SAP

 is one of a steady rise from a small, five-man operation headquartered in southwest Germany's Rhine-Neckar region to one of the world's largest independent software providers and an employer of more than 47,598 people in over 50 countries.

Read about SAP's exciting evolution and key milestones:

• 1972 – 1981: The First 10 Years – "The First 10 Years" chronicles the highlights of the company's beginnings and subsequent development – from SAP's foundation, its first software modules, and the SAP R/2 system to the company's first-year revenues, first customers outside of Germany, and first trade-show appearance.
• 1982 – 1991: The SAP R/3 Era – Four servers with 64MB of memory. Employing 100 employees and signing its 1,000th customer. Reaching the DM100 million in revenues, and expanding abroad. The development of the SAP R/3 product generation. These and other landmark events are the subject of "The SAP R/3 Era."
• 1992 – 2001: The Age of E-Business – Reaching €6 billion, and employing more than 24,000 employees. Trade shows and conferences. Going public, and developing new technologies and platforms. Learn more about SAP's meteoric rise in "The Age of E-Business."
• 2002 to Today: SAP Today – SAP's story continues with the SAP NetWeaver platform, whose technologies intertwine system landscapes and information flows, integrate companies and their employee teams, and establish connections among markets across virtually any perceived barrier. "SAP Today" describes the most recent technological and entrepreneurial milestones in SAP's continuing development.

From Walldorf to Wall Street: The SAP Success Story
As the world's leading provider of business software*, SAP (which stands for "Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing") delivers products and services that help accelerate business innovation for our customers. We believe that doing so will unleash growth and create significant new value – for our customers, SAP, and ultimately, entire industries and the economy at large. Today, customers in more than 120 countries run SAP applications – from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small businesses and midsize companies to suite offerings for global organizations.
Founded in 1972, SAP has a rich history of innovation and growth as a true industry leader. SAP currently has sales and development locations in more than 50 countries worldwide and is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and NYSE under the symbol "SAP."