R&D throughout the industry has led to significant steps in innovation this year. VARBusiness Tech Innovator Awards recognize the most innovative of these offerings from several different sectors.
Vendors submitted hundreds of entries for the 2008 VARBusiness Tech Innovator Awards, but only a handful emerged as purveyors of unique, groundbreaking products. Here's a look at the winners.
HP's first touch-screen notebook for consumers has plenty of options for work and play.
SAP Launches Online Exchange For ISV Partner Solutions
2:16 PM EDT Tue. Oct. 14, 2008
SAP unveiled SAP EcoHub at the company's SAP TechEd 2008 conference in Berlin this week. The online marketplace is already up and running, the company said.
The move appears to take a page out of the playbook of SAP rival Salesforce.com which launched its own AppExchange directory of on-demand applications in January 2006.
SAP EcoHub offers partner-developed software certified by SAP to work with its own products under such programs as Powered by SAP NetWeaver, Certified by SAP NetWeaver, SAP solution extensions, endorsed business solutions and Business Objects certified solutions.
Currently the number of third-party solutions on the site is in the "low hundreds," said Dan Maloney, vice president of SAP's global ecosystem and partner group. The goal for the next few months is to put up all 1,800 certified solutions from ISVs and other partners that already belong to SAP's PartnerEdge channel program, Maloney said. SAP will then work on adding service and technology partners to the site.
Customers can search SAP EcoHub by industry or solution or by using key words, according to the vendor. The site also offers feedback on specific products from customers and industry experts, customer adoption case studies, and the ability to communicate with partners about their products and schedule demonstrations.
Customers, however, will not be able to purchase partner products directly from EcoHub as the site will not be set up to process transactions. Customers can initiate purchases through the site by contacting the ISV. But Maloney wouldn't rule out the possibility of one day adding transaction-processing capabilities for customers who want to make a credit card purchase. "That's something we'll be exploring as we move forward," he said.
SAP generally won't charge partners for posting information on EcoHub. Maloney said the site is open to solution partners who have already paid fees to join PartnerEdge and have their products certified. But he said SAP charges a fee, which he couldn't disclose, to partners who want their products displayed on premium Web pages.
SAP is operating EcoHub itself and Maloney said the emphasis is on its "community" capabilities where partners and customers can exchange information about SAP-related products. But Maloney said SAP also studied online consumer shopping sites, including E-Bay and Amazon.com, for site development tips.
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