SAP and IXOS Announce Development Partnership for mySAP Customer Relationship Management Software

Business Wire, Nov 6, 2000

Business Editors

MUNICH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 6, 2000

At Systems 2000 today, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) and IXOS SOFTWARE AG (Neuer Markt: XOS; NASDAQ: XOSY), announced a new and extensive partnership for the further development and implementation of service processes and document-based solutions in mySAP(TM) Customer Relationship Management (mySAP CRM).

Building on many years of successful partnership, IXOS and SAP will focus on integrating and developing document interfaces for CRM applications and extending document integration in mySAP CRM. In addition, SAP has acquired the product rights to the IXOS Mobile/3 solution.

"We are excited to extend our cooperation with SAP into the CRM area," said Robert Hoog, CEO of IXOS. "IXOS sees significant business opportunity in the development of document solutions in this key market segment."

"By extending mySAP CRM with document-driven business processes for the complete operational chain, including all communication channels such as the Internet, Interaction Center and mobile applications, we will create new opportunities to provide our customers with a strategic advantage," said Dietmar Saddei, Senior Vice President of SAP.

Agreement Builds on Long-Standing Partnership

By the terms of the agreement, IXOS will contribute technical expertise and experience to enhance functionality for field engineers in mySAP CRM. Together, the two companies will develop corresponding document-based CRM solutions, providing for tighter document integration in mySAP CRM.

The new agreement underscores the long-standing partnership between the two companies. IXOS has had a Competence Center in Walldorf for several years, where a dedicated sales and development team ensures the optimal integration of IXOS eBusiness document solutions in the mySAP.com e-business platform.

In addition to the announcement of the development partnership, both companies stated that SAP has acquired the product rights to IXOS-Mobile/3. The application provides service engineers working in the field with on-site and constant on-demand access to all service and maintenance documents through mobile terminals, enabling enhanced customer service at a lower cost. The two companies have agreed not to disclose the terms and conditions of the contract under which the product rights to IXOS-Mobile/3 were transferred to SAP.

IXOS will continue to support its IXOS-Mobile/3 customers that have maintenance agreements. As part of their development partnership, SAP and IXOS intend to provide these customers with a migration strategy to the Mobile Service solution from SAP. This strategy will give customers access to the entire mySAP CRM solution portfolio, which enables employees, partners, suppliers and customers to work together and leverage integrated information throughout and beyond an organization.

"The strategic cooperation between SAP and IXOS in the key space of CRM is a major benefit for customers," said Walter Kohler, Vice President of the Core Enterprise Business Unit at IXOS SOFTWARE AG. "In the future, customers will be able to leverage document-enabled applications across the entire enterprise value chain, based on an integrated system platform. Customers will also benefit through optimized inter-enterprise business processes. The development partnership is a logical extension of the many years of successful collaboration between SAP and IXOS in the past, and customers stand to gain from the new integrated solutions in the CRM space."

About IXOS

IXOS SOFTWARE AG is a worldwide leading provider of solutions for the management of eBusiness documents in inter-enterprise system environments. The IXOS product portfolio is based on Internet technologies such as Java and XML. IXOS products ensure companies a seamless integration of eBusiness documents in business processes and allow customers the secure archiving of eBusiness documents and their dynamic management. The highly scalable product line IXOS-ARCHIVE digitalizes, archives and manages large document and data volumes enterprise wide. The Internet document portal IXOS-eCON is a leading-edge solution for the management of dynamic business documents, which continuously change in interenterprise business processes. IXOS-ExchangeARCHIVE enables efficient management of eBusiness documents and mailboxes for the Microsoft Exchange platform. To complement the product portfolio, IXOS offers an extensive set of services including 24x7 technical support and a global team of highly qualified consultants.

IXOS shares are listed on the Neuer Markt segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and trade under the symbol "XOS." IXOS's American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) trade on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol "XOSY."

About SAP

SAP is the world's leading provider of e-business software solutions. Through the mySAP.com platform, people in businesses around the globe are improving relationships with customers and partners, streamlining operations, and achieving significant efficiencies throughout their supply chains. Today, more than 13,000 companies in over 100 countries run more than 30,000 installations of SAP(TM) software. With subsidiaries in over 50 countries, SAP generated sales of EUR 5.11 billion in the fiscal year 1999. The company is listed on several exchanges including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP." (Additional information at http://www.sap.com)