SAP to double Indian customers to 2,000 by 2010, invest $1bln

New Delhi, Aug 28 (UNI) German software firm SAP AG today said it has doubled the number of Indian customers to 2,000 in the past one year and reaffirmed its commitment to invest one billion dollar by 2010 in the country.

In the space of one year, it has doubled the number with significant successes in the fast-growing Indian market that are helping the company better execute its vision for 2010, SAP said in a statement here.

The announcement was made during the first-ever visit by the entire SAP Executive Board to India, reflecting the rising importance of the country to SAP both as a vibrant market as well as a technology development and services-support delivery centre.

''The unprecedented growth that we are seeing from India is one of the best examples of how our 2010 strategy translates into action,'' SAP CEO and Chairman of the executive board Henning Kagermann said in the statement.

SAP is also the first enterprise software vendor in India to cross the 1,000 customer mark, which further reinforces the company's leadership in the country.

''Markets like India are at an inflection point when it comes to the adoption of technology by businesses of all shapes and sizes. For instance, it took us nine years in India to reach the 1,000 customer mark, and only one to double it,'' said Mr Kagermann.

Globally, SAP has set itself a goal of reaching 1,00,000 customers by 2010.

In order to achieve this goal, the company plans to significantly expand the addressable market for enterprise software solutions by aggressively targeting small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) and emerging markets.

Markets such as India and China will play a central role in helping the company achieve its vision, the company statement said.

A major portion of SAP's investment in India is targeted at expanding the company's global development and services and support hub in India, SAP Labs.

Originally established in 1998 in Bangalore, India became the first region for SAP worldwide to have development and services and support centres in multiple cities when it opened a centre in Gurgaon in 2006.

''SAP Labs India is today the largest research and development hub and support presence for us outside Germany,'' said Mr Kagermann adding that ''While the Bangalore centre will continue to play a central global leadership role, we now foresee the Gurgaon centre focusing on global service and support scaling up significantly in the next few years to enable us to meet our aggressive goals for India.'' The company on SMEs said it is a significant source of growth for SAP and mid-size companies are the fastest-growing segments for SAP in India.

''SAP provides a comprehensive portfolio of solutions for small businesses and mid-size companies and is continuing to invest in its existing portfolio to bring value and innovation to its customers,'' said Mr Kagermann.

UNI