Starting Up

This year SAP is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Today SAP has more than 400,000 customers in 180+ countries. Still, in 1972, It started with only 1 customer (Imperial Chemical Industries) and a few employees along with the founders Dietmar Hopp, Hasso Plattner, Hans-Werner Hector, Klaus Tschira & Wellenreuther in Germany with a vision of technological efficiency in Business.

1972 – 79

With the idea of creating enterprise software that can integrate all business processes & data processing in real-time, SAP’s founders established System Analyse Programmentwicklung, which later became SAP (Systems, Applications & Products in Data Processing). 

In 1972 they started working on materials, information, and accounting system known as “MIAS”. In 1973  First software for Financial Accounting: RF (R- Real Time) was launched. 

Demand grew nationally. Thermal Werke client required a Purchasing Module: PM. Thus, created a purchasing module in 1974 followed by a material management system: RM in 1975.

1979 – 1990

Due to its huge popularity among businesses, SAP started developing the second generation, R/2, of their software in 1979. R/2 dominated the 80s wildly.

SAP celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1982.

In 1984 SAP goes international with the Swiss town of Biel as a home to SAP’s first international subsidiary, SAP, and SAP AG, which became the International Business Hub.

SAP and its software became the limelight of CeBIT, in 1986. The world’s largest trade show for the first time. In 1987 followed by the launch of IBM’s Systems Application Architecture, SAP begins the R/3 program.

Huge sales success contributed to the company going public in 1988.

Resulting in great growth in International Business, SAP AG Switzerland was now responsible for 12 International subsidiaries, including Asia, Australia, and Canada.

1991 – 2000

In 1991 SAP exhibited the first SAP R/3 applications at CeBIT in Hanover, R/3 was the real game changer. 

In 1992 with SAP’s 20th anniversary, the third-generation software: R/3, paved its way into the Global Economy with the help of its client-server software.

SAP starts working with Microsoft to port SAP R/3 to Windows NT operating System, followed by IXOS project development and market an electronic document archiving system.

In 1995  SAP was listed on Germany’s DAX. Followed by an Online transition with the help of its joint Internet strategy with Microsoft. Now a global player SAP had its subsidiaries & development centers across the world.

SAP celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1997 with German Chancellor Dr. Helmut Kohl among the guests at the festivities. 

In 1999 SAP co-CEO Hass Plattner announces a new strategy that completely realigns the company and its product portfolio with “mySAP.com”.

Followed by becoming one of the first German companies to sign the United Nations Global Compact in 2000.

2001 – 10

mySAP.com evolves into a comprehensive technology for business applications in order to fulfill the IT system’s requirements.

At CeBIT, SAP exhibits mySAP ERP(mySAP ERP is the company’s most comprehensive, flexible & extensible ERP Program) as a part of mySAP Business Suite.

With the vision of transforming Business information to mobile users, SAP acquired Sybase (The largest business software and service provider specializing in information management & mobile data services). 

2011- Present 

Today in its 50s, SAP is leading the ERP (enterprise resource planning) Software industry. Currently, the innovative fourth generation of software, S/4HANA, reduced data analysis time from days to mere seconds.  Thus, strongly defending the ERP leader title with more than a 200million cloud company users. Based on market capitalization, SAP is the world’s 3rd largest enterprise software development company.