Today at SAP Sapphire, we announced plans to bring our generative AI copilot Joule together with Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365.

The deep bi-directional integration will allow employees to get more done in the flow of their work through seamless access to information from interactions with business applications in SAP, as well as Microsoft 365.

I often get asked the question, “How many copilots do I need for my business?”

The answer is not about how many, but which you use when.

By integrating two of the leading generative AI copilots for business, users can use both simultaneously to get work done. And future plans for bi-directional integration will allow users to benefit from one experience, no matter which copilot they use.

“Unlocking the massive potential AI has to offer requires capabilities that are high value, reliable, and available in-context in the applications that people use today,” said Muhammad Alam, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE and head of SAP Product Engineering. With the bi-directional integration of Joule and Copilot for Microsoft 365, we’re enabling employees to get more done in the flow of their work through seamless access to information from business applications in SAP as well as Microsoft 365.” 

“Microsoft and SAP are committed to providing world-class solutions to help our customers solve their most fundamental business challenges,” said Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Cloud + AI at Microsoft. “The integration of Microsoft Copilot and Joule brings together the power of generative AI to unlock greater employee productivity and will enable enterprises to accelerate customer-centric innovation in a unified experience.”

SAP and Microsoft will start integrating their Joule and Copilot for Microsoft 365 later this year, combining enterprise data residing in SAP with contextual knowledge from Microsoft 365, including Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, and more, delivering richer insights for better decision-making. 

With this integration, SAP and Microsoft are creating entirely new ways to boost productivity.

For example, by bringing Copilot for Microsoft 365 into Joule, a user can book a flight using SAP Concur and Joule, and Joule can block their calendar in Microsoft Outlook.

Or, consider a product manager working on a new product launch with a cross-functional team: they have regular meetings on Microsoft Teams and collaborate with Microsoft 365. Joule can connect to the team’s individual skill profiles stored in SAP SuccessFactors software and core business information that resides in SAP S/4HANA Cloud. The new integration enables product managers to coordinate business activities with the team, simply by using a few queries.

Today’s collaboration, as well as the three new AI SAP BTP regions announced last week, is the next step in a long-standing partnership between SAP and Microsoft, using the latest in enterprise-ready generative AI innovation to help solve customers’ most fundamental business challenges.

Philipp Herzig is chief artificial intelligence officer of SAP.

At SAP SuccessFactors, our partners play a pivotal role in extending our reach and enhancing our solutions, ensuring that customers can best leverage innovative technologies that help them tackle the business challenges of today and tomorrow while making every employee a success story.  

This year, the SAP Global Line of Business Partner Excellence Awards have once again spotlighted our partners’ outstanding contributions to customer success. The following partners have showcased their expertise and unwavering commitment to excellence, leading the way with groundbreaking initiatives and exceptional customer service. 

• Accenture has been recognized as the winner for Sales Success in Large Enterprises. This award illustrates Accenture’s success bringing exceptional results to the largest and most complex HR transformations. With a long-standing SAP partnership, Accenture has built expertise across multiple industries, and, with this deep knowledge, it delivers innovative solutions and services to help our customers drive operational efficiency and enhance the employee experience.  
• NTT DATA Business Solutions stands out for winning awards in two categories: Customer Success Management and Intelligent Enterprise Value Realization. It was also a finalist in the Sales Success in Large Enterprises category. The combination of these awards highlights NTT DATA’s relentless determination to deliver throughout the customer value journey, as well as its breadth of offerings across human capital management (HCM) and SAP’s broader cloud ERP suite. NTT DATA’s consistent recognition demonstrates its leading innovation, adaptability to changing market needs, and commitment to customer satisfaction.  
• Empleox GmbH has been named the winner in the Sales Success in Midmarket category. Empleox GmbH helps us meet the needs of our midsize customers by continuously innovating and designing solutions to help them grow, scale, and stay agile. Specializing in implementing and optimizing SAP SuccessFactors solutions, Empleox GmbH empowers organizations to transform HR operations, enhance employee engagement, and achieve their business objectives.  
• OpenText has been recognized for its exceptional performance throughout 2023, alongside SAP, to bring cutting-edge solutions to the market. As the winner in the Partner Solution Success category, this recognition reflects the OpenText team’s ongoing commitment to growth and innovation. Its integration with SAP SuccessFactors solutions provides customers with enhanced document management capabilities, helping to streamline HR processes and reduce administrative costs.  
• EPI-USE has won the Delivery Quality category, which is awarded to partners for consistent excellence in project delivery across a number of metrics. This award speaks to the EPI-USE team’s commitment to customer delivery. With over 30 years of experience, EPI-USE has developed deep expertise in the SAP SuccessFactors portfolio and has become a trusted advisor for organizations looking to optimize their HCM solutions.  

“We are proud to be recognized for our commitment to Customer Success and Intelligent Enterprise Value Realization. These awards underscore our dedication to delivering innovative HR solutions to our customers worldwide. We help them to optimize their HR processes and improve their employee experience. Being a finalist in the Sales Success in Large Enterprise category further validates our strategic approach to supporting a broad spectrum in the market.”

Norbert Rotter, CEO, NTT DATA Business Solutions, and EVP, NTT DATA, Inc.

These partners have surpassed the high standard expected in our industry. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all winners and finalists in the SAP Global LoB Partner Excellence Awards.  

We are incredibly grateful for our entire SAP SuccessFactors partner ecosystem, whose efforts are critical to our success. Your relentless pursuit of excellence ensures that, together, we can help our customers make every employee a success story.  

Get a detailed look at all the winners and more information about the awards. 

Aaron Green is chief marketing & solutions officer for SAP SuccessFactors.
Nick Holmes is vice president of Ecosystem for SAP SuccessFactors.