Amsterdam & Walldorf, Germany -- BUSINESS WIRE -- November 13, 2000 -- SITA, a provider of integrated telecommunications and information solutions for the air-transport industry, and SAP AG will create an ASP for the world's air-transport community. This ASP will combine software, implementation, infrastructure, service and support to offer preconfigured and rapidly implementable solutions to enable "one-stop-shopping" on a rental basis.
According to estimates, the air-transport market for ASP services will grow to a value of US$1.8 billion by 2003.
"Our customers want to reduce the total cost of systems ownership, and by using the ASP business model we will provide the air-transport industry with scalable applications, predictable costs and open access to the latest technologies and functionality," said John Watson, director general of SITA.
The new venture will take advantage of the experience of SAP and SITA in global application provision. With over 400 customers in the aerospace and defense industry, SAP is at the forefront of enterprise solutions while SITA provides a range of application services to airports, airlines, airfreight and aerospace companies integrated with its desktop and network infrastructure solutions.
Using the ASP model, customers pay only for access to, and use of, applications provided by the joint venture. It is expected that small and medium-sized airlines, maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) providers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and airports will be some of the first beneficiaries of the maintenance and engineering, procurement, finance and human resources applications to be offered by the joint venture.
