Third-party support companies cater to ERP (enterprise resource planning) software customers that have stable systems and little desire to go through the expense and difficulty of upgrading to newer versions, which are only legally available through vendor-provided maintenance. Instead, third-party providers focus on matters such as tax updates and ongoing operational support.

Spinnaker had already been providing support for Oracle's JD Edwards software, as has Rimini Street. The "same high-quality maintenance formula" will apply to SAP customers that go with Spinnaker, the company said in a statement. Spinnaker has even hired a former Rimini Street executive, Shawn du Plessis , to lead its SAP practice. Du Plessis "designed and launched" Rimini's SAP business, according to Spinnaker.

SAP customers that` switch to its service stand to lower their current support costs by nearly 70 percent, Spinnaker claimed. In contrast, Rimini Street has maintained that customers will save at least 50 percent of their bills.

Spinnaker plans to support all SAP ECC and R/3 versions and has three charter customers signed up so far, according to a statement. Customers will receive rapid response times for support queries, with an average of eight minutes before they speak with a live engineer, Spinnaker said. Customizations will be supported, and coverage will be around the clock, 365 days a year, it added.

An SAP spokesman declined comment.