As Customer Understanding Increases, Leverage of the SAP NetWeaver Technology Platform Will Continue to Rise, Says Capgemini Survey; SAP NetWeaver Seen to Deliver Both Business & IT Benefits for SAP Customers.

NEW YORK -- As many businesses move beyond their initial pilots towards utilizing the full capability of the SAP NetWeaver technology platform over the next 12 months, corporate technology departments are increasingly looking to their SAP technical platform to deliver significant business and IT benefits, according to the results of a survey of more than 800 participants attending the Sapphire conference in Boston last week. According to the pulse survey conducted by Capgemini U.S. LLC, a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing, nearly half (42%) said that business process improvements were the most important benefit derived from NetWeaver, while respondents indicated that the top three IT benefits from expanding their leverage of the SAP NetWeaver platform across the enterprise were improved development (28%), a sustained cost structure (28%) and reducing total cost of ownership (25%)

Though almost half of companies surveyed were still in the early phases of NetWeaver adoption (43%), a narrow majority (57%) of those who had already begun leveraging the SAP NetWeaver platform saw it as a distinct advantage that already provides both strategic (32%) and tactical (25%) impact. The vast majority of respondents (88%) indicated that SAP NetWeaver was important to the future success of their IT organization.

"The survey demonstrates that many companies are beginning to seriously look at NetWeaver as their strategic platform to help streamline and revitalize their business processes and deliver real-world benefits," said Dale Young, North American NetWeaver practice leader for Capgemini. "Though the majority are still in early stages of adoption, the practical applications and benefits to organizations are becoming very clear."

Other key findings from the Capgemini pulse survey at Sapphire included:

--  Two-thirds (65%) plan on leveraging NetWeaver when they upgrade to
    MySAP ERP over the next 12 months;

--  A narrow majority (54%) have a baseline understanding of the
    technical capabilities of NetWeaver today, while almost the same
    number (52%) also consider their understanding of NetWeaver's
    impact on the organization's overall enterprise architecture as
    'baseline.'

--  To download a copy of the complete Sapphire pulse survey
    responses, click on
    http://www.us.capgemini.com/news/PulseSurveys/SAPPHIRE_051905.asp

About Capgemini

Capgemini, one of the world's foremost providers of Consulting, Technology and Outsourcing services, has a unique way of working with its clients, which it calls the Collaborative Business Experience. Through commitment to mutual success and the achievement of tangible value, the company helps businesses and governments implement growth and transformation strategies, leverage technology, and thrive through the power of collaboration. Capgemini employs approximately 60,000 people worldwide and reported 2004 global revenues of 6.291 billion euros. More information about individual service lines, offices and research is available at www.us.capgemini.com.