WALLDORF, Germany, April 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the success of the openSAP platform and its massive online open courses (MOOCs), SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced it will increase the diversity of its online courses to maximize their value and reach to learners worldwide. The current focus on developers using SAP technology will continue while new classes are introduced that target a business audience as well as application experts.

All openSAP courses are free of charge and built for professionals, students and the general public. SAP strives to provide the most relevant information in a digestible form through openSAP. Participants can learn about the latest technology and business trends directly from the market leader in business applications and enhance their understanding of how SAP solutions can help grow their business. Upcoming courses include:

• SAP® Business Suite powered by SAP HANA®: The course will provide insight into the business value of SAP Business Suite with the added value of SAP HANA. It will answer the questions of what is going to change and what will stay the same, and will give an overview on why SAP Business Suite powered by HANA is relevant to various lines of business. It will also discuss the importance to different industries and how companies there drive value. The course begins April 9. More information is available here.
• Sustainability and business innovation: Dr. Peter Graf, chief sustainability officer at SAP, will share the key learnings from the sustainability and innovation journeys of SAP and SAP customers, including how companies drive significant business value from acting environmentally and socially responsible. The course covers best practices in sustainability, from strategy to business cases, business processes, engagement and reporting. The course begins April 29. More information is available here.
• Rapid-deployment of SAP solutions: SAP offers a fast and simple way to implement solutions with best practices for rapid deployment. The course explains how the methodology can be used to shorten the time-to-value, reduce project risk and deliver predictable business outcomes for users.

SAP announced its first MOOC, "Introduction to Software Development on SAP HANA," in April 2013 and it has seen massive adoption, with more than 80,000 participants to date. In total, more than 200,000 learners enrolled across the eight openSAP courses that have been offered. Dr. Vishal Sikka, member of the Executive Board of SAP AG, recently became a presenter on openSAP and delivered a simplified introductory course for SAP HANA with positive feedback.

"With openSAP, we now offer education on the latest technology and business innovations to everyone," said Dr. Bernd Welz, executive vice president and global head, Solution & Knowledge Packaging, SAP. "We believe that by addressing the broadest possible audience of professionals, students, experts and the general public we help drive positive, tangible business outcomes across the world. This is specifically true for the three exciting new classes we are launching today!"

SAP is also enhancing openSAP through additional capabilities, such as social collaboration capabilities and a new app for iPad that allows users to download and complete course materials offline. Once reconnected to the Internet, learners' progress will automatically be synchronized with the openSAP platform.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

SOURCE SAP AG