Letter: SAP still in favor at USDA, Marines

SAP spokesman disputes characterization of agencies' removing SAP products in favor of a rival.

September 2, 2010

To the Editor:

Washington Technology's August 26 article, "USDA, Marines Replace SAP Software" gave readers the misleading impression that these agencies, in their entirety, decided to abandon SAP solutions for a different vendor. Nothing is further from the truth.

In fact, both agencies remain extremely committed SAP customers. In both cases, the divisions and projects involved were a fraction of the overall agency functions and responsibilities.

At USDA for example, the action was by one of the smaller organizations in USDA’s research area that coordinates grants and communications with universities. Overall, USDA uses SAP for its mission-critical enterprise financial management and procurement functions, among others. Fifteen USDA divisions are now using SAP's ERP solution, with three more going live this fall. Finally, USDA recently signed on for SAP's BusinessObjects analytics solution to support several thousand users.

The United States Marine Corps' action involved a set of old SAP Crystal Reports licenses that were acquired through the distribution channel years ago. SAP continues to remain a vital component of the USMC information-technology portfolio.

These are far from the "SAP replacement" your article implied. Washington Technology readers deserve news delivered with both insight and -- moreover -- context.

Sincerely,

Andy Kendzie

Director of Media Relations

SAP Public Services, Inc.

Editor's note: Our story did indicate the specific organizations within USDA and the Marine Corps involved in removing SAP products. However, we acknowledge the original headline and lead paragraph may not have adequately conveyed that information. We have revised the original story accordingly.

In addition, while the letter writer specifically refers to Washington Technology, the story also appeared on the Defense Systems and Government Computer News Web sites and has been revised on those sites as well.

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