SAP is offering a special rate on Business One software through three Gulf Region partners to aid businesses struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Businesses affected by the September 2005 hurricane in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas can receive a 33 percent discount on SAP's Business One management software for SMEs (small and medium Enterprises) and 10 hours of free consulting, if it is purchased through three Gulf Region partners—Advanced Business Systems, of Metairie, La., PSD Consultants, of Houston, or Relian Technology, of Laurel, Miss.

Resource Library:

SAP is hoping the combined offer of software and consulting services can give the businesses disrupted by the hurricane a better platform from which to recover, company officials said in a prepared statement.

"The small business infrastructure remains the engine of growth for many of the cities and small towns badly damaged by last year's hurricanes," said Dan Kraus, vice president of SAP Business One, in that statement.

"SAP hopes to enable business processes at affected small businesses, allowing them to rebuild today while planning for long-term prosperity."

"As local businesses work to overcome the economic hardships of the last six months, it's imperative that companies like SAP and its partners continue to invest in the small business community to support the economic development of the region," said Mark S. Lewis, president of the Louisiana Technology Council.

"These SAP partners are providing economic assistance that directly assists individual small businesses and helps in their path to recovery."