Atos Origin Set to Lead in Growing Global Application Management Services Market with Recent Certification From SAP

Business Wire, May 5, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. & PARIS -- Atos Origin, an international IT services company, today announced it is now an SAP-certified provider of application management services. The certification from SAP acknowledges Atos Origin's ability to deliver application management services with high-quality service operations based on SAP[R] technology. It complements Atos Origin's status as an SAP global services partner and an SAP global hosting partner, which will provide reassurance to existing and new clients seeking to outsource support for their SAP solution-based systems. International customers such as Lion Copolymer have shown their trust in Atos Origin by selecting them as a global partner for worldwide application management services.

Atos Origin announced this news at the SAPPHIRE[R] 2008 Orlando conference, where it will be exhibiting in booth #1703. The company will also be present at SAPPHIRE[R] 2008 Berlin from 19 - 21 May.

David Mitchell, Senior Vice President IT Research at Ovum - part of the Datamonitor group - said: "Atos Origin is one of a very small number of companies that are SAP-certified providers of application management services - a designation that will become increasingly important as the growth of SAP Managed Services offerings continues globally. It will be particularly important for large international customers who need their services partners to be equally global. The application management market is expected to grow at just under 10% per annum globally between 2007 and 2012. China and India will see the application management services markets grow by nearly 40% per annum in the same time period. To harness the pockets of opportunity across the globe vendors will need to have facilities and services that are truly global. Ovum will be researching and publishing more in-depth work on the application management market during 2008, highlighting opportunities and best practices for suppliers and customers alike."

SAP-certified providers of application management services have received certification from SAP of their ability to deliver application management services with high-quality service operations based on SAP technology. So far, only two other SAP global partners received this certification. The certification covers overall quality of application management services, application lifecycle management capabilities and SAP services portfolio. As an SAP-certified provider of application management services, Atos Origin provides assurance to customers that their solutions are managed by a team with the backing and resources they need to stay flexible and innovative.

Linda Phillips, Chief Information Officer at Lion Copolymer, said: "The SAP Application Management certification underscores the importance of high-quality service you expect from an SAP partner. Since 2005, Lion Copolymer has relied on the SAP consultants at Atos Origin for support of daily business requirements, as well as, business integration projects related to acquisition and divestiture. Lion Copolymer is looking forward to the continuation of excellent service."

Iain Boag, SVP Global Alliances at Atos Origin, concludes: "Atos Origin is a long-term global SAP partner and we are delighted to have become an SAP-certified provider of application management services, which underlines our expertise on a global scale and provides clients with a solid guarantee of the same quality and service anywhere in the world. Atos Origin has extensive experience managing SAP solution-based systems cost effectively and to appropriate service levels while delivering innovation to support the evolving business of our clients."

Atos Origin has more than 20 years of experience with SAP applications and is an SAP global services partner, an SAP global hosting partner and a member of the Enterprise Services Community (ES Community). Atos Origin has more than 5,000 consultants offering services in support of SAP solutions around the globe and operates data centres in all geographical regions.

About Atos Origin

Atos Origin is an international information technology services company. Its business is turning client vision into results through the application of consulting, systems integration and managed operations. The company's annual revenues are EUR 5.8 billion and it employs over 50,000 people in 40 countries. Atos Origin is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic Games and has a client base of international blue-chip companies across all sectors. Atos Origin is quoted on the Paris Eurolist Market and trades as Atos Origin, Atos Worldline and Atos Consulting. For more information go to: www.atosorigin.com.

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