SAP concedes inappropriate downloads in response to Oracle complaint
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SAP yesterday came clean over “inappropriate downloads” at its TomorrowNow third party ERP support subsidiary, of Oracle IP (intellectual property) – although it insisted that SAP itself had never had access.
The revelation came in SAP and TomorrowNow’s first formal response to Oracle’s complaint, filed on March 22 and amended on June 1, when it lodged an answer with the US District Court.
SAP says that TomorrowNow was authorised to download materials from Oracle’s website on behalf of customers, although it now acknowledges that some inappropriate downloads of fixes and support documents also occurred.
Importantly, SAP insists that what was downloaded at TomorrowNow stayed in that subsidiary’s separate systems. SAP says it did not have access to Oracle IP via TomorrowNow at any time because SAP had intentionally created a business structure that maintained a firewall between itself and TomorrowNow.
“TomorrowNow often downloads support materials for and on behalf of its customers, who have chosen to seek third-party support for their legacy Oracle applications,” said a spokesperson.
“Third-party maintenance providers like TomorrowNow depend on their customers – in this instance, companies who use Oracle-provided software – permitting the service provider access to support materials, through the customer’s password, to provide support and service for those customers’ Oracle applications. SAP acknowledged that some inappropriate downloads occurred at TomorrowNow.”
SAP now says that it intends to co-operate fully with the US Department of Justice requests for full supporting documentation.
“Even a single inappropriate download is unacceptable from my perspective,” says Henning Kagermann, SAP CEO. “We regret very much that this occurred.
“I want to reassure our investors, customers, partners and employees that SAP takes any departure from the high standards we set for all of our businesses very seriously, regardless of where it occurred or how confined it may be.
“When I learned what happened, I promptly took action to strengthen operational oversight at TomorrowNow while assuring that we maintain excellent service for TomorrowNow’s customers going forward.”
