14 Dec 1999
SAP has announced a strategic partnership with IBM, in what seems to be an attempt to steer customers away from current preferred database vendor Oracle.
The companies will provide mySAP.com - which gives access to hosted SAP applications - alongside IBM's DB2 database, on a variety of operating systems including Windows 2000 and Linux. IBM's DB2 will also replace Oracle as SAP's internal development platform.
SAP argues that IBM's benchmark figures show that running SAP applications on RS6000 and DB2 provides twice the performance achieved on a comparable Oracle platform.
However, most SAP implementations require considerable customisation, so migrating customers to a new database platform is bound to incur significant costs. "For existing customers, I agree there will be additional costs," said Nick Burrell, IBM's UK brand manager for DB2.
All products will be available for shipment on DB2 within the month.
Analysts Bloor Research said in a newsletter that, "this is the second such deal IBM has pulled off in the past couple of months, having previously tightened its relationship with Siebel to similar effect. And, despite what Oracle may say, this is a blow indeed."
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