Managing Automation - April 2008 - (Page 10)

FREE Online Membership managingautomation.com news managingautomation.com maonline Go online for daily news updates in perspective Wang also noted that, with the new Enterprise Support program at 22%, SAP has now matched Oracle’s rate on maintenance fees. “The elimination of the Basic Support option for new customers takes away a major competitive differentiator when compared to archrival Oracle,” Wang wrote. Cordrey declined to discuss Oracle’s maintenance and support services pricing. SAP’s new support options are “a compelling offering that best meets customer needs as we have seen today,” he said. — Jeff Moad Alliances, Executive Appointments, Mergers & Acquisitions, Products Transform your business through technology FREE Membership includes: • Award Winning Editorial • Web Exclusive Articles • Whitepapers & Webcasts • Improved Online Tools and Expert Forums • Product Comparison Engine • Targeted Newsletters • Special discounts for Executive Conferences • My “MA” which allows you to save products, comparisons and more Sign Up Today at: MANAGINGAUTOMATION.COM program, which had been priced at 17% of net license fees per year, and the Premium Support program, which had been priced at 22% of net license fees per year, will no longer be available to new customers. The support program changes apply to all SAP applications and thirdparty applications resold by SAP, Cordrey said. The Premium Support program, available since 2006, included some of the same services — such as SLAs — now available in Enterprise Support. Premium Support, however, did not include troubleshooting third-party applications. The Basic Support program included problem resolution and other features, such as quality management and the SAP Solution Manager, but it did not include SLAs or a support adviser feature. The Basic Support option, Cordrey noted, will continue to be available to current customers with Basic Support contracts. Those customers can renew Basic Support contracts at the 17% rate if they choose. “At this point, there is no announcement — and no plans” — to require existing customers to switch to Enterprise Support, Cordrey said. In a recent report on the SAP support program changes, Forrester Research analyst Ray Wang recommended that prospective SAP customers “stick to their guns on 17% maintenance,” predicting that many organizations won’t fully use the new services made available under the Enterprise Support program. NEW TAGSYS CHIEF SEES OPPORTUNITY IN BROADER APPROACH he RFID market is still experiencing rapid growth, according to market reports, but now that industry standards have been hammered out and market opportunities identified, RFID vendors need to shift their efforts away from compliance and lowering hardware costs. Instead, today’s RFID players must move briskly toward revenue-generating innovations to stand out in an overcrowded market. That, at least, is the view of Bill Stuek, the new chairman and chief executive of TAGSYS, a manufacturer of RFID tags and readers. Stuek, who was chief executive of the former SSA, was recently named to lead TAGSYS. T UPCOMING NA08 — The 2008 Material Handling & Logistics Show and Conference April 21-24, 2008 I-X Center Cleveland www.NAShow.com Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training & Certification April 21-25, 2008 Parsippany Hilton Hotel Parsippany, NJ https://www.regonline.com/63333_91728D i2 Planet April 30-May 2, 2008 JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa Phoenix www.planet.i2.com SAPPHIRE 2008 Orlando May 4-7, 2008 Orange County Convention Center Orlando, FL www.sapsapphire.com/usa2008/index.htm EVENTS RedShift:2008, Synchronizing Supply Chain & Retail May 5-8, 2008 Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Miami www.redshift2008.com/ Continuous Process Improvement Symposium May 13-15, 2008 Weber State University, Ogden, UT www.cpi-symposiums.com Manufacturing IT Forum: Connecting IT and Automation May 20-21, 2008 Wyndham Cleveland @ Playhouse Square Cleveland www.isa.org/mfgit Orchestrating the Business — MA's 4th Annual Progressive Manufacturing Summit June 10-12, 2008 The Four Seasons Hotel, Las Vegas www.managingautomation.com/summit Request Information Directly from Vendors you choose http://managingautomation.com http://managingautomation.com http://www.redshift2008.com/ http://www.NAShow.com http://www.cpi-symposiums.com https://www.regonline.com/63333_91728D http://managingautomation.com http://www.isa.org/mfgit http://www.planet.i2.com http://www.sapsapphire.com/usa2008/index.htm http://www.managingautomation.com/summit

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation - April 2008

Managing Automation - April 2008 Contents Take 1 Camstar to Introduce Software that Combines Quality, MES, and Intelligence SAP Revamps Maintenance, Raises Fees 29% New TAGSYS Chief Sees Opportunity in Broader Approach Siemens Turns to Security Weaver for Compliance Supply Chain Company Takes Next Step in U.S. Notes Cover Story: The Long Climb Special Report - Undertanding Enterprise Performance Management Caught Between Supply and Demand Taking Off the Blindfold No Room for Error Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - April 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.