SAP looks to build NetWeaver appeal
Mike Ricciuti Staff writer, CNET News
Mike Ricciuti joined CNET in 1996. He is now CNET News' Boston-based executive editor and east coast bureau chief, serving as department editor for business technology and software covered by CNET News, Reviews, and Download.com. E-mail Mike.
Business software giant SAP, looking to broaden the appeal of its software, is set to launch a community development program to attract coders to its NetWeaver integration tool.
This spring, the company intends to publish a software development kit to help outside application providers tap into its products. The idea is to encourage partners to build on top of SAP's business software, potentially broadening its appeal.
The move could generate revenue for SAP and increase its influence in the software industry. But the German giant has yet to prove it can be a beneficial partner, analysts say.