Europe's top software maker, SAP AG, on Wednesday revealed plans to take on Microsoft Corp. in the small-business market as part of a plan to boost weak sales in the United States.
Despite having strong ties to U.S.-based multinationals and other global companies, SAP has failed to tap the wider U.S. market, especially among small and medium-sized businesses, the new head of its global operations said on Wednesday.
Making matters worse is the chronic slowdown in technology spending, which has hurt SAP's U.S business in particular. Officials reiterated that business conditions were likely to remain challenging for the next six months.
SAP is hoping a recent shake-up of its U.S operations -- combined with a new software package introduced on Wednesday -- can help it crack open the mass market for its business software. It hopes the move will allow it to take market share from leading U.S. rivals Microsoft, Oracle Corp. and Siebel Systems Inc..
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