Verizon and SAP America have announced on that they will jointly deliver the SAP Customer Relationship Management (SAP CRM) rapid-deployment solution to enterprise workers through Verizon's flagship cloud offering, Computing as a Service. Workers will now be able to access SAP CRM from their desktops or their mobile devices.

Kerry Bailey, group president, cloud strategy and services for Verizon, stated: "Verizon and SAP have joined forces to harness the true potential of the cloud by delivering proven enterprise applications that enable workers to enhance their ability to serve clients and to better business outcomes. Together, we are opening up a whole new world that allows clients to truly work without boundaries."

The SAP CRM rapid-deployment solution, the first in a series of SAP solutions deployed in the cloud by Verizon, can help enhance the productivity of enterprise sales, marketing and service professionals. By accessing SAP CRM and subsequent applications in the cloud, enterprises can benefit from easier and faster deployments. The SAP rapid-deployment solution offers enterprises a ready-to-use combination of software, pre-defined services and pre-configured content at a pre-defined price that can be deployed much more quickly, sometimes in as little as eight weeks.

Additionally, enterprises can now integrate their SAP applications with Verizon's Managed Mobility platform by leveraging the Sybase® Unwired Platform to mobilize applications including the Mobile Sales for SAP CRM application.  As a result, sales representatives will be able to gain access to up-to-the-minute customer information via their hand-held devices, enabling them to make better informed decisions virtually anywhere, anytime.

The cloud-based delivery of SAP applications enables enterprises to deploy SAP application functionality in a highly scalable and even more affordable manner. It provides global users with secure, reliable access to essential business applications while helping companies contain hardware and management costs associated with traditional software deployment models.

"By offering SAP Rapid Deployment solutions via the cloud, SAP is helping companies to expand the strategic capabilities of their workforces," said Robert Viehmann senior vice president, solution assembly and packaging, SAP AG. "Today's announcement with Verizon accelerates the value companies can gain from our offerings, while controlling costs for an immediate business benefit."