In the middle of the Oracle-Retek-SAP bidding contest and as the world continues to contemplate the values of Sarbanes-Oxley (underscored by the conviction of ex-Worldcom CEO), SAP announces enhanced support for corporate governance.

SAP has established a reseller relationship with Virsa Systems, a Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and SAP Ventures deal. SAP will resell Virsa Systems' Compliance Calibrator.

Here's a snapshot overview from Virsa's website:

The ideal solution is to utilize an automated system that provides preventative and detective authorization controls to attest, validate and verify that processes happen the way they are designed, and activities are managed per established policy. By taking a proactive approach to catching violations beforethey occur and consistently checking controls in real-time, risk is reduced to a minimum. The answer: Virsa's Compliance Calibrator, which delivers real-time, 24/7 "Continuous Compliance" by preventing security and controls violations before they occur.

Compliance Calibrator sits within SAP and provides the only real-time solution for risk assessment, simulation and remediation. In addition, with the largest set of validated rules, Compliance Calibrator helps you to perform detailed risk analysis, including SoD to prevent potential conflicts.

Virsa has superb financial backers. Additionally, the Compliance Calibrator can be purchased and supported directly from SAP. Great deal structure for everyone (yes - that includes the customer!).

Steve Shu