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ExECUTIvE SUMMARy
Microso = knowledge worker soware. SAP = business process. Despite extensive eort on the part
o each vendor to encroach on the other’s tur, this high-level analysis still holds. Hence, the logic o
these two companies working together to span two disparate worlds makes sense. Duet, a joint initiative
designed to bridge SAP data and processes with Microso Oce productivity applications, ailed to
launch in its rst iteration. Now the companies have re-engineered and have introduced a new Duet
oering called Duet Enterprise. Tis new product ocused on extending SAP rom Microso SharePoint.Tis new emphasis is highly aligned with Forrester’s view o the Inormation Workplace value
proposition. Content and collaboration pros with strategic commitments to Microso and SAP should
take a close look at the new ocus o Duet Enterprise.
Content, CommuniCations, Collaboration in business ProCess Context
Pity the poor worker who straddles the world o SAP and Microso. A salesperson responding to a complex
opportunity would need to concurrently access SAP customer relationship manager (CRM) or business
data and to maintain account records, SharePoint or accessing proposals and contracts, Lync to connect to
co-workers in real time through instant messaging, Web conerencing and voice over IP, and likely numerous
other tools as well. Te result is constant switching between applications, ollowed by browsing and searchingto nd the right inormation. More likely, the poor salesperson relies on SAP and email and ignores the
myriad o collaboration tools available because the eort to move between applications is higher than the
perceived business value.1 Tis is in stark contrast to Forrester’s denition o an Inormation Workplace:
A soware strategy that drives knowledge worker efciency through the integration o commonly used
applications like content management, collaboration, communications, enterprise social, and business
application unctionality through an integrated, contextual user experience.
With Duet Enterprise, SAP business data and processes surace in SharePoint, in proper context and
with related content, contacts, and communication tools integrated into a cohesive user experience (see
Figure 1). Within this environment, some o the unctionality that a worker can access includes:
· Core application access. SAP data is brought into the SharePoint environment through a
SharePoint acility called Business Connectivity Services (BCS). An add-in called Duet Enterprise
augments BCS and handles the specic characteristics o the SAP/SharePoint environment. As part
o this solution SAP has also enabled simplied access to SAP data and processes through a SAP
NetWeaver add-on.
Nember 24, 2010
Micrst And SAP Duet’s New visin Fr TheInrmatin Wrkplace In SharePintA New Duet Dries Critical Integratin r Kpwz
with Matthew Brwn and Jseph Dang
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SocialReal-time collaboration
Content management
Business content
Source: Contoso Electronics
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2Micrst And SAP Duet’s New visin Fr The Inrmatin Wrkplace In SharePint
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· Presence and real-time collaboration. Once the business content is in SharePoint, integration with
Microso Lync provides presence inormation and access to instant messaging, Web conerencing,
application sharing, and soware-based VoIP and video. Te environment ags all contacts with
presence inormation so connecting to experts is seamless rom within the application.
· Content. SharePoint stores relevant content, and Duet Enterprise suraces content in the
context o the business process. For example, in a sales scenario, proposals, quotes, and
contracts related to a given account are automatically suraced in context. Tis reduces the need
to open a separate application and search or content.
· Collaboration and social. SharePoint collaboration workspaces, My Sites (proles), and social
capabilities like blogs, wikis, and communities are also available in context. Te example shown
in the gure, accessing additional content and expertise through a community o experts
dedicated to a topic, could support the salesperson’s activities described above.
F 1 SAP Data Wrapped With Micrst Cntent, Cllabratin, And Cmmunicatins
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SAP remains the dominant business application vendor, and Microso is the leader in productivity
applications and collaboration as well as becoming increasingly relevant in portal and content
management. By working together in productive integration through Duet Enterprise, they are
relevant in the Inormation Workplace conversation or a number o reasons:
· For many organizations, these are the two most strategic sofware vendors. I SAP is a
primary vendor or business applications used to automate operational and transactional
processes in your organization and you are invested in Microso collaboration products,
particularly SharePoint, Duet Enterprise provides a valuable bridge.
· SAP and Microsof have handled a lot o tough integration challenges. Te promise o
integrating collaboration and business systems has been around or a while, and the challenge
has been that integration is never a simple proposition. In this instance, the problem o
integration has been taken on by the vendors: on the Microso side via SharePoint, BCS, and
the Duet Enterprise add-on; and on the SAP side with an SAP NetWeaver add-on.
· Te value proposition o a combined solution is greater than the two separate ones. While
we recognize the value o automating transactional and operational processes, human-centric
processes have generally been le out o the equation. For example, exception handling has
generally been done by knowledge workers ofine. By integrating core business systems
with knowledge worker-centric systems like collaboration, content management, and
communications, the promise o even greater eciency is evident as human latency can be
more easily identied and automated.
R E C o M M E N D A T I o N S
iF miCrosoFt and saP are Key strategiC Vendors, eValuate duet
Micrst and SAP cntinue t inest in Duet and the alue prpsitin is taking hld. This will
certainl hae an impact n ur Inrmatin Wrkplace strateg. When planning an Inrmatin
Wrkplace strateg, cntent and cllabratin pressinals shuld cnsider:
· if ’ saP mcf hp, kw h . Duet has had a slw start, but
the relatinship and cmmitment t priding an integrated slutin remains strng. Part
the cmmitment is recgnitin that frms cmmitted t bth endrs are prbabl deepl
inested r the reseeable uture. With this in mind, it is likel that the cmmitment t Duetwill cntinue. This means a bu rather than build scenari r ur Inrmatin Wrkplace
strateg that requires ealuatin.
· a if Wkpc wh d ep . I u are
inested in an Inrmatin Wrkplace strateg r in the prcess deelping ne, cnsider
the pprtunit presented b Duet. B taking adantage the integratin wrk dne b
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Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) is an independent research company that provides pragmatic and orward-thinking advice to global leaders in businessand technology. Forrester works with proessionals in 19 key roles at major companies providing proprietary research, customer insight, consulting, events, and peer-to-peer executive programs. For more than 27 years, Forrester has been making IT, marketing, and technology industry leaders successul every day. For more inormation, visit ww w.orrester.com.
© 2010, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. Inormation is based on best available resources. Opinionsrefect judgment at the time and are subject to change. Forrester®, Technographics®, Forrester Wave, RoleView, TechRadar, and Total Economic Impact are
trademarks o Forrester Research, Inc. All other trademarks are the property o their respective companies. To purchase reprints o this document, please email [email protected] additional inormation, go to www.orrester.com . 58055
SAP and Micrst, u culd shrten the rad t capturing business alue and lwer csts
assciated with integratin and custmizatin that u ma therwise need t d ursel.
Fr rganizatins that drie their business primaril n SAP applicatins and are cmmittedt SharePint, this culd represent an anchr r ur erall Inrmatin Wrkplace strateg.
· a p vp. Prtal, cllabratin, cntent management, and cmmunicatin
applications may already exist in your organization, perhaps in overabundance. As you
cnsider the implicatins embracing Duet, cnsider the ptential r erlapping
technlgies. I u are inested in an IBM Ltus directin, the erlap between WebSphere,
Ltus, and SharePint will require attentin i u are lking t ptimize csts.
endnotes
1 In Q3 2010 Forrester surveyed 5,498 North American and European technology users as part o the
Workorce Forrsights Survey. Despite signicant investment and deployment only 32% responded that they used instant messaging, 19% team workspaces, and a mere 8% used social media tools. Source: Forrsights
Workorce Employee Survey, Q3 2010.