SAP launches new HR system

Targeting the increasingly complex task that human resources officials at federal agencies face, SAP Public Services today announced the release of SAP Human Capital Management for U.S. Federal Government Organizations as a new offering.

SAP Public Services, a subsidiary of SAP Americas, made the announcement at the SAP Government Business Forum, an event under way in Washington, D.C.

“In the federal sector, there haven’t been a lot of new solutions coming to the table,” said Andrew Malay, vice president of the company’s federal practice. “It’s been an extensive effort on our part, and we’re ready to roll this thing out.”

Federal agencies often rely on old HR systems, and in many cases, they depend on other agencies’ systems, he said.

“You’ve got an environment where there are a significant number of agencies that rely on other agencies for their support,” he said. “You’ve got agencies running on old legacy systems. I don’t think those solutions position them for the challenges they’re going to face in the next three to five years.”

SAP faces competition from PeopleSoft — now part of Oracle — and other companies, but SAP should be able to build a significant HR business, he said. The new HR system integrates with SAP’s enterprise resource planning system, making current ERP users a target for the new offering.