SAP celebrates 40 years of business software innovation

SAP is now one of the world's largest independent software providers, employing more than 55,000 people in over 50 countries and serving more than 183,000 customers worldwide. Indeed, today three quarters of the Forbes 500 companies run SAP software, and the ERP giant claims that SAP powers 80% of the companies on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and 85% of the top 100 most valued brands in the world. "When we began in 1972, our vision was to build real time business applications and we did so in close cooperation with our first customers," comments Hasso Plattner, co-founder of SAP and chairman of the SAP Supervisory Board. "Today, SAP continues to be the trusted innovator it was then. We are driving intellectual renewal with break-through innovations like the SAP HANA platform for the next generation of real time management of businesses anytime anywhere from any device. And we have also returned to our roots, working closely with customers to make the impossible possible." The story of SAP is one of innovation and continuous growth. The original five engineers — Hasso Plattner, Dietmar Hopp, Klaus Tschira, Hans-Werner Hector and Claus Wellenreuther — were driven by the desire to get companies running their businesses better, faster and more efficiently, with standard software solutions. "SAP's success is based on our commitment to innovation and to our customers," boasts Jim Hagemann Snabe, co-CEO of SAP. "This commitment has enabled SAP to deliver leading business solutions to companies of any size and help them become best-run businesses," he continues. "In a hyper-connected world with limited resources and more than 7 billion people, we are committed to leveraging this experience to help the world run better. We are proud that our software is helping to improve the lives of millions of people worldwide."