SAP Business Network was introduced last year during the SAPPHIRE event to reinforce the software giant’s mission to deliver innovative solutions and extend customers’ digitalisation through a collaborative, intelligent trading portal.
German enterprise SAP has earlier expressed its stand on the war in Ukraine, stressing support to the people of the country through several initiatives– from halting its cloud operations in Russia to implementing international sanctions without exception and providing technology support on top of humanitarian aid to Ukrainians.
SAP Business Network for Humanitarian Aid
SAP Business Network, strategically designed to champion business collaboration amongst trading partners and unify fragmented supply chains, has been utilised by SAP to contribute to the ongoing turmoil in Ukraine. Since the 9th of March, SAP has been encouraging the suppliers on SAP Business Network to extend their services to deliver humanitarian aid and about 1,500 partners have already committed to this initiative. The software enterprise also utilises the network to expedite the hospital supplies and equipment needed by the Ukrainian government.
Access to SAP Ariba Discovery, powered by SAP Business Network, has also been opened to support the people of Ukraine. The business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce solution allows buyers to post immediate sourcing needs and connect to suppliers that can offer the humanitarian aid needed for free. SAP Ariba Discovery ensures swift delivery of needs with its network of 8 million connected companies across 190 countries. In Japan, the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency (SMEA) of the Ministry of Economy have tapped SAP Ariba Discovery in 2020 to propel the growth of SMEs in the country amidst the pandemic.
SAP Japan and Qualtrics Collaboration
Starting 21st of April, SAP Japan and Qualtrics have offered free access to the Ukrainian Refugee Support Platform to allow refugees from Ukraine to seamlessly connect to Japan– including those who wish to evacuate to the country– and corresponding organisations that provide aid. (InsideSAP Asia often references articles from websites in other languages to bring you as much information as possible.)
The platform launched and operated by Experience Management (XM) company Qualtrics in collaboration with public and private organisations facilitates evacuation requests from refugees via their smartphones or the Internet. Moreover, the Ukrainian Refugee Support Platform, which supports English and Japanese languages, acts as a hub for information exchange to provide integrated support for evacuees before, during, and after their stay in Japan.
Qualtrics also launched a QR-code-based solution–available in Ukrainian, Russian, Lithuanian, and English– that can be distributed across refugee registration centers, local media, and other channels. The solution connects nonprofits and regional governments with the people to provide them with their urgent needs– from food supplies to medications and financial aid – by routing them to corresponding local relief coordinators. The platform features a dashboard to enable non-profit leaders to make informed decisions on resource allocation to ensure relief efforts are given urgently and accordingly.
Beyond technology support, SAP and its employees’ total donations have surpassed €3 million and more than 4,000 employees have extended housing support and other aid to refugees.
“The SAP family stands with everyone affected and horrified by the events in Ukraine. There are no winners in war, and we join others in calling for the restoration of peace,” SAP CEO Christian Klein wrote on LinkedIn.
