SAP aims Duet at largest customers, beta tester sees benefits

Mikes Sisois, chief information officer at San Jose, Calif.-based Atmel Corp., a large manufacturer of advanced semiconductors, has been running mySAP ERP 2004 in a sandbox with Duet, the newly branded Microsoft-SAP Mendocino software.

The main benefit of Duet accrues not so much to current full-time SAP users, Sisois said, but to the segment of occasional users who just need to pull reports, customer info, and the like on the fly.

"A remote sales rep preparing for a user visit will be able to just reach in and grab the background information he needs," Sisois said. "Compare this to having to drive in to the office and get that information, or having someone get that information for you and fax it over."

Duet, the project formerly code-named Mendocino, was officially launched Tuesday with a joint press conference held by Jeff Raikes, president of Microsoft's Business Division, and Shai Agassi, SAP executive board member and president of the Product and Technology Group. The arrival comes with a dedicated Web site (Duet.com), a 13-city road show, and a flurry of early beta tester testimonials.

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