SAP to launch new salesforce software via Web

BOSTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - SAP (SAPG.DE), the world's biggest maker of business management software, said on Tuesday that it will sell a version of a new customer relationship management software package over the Web when it launches the product later this month.

SAP announced the new software, SAP CRM 2007, at a conference for industry analysts and customers in Boston.

The company says it is one of the easiest to use business software programs it has ever introduced. Customers can customize it using an interface based on the drag-and-drop model behind Google Inc's (GOOG.O) iGoogle pages, SAP said.

SAP's new offering will be delivered as a service hosted by SAP that could present a new challenge for Salesforce.com Inc. (CRM.N), the biggest provider of software delivered as a service over the Web.

Salesforce is trying to boost sales with large corporations, which is the group that SAP has targeted for the new product. Analysts say that it is important for Salesforce to boost sales to large corporations in order to maintain sales growth and boost profits. (Reporting by Jim Finkle; editing by Phil Berlowitz)