SAP Concur

SAP Concur
Name	SAP Concur
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Software
Founded	1993
Founder	Steve Singh, Rajeev Singh, Mike Hilton
Headquarters	Bellevue, Washington, United States
Area served	Global
Key people	Joern Buehler (CEO, SAP Concur)
Products	Expense management, Travel booking, Invoice processing, Travel risk management
Num employees	6,000+ (approx.)
Parent	SAP SE

SAP Concur is a provider of travel, expense, and invoice management software aimed at businesses and organizations worldwide. The company offers cloud-based solutions that automate expense reporting, travel booking, and supplier invoice processing, integrating with enterprise resource planning and financial systems. SAP Concur's platform targets multinational corporations, small and medium enterprises, and public institutions seeking to centralize travel and spend management.

History

Founded in 1993 by Steve Singh, Rajeev Singh, and Mike Hilton, the company began as a startup focused on automating business travel expense workflows, emerging from the late-20th-century expansion of corporate software innovation alongside firms such as SAP SE, Oracle Corporation, and Microsoft. In the 2000s the company expanded through acquisitions and product development during an era marked by consolidation among enterprise software vendors such as IBM, Salesforce, and Workday. The company entered new markets and scaled its cloud operations amid competition with providers like Expensify and Amadeus IT Group.

A pivotal moment occurred in 2014 when SAP SE announced an acquisition of the company as part of a broader strategy to extend cloud portfolio offerings alongside platforms from Oracle Corporation and IBM. Post-acquisition, the business aligned with SAP's enterprise suite used by organizations such as Coca-Cola Company, Unilever, and Siemens. Leadership transitions mirrored trends across technology firms exemplified by appointments from executives with experience at Adobe Inc., Cisco Systems, and Intel Corporation.

Products and Services

The product suite centers on expense management, travel booking, and invoice processing, comparable in role to applications from Concur Technologies peers like Expensify and TripActions. Core offerings include tools for automated receipt capture, policy enforcement, and mobile approvals used by customers including Delta Air Lines, Accenture, and Pfizer. Travel booking integrates negotiated rates from global distribution systems and suppliers such as Amadeus IT Group, Sabre Corporation, and Travelport, while invoice services connect to accounts payable workflows similar to those supported by SAP Ariba and Coupa Software.

Additional services include analytics and reporting modules that compete with financial analytics solutions from Tableau Software and Microsoft Power BI, and travel risk management features akin to offerings by International SOS and Bristow Group. The platform supports corporate policy configuration and audit functions used by organizations like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and General Electric.

Technology and Integration

SAP Concur's architecture is cloud-native and emphasizes APIs and connectors for integration with enterprise systems, paralleling integration approaches by MuleSoft, Dell Boomi, and Informatica. The company provides SDKs, RESTful APIs, and adapters to link with ERP systems including SAP S/4HANA, Oracle E-Business Suite, and Microsoft Dynamics 365. Mobile applications run on Android (operating system) and iOS devices and utilize optical character recognition and machine learning components similar to research from Google LLC and IBM Watson for automated receipt extraction.

Third-party integrations encompass corporate payment providers like Visa Inc. and Mastercard Incorporated, and travel suppliers such as Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Marriott International. The platform supports data exchange standards and middleware patterns used by enterprises and interacts with identity providers and single sign-on systems including Okta, Ping Identity, and Microsoft Azure Active Directory.

Market Presence and Customers

Operating globally, the company serves customers across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, competing in markets alongside SAP SE's broader portfolio and rivals like Coupa Software and Expensify. Its customer base spans sectors including financial services, pharmaceuticals, technology, and manufacturing, with deployments reported at multinational corporations including Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and Siemens AG. The firm's global footprint involves local offices and partnerships with travel management companies such as BCD Travel and American Express Global Business Travel.

Market analysts from firms like Gartner and Forrester Research have evaluated the platform in reports that shape procurement and IT decisions made by procurement organizations at institutions such as Harvard University and New York University.

Security and Compliance

Security practices align with enterprise standards and certifications commonly sought by large organizations, following frameworks and compliance regimes associated with ISO 27001, SOC 2, and data protection laws such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The platform implements encryption, role-based access control, and audit trails to meet requirements of regulated industries where clients include Bank of America, Citigroup, and Merck & Co..

Conformance to regional privacy and financial controls is relevant for multinational customers operating under statutes like the California Consumer Privacy Act and regulatory expectations from central banks and financial regulators overseen by institutions like the Federal Reserve Board and European Central Bank.

Corporate Structure and Ownership

The company operates as a subsidiary of SAP SE and is incorporated within SAP's cloud and solutions divisions alongside business units such as SAP Ariba and SAP SuccessFactors. Governance follows corporate structures seen in large public companies like Siemens AG and General Electric, with reporting into SAP's executive team and board. Strategic alignment with SAP provides cross-selling opportunities into large enterprise accounts including Toyota Motor Corporation, Nestlé, and Volkswagen Group.

Category:Business software companies