Our partner Arvato Systems was certified as an SAP Outsourcing Partner for the 10th time in a row and awarded a gold certificate for this. SAP is very proud of this long-standing relationship with Arvato Systems and invited them to a short interview on the sidelines of the certificate presentation in which they outlined their experience of the certification program.
We might want to start by introducing your company, Arvato Systems, and talk about the services you offer.
Global IT specialist Arvato Systems supports major companies in Digital Transformation. About 3,100 staff in over 25 locations stand for in-depth technology expertise, industry knowledge, and focus on customer requirements. Working as a team, we develop innovative IT solutions, transition our clients into the Cloud, integrate digital processes, and take on IT systems operation and support. As a part of the Bertelsmann-owned Arvato network, we have the unique capability to work across the entire value chain. Our business relationships are personal; we work with our clients as partners so that together we can achieve long-term success.
What was the reason that you decided to certify your hosting service for the first time in 2003 and what advantages do you associate with the certification?
The reason was to get the quality seal for the SAP Hosting Service, because just in 2003 SAP became a strategic service in the Bertelsmann Group. Also with regard to the increase in the external customer base, SAP Hosting certification was a logical consequence for us, which presents us with an exciting challenge every 2 years.
Max Ackermann, Strategic Alliance Manager SAP, Arvato Systems GmbH:
„Die Auszeichnung für unsere kontinuierliche und langjährige Zertifizierung als Outsourcing Partner durch die SAP ist für uns Anerkennung und Ansporn zugleich. Wir freuen uns auf viele weitere Jahre der Partnerschaft im Umfeld der SAP Betriebsleistungen.“
Can you tell us what further path you took after your initial certification, or why you decided to certify additional services over time?
We have expanded the classic SAP hosting service to include cloud and HANA services. This was a necessary and sensible expansion of the scope of certification in line with market requirements. As Arvato Systems, we had expanded our portfolio accordingly and can offer our customers many alternative solutions.
Did the certification or audit and the corresponding audit feedback have an impact on your service offering?
The feedback has always given us suggestions for expanding and optimizing our services. In this way, we have been able to repeatedly adapt our services to the requirements of the market and successfully convince customers of our services.
To what extent are the certifications helpful in your marketing activities?
The certifications are an essential part of Arvato Systems’ SAP Gold partnership. Arvato Systems successfully undergoes an audit every two years to meet the increasing demands on quality, availability and security of its customers, who come from the energy industry, for example.
How would you rate your collaboration with SAP over the last 10 years?
Over the past few years, the cooperation with SAP has steadily expanded and developed into new areas. For example, in addition to SAP’s on-premise software solutions, the cloud portfolio has also been built up and continues to change the partnership between SAP and Arvato Systems.
Increased collaboration, e.g. in the area of business development, has also deepened the partnership between the two companies and led to us being named Partner of the Year in the “Service Provider, Media & Telco” category of the ‘SAP Diamond Initiative’ this year.
Thank you for your view and assessments of our offer ‘SAP Certifications for Outsourcing Partners’. We are glad to have you as a long-term partner and hope for many more years to come.
An overview of all certified partners can be found in the SAP Outsourcing Operations Partner Guide (www.sap.com/opc).
Partner Innovation Lifecycle Services is a global team of experts who help partners develop innovative solutions on SAP platforms and products to enable customer success. They offer a comprehensive set of guided services to partners who provide hardware, IT operations, and software extensions. These include co-innovation, certification, and technical services to help customers transform their business and run intelligent enterprises. Watch this brief video.
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