold, and platinum.
All CertifiedSAP Partners go through a rigorous application and review process before being endorsed by SAP with certification. SAP maintains an evaluation of each partner, looking at their business operations, solutions, and services. In addition, they evaluate customer satisfaction, quality, and skill level to ensure that the partners deliver a high level of customer experience.
In short, a certified SAP partner is focused on improving your company’s use of SAP, guiding your company not only to operate the software platform but also to adapt your business processes to gain full benefit from SAP products and solutions.
When looking for a vendor of complementary solutions to SAP, your first step should be to check if the vendor is a certified SAP Partner @SAP Partner Finder.
SAP-Certified Solution
An SAP-certified solution is a platform, software, or application that is certified by SAP to integrate with a company’s implementation of SAP ERP solutions.
SAP offers many types of certifications that reflect the breadth of SAP ERP modules and technologies. In the SAP-Certified Solutions Directory, you can also sort and find vendors by country, type of interface, SAP product expertise, and more.
For a company to even apply for SAP certification, they must have significant experience in the market, proven knowledge of business processes, and fully demonstrate understanding of SAP.
Once these requirements are met, SAP tests the software applying for certification. SAP carries out several validation tests on its platform to validate not only that the solution works appropriately but also that it perfectly complies with and adheres to SAP’s strict business rules.
Why does this matter?
Peace of mind.
An SAP-certified solution is a guarantee that the software data can be fully integrated with SAP and ensures that all information flows respect SAP business and security rules. This provides assurance for IT professionals, all system users, and the entire company.
As described on SAP.com, select SAP-certified software for these reasons: Stringent and ongoing certification requirements give you confidence that partner offerings follow SAP standards – reducing integration time and cost and allowing for upgrades with minimal disruption. The peace of mind that comes with selecting a certified partner solution that extends your solution capabilities means shorter implementation times, lower integration costs, and verified compatibility with your SAP technology infrastructure.”
SAP certification should be one of your key criteria when looking to extend or improve the interface to SAP, such as adding a mobile maintenance solution to SAP EAM.
What about the risks of using non-certified solutions?
Using non-certified solutions brings great risks to your business with the potential for:
- Impaired performance
- Reduced reliability
- Compromised cybersecurity
Other common issues with using non-certified solutions include:
- Reduced system speed and crashes due to competition for data traffic.
- Poor/incorrect reporting due to system data mismanagement.
Minimize risks and purchase only SAP-certified solutions from certified SAP partners. You need to consider both types of certifications for the greatest assurance.
How We Can Help
We have been a certified SAP Silver partner for over 15 years, and our software products have been SAP-certified since 2010. Our focus is working with global Enterprise companies to optimize their SAP EAM environment.
Sigga’s SAP-certified software and mobile solutions allow you to optimize your data flow, execute maintenance routines, eliminate unproductive tasks, and reduce paper usage to zero. All this while following SAP’s strict business and security rules.
We conduct annual SAP certifications to provide peace of mind and confidence that Sigga is integrating properly with SAP. This also helps us to keep our customers current with the latest technological evolutions from SAP and ourselves. In fact, we are specially tuned to SAP’s strategies, products, and roadmap. We have been on the cutting edge of adding new SAP technologies to our products for over a decade. We were the 1st SAP partner to have a product running on the Sybase Unwired Platform, the first partner to perform an SAP Customer Qualification Process, and we became a benchmark SAP ICC partner for integrating solutions to SAP. These are just some of our partnership milestones with SAP.
When you partner with us, you are working with a company trusted by SAP and global industry giants such as AB InBev, BPBunge, Danone, and Saint-Gobain.