SAP Business ByDesign 2.5 now available, starter packs set
SAP said Monday that its Business ByDesign 2.5 ERP suite is now available and the company has added more details on its starter pack implementation costs. As reported at Sapphire, SAP had planned to make Business ByDesign's latest iteration available in July. It's available in China, France, Germany, India, the U.K. and U.S.
SAP also launched starter packages in an effort to bolster adoption. These moves were telegraphed in May, but now SAP is following through. From here on, the marketplace will decide how Business ByDesign will fare. As Dennis Howlett notes, the next 12 to 18 months will be critical for SAP's flagship on-demand suite.
SAP is prepared to put substantial marketing dollars behind ByDesign over the next 12-18 months but it has to get the right channel partners in place and at volume. SAP is working hard on figuring out this part of their ByDesign puzzle but is taking what I believe is an overly cautious approach.
The latest Business ByDesign features in-memory analytics, mobile device support and an overhauled user interface. SAP's starter packs have fixed implementation prices starting at $13,500. These Business ByDesign starter packs are available for 10 users and come in three flavors. Among them:
- A CRM starter package implemented in three weeks at $13,500 and $89 per user.
- An ERP starter package implemented in six weeks at $37,500 and $149 per user.
- A professional service provider package can go live in eight weeks for $45,000 and $149 per user.
The pricing is on par with what SAP executives had said. The interesting wrinkle is that SAP is making implementation costs and timing very transparent. Howlett reckons that the CRM starter pack and professional services one could do well. The ERP package is iffy since the implementation price is high.
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