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{ 7 } Comments

1. Thomas J. Olbrich | July 14, 2009 at 3:13 pm | Permalink

   SAP have had many years to think about IDS. To me it’s a clear signal that SAP intends either to push their BPM solution in a totally new direction or to keep it as just an add-on (though that would surprise me, looking at the budget and ressources they thrown on Galaxy over the years).

   Thomas

2. Thomas J. Olbrich | July 14, 2009 at 3:14 pm | Permalink

   and pardon the grammer, just a case of sticky fingers and a tired mind

3. Sandy Kemsley | July 14, 2009 at 3:20 pm | Permalink

   Interestingly, SAP has stated a direction to directly integrate with IDS Scheer’s ARIS to allow process models created in ARIS to be deployed for execution in NetWeaver BPM, but that isn’t in the first released version. The big problem with process modeling in another tool is that you don’t have the seamless round-tripping that you do if the modeling is done in the BPMS’ process modeler, even if the standalone modelers like ARIS are better. SAP may intend to build sufficient modeling capabilities within NetWeaver BPM that they (believe that they) no longer need IDS Scheer.

4. Thomas J. Olbrich | July 14, 2009 at 3:51 pm | Permalink

   Sandy,
   though the IDS sales force may contradict me on this, at least a (major) part of the thinking behind the SAP-IDS partnership has always been to make it easier for SAP clients to change their processes by using a front-end tool that in many cases they were familiar with and from an IDS perspective to get SAP users to document their SAP processes in ARIS. And this has indeed worked to a certain extent.

   What has never really worked or lived up to expections was the notion to use ARIS as a one-stop configuration front-end. That seamless roundtrip story hit most customers during a phase of general disillusionment with standards.

   So yes, I think SAP does have something up its sleeve re process modeller, though whether it’ll be perceived as ’sexy’ and high-end as ARIS remains to be seen. Personally, I wouldn’t see the need from SAPs point of view.

   But barring a surprising decision at SAG, ARIS is not going to disappear from the market anyway and keeping it available as a standalone tool to slowly penetrate new markets must be the only sensible strategy for SAG to follow.

   Thomas

5. djebar hammouche | July 14, 2009 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

   sandy,
   It seems you forget another competitor : Oracle …
   Oracle Fusion is based (on the BPM top ) on Aris tools. Same remarks about Oracle BPM (Oracle BPMS legacy suite not issued by the BEA acquisition) …

   May be in the future SAP will acquire another competitor …Intalio for example

6. Sandy Kemsley | July 15, 2009 at 5:51 am | Permalink

   Good point about Oracle, djebar — my thoughts immediately went to SAP because of the strong presence that IDS Scheer had at SAPPHIRE, and how they had a bit of a meltdown last year when I stated that NetWeaver BPM didn’t support the use of ARIS in the first version.

7. Bryan Frew | July 16, 2009 at 12:11 am | Permalink

   The SAP question is interesting especially since the SAP SOA Repository is OEMed from IDS. The two companies have had a close relationship for a very long time.

   At least two thirds of IDS’s business is SAP implementation and apparently this was attractive to Software AG.
   Some interesting dynamics to watch. What will Oracle do? The current release (11g) is now compatible with the entire ARIS suite allowing customers to add components from IDS.

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