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RFID, Business Intelligence (BI), Mobile Computing, and the Cloud
and time consuming to implement. However, implementing SOA is not easy. The IT
analyst group Ovum reported that one in five U.S. companies implementing SOA have
experienced “unexpected complexity.”
The return on an SOA investment is often difficult to determine. According to a study
published by Nucleus Research, only 37 percent of 106 organizations polled claimed that
their SOA projects had a positive ROI. Respondents indicated that the main benefit of
SOA was the ability to reuse computer code.
NetWeaver Tools and Capabilities
SAP’s NetWeaver platform is a collection of modules, including Enterprise Portal, Mobile
Infrastructure, Business Intelligence, Master Data Management, and Exchange
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Infrastructure.
The SAP Enterprise Portal gives users complete access to all their work on a single
screen, using links to connect users to all the major applications needed to perform their
jobs. The Enterprise Portal acts as a central access point to a company’s intranet (its
secure, internal network), operating through a secure link on a browser. For example, a
user in the Finance Department could set up Enterprise Portal with links to SAP ERP
financial transaction processes, as well as links to financial metrics for the company, stock
market indices, email, a calendar, and other information important for that person’s job.
The advantage of having a personalized portal is its efficiency. A user only has to log
on to one system to get all the information needed to perform his or her job. Without a
portal, users often have to log on to multiple systems, such as an ERP system, email,
industry exchanges, or suppliers’ sites. Transferring information between systems is
frequently difficult. With the Enterprise Portal, all information is available through the
Web services provided by NetWeaver. All the important links are presented in one screen,
and transferring data is simplified by the ability to “drag-and-relate” data from one area
to another.
NetWeaver’s Mobile Infrastructure module allows users to access and work with data
through mobile devices such as smartphones and pagers. Mobile Infrastructure provides
remote access to data within a company’s SAP system and other information systems. The
benefits are obvious. A salesperson could use his or her smartphone to see a customer’s
historical order information while in the middle of a sales call with that customer.
Connecting SAP and VoiceObjects AG adds voice capability to NetWeaver, allowing users
to enter data into the SAP CRM system using voice commands from their cell phones.
Linking the SAP and VoiceObjects AG systems can be done without middleware or any
changes to the software.
Another facet of NetWeaver is the linkage with SAP’s Business Intelligence (BI) data
warehouse and analytical tools. With the Enterprise Portal, BI can be delivered in a
personalized fashion. It can integrate information from various sources and processes,
both within and outside of the firm. BI works with any database management software and
any operating system that is running NetWeaver.
Another NetWeaver module, Master Data Management, provides data consistency
within a company’s SAP system. NetWeaver allows a seamless Web interface to ensure
proper data synchronization. While this interface simplifies the data synchronization
process, it is not automatic—users with the proper knowledge and skills are still needed to
manage this process.

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