Podcasts about sap sapphire

In the second live episode recorded at SAP Sapphire & ASUG Annual Conference, Marissa Gilbert, ASUG Research Director, moderates a panel featuring several ASUG leaders: Geoff Scott, ASUG CEO & Chief Community Champion Kris Cowles, ASUG Board MemberBrendan Verni,  ASUG Board Member Using recent ASUG research as a foundation for the conversation, the group dives into the main focuses, investments, and hurdles relating to SAP technology and adoption as reported by ASUG members.  Key Takeaways How enterprises are keeping abreast of the incredible pace of change and innovation in the SAP ecosystem Making sense of the consumption-based credit system that enables SAP customers to leverage SAP AI solutions The importance of prioritizing data governance as enterprises approach cybersecurity Related Insights Join ASUG on June 12 for a Community Conversation focused on the AI announcements and insights from SAP Sapphire & ASUG Annual ConferenceRead our recap of the post-keynote Q&A for news outlets and analysts featuring Christian Klein, Muhammad Alum, and Philipp  Herzig  Listen to Philipp Herzig articulate his vision for SAP's AI strategy and roadmap in a recent episode of ASUG Talks

En el marco de SAP Sapphire 2025, SAP y AWS lanzaron una iniciativa conjunta que permitirá a empresas y socios desarrollar agentes de IA generativa personalizados para resolver desafíos críticos de negocio, integrando el poder de Amazon Bedrock con la plataforma SAP BTP.

The first in a series of special ASUG Talks episodes recorded in the ASUG booth at SAP Sapphire & ASUG Annual Conference, we turn the mics towards the audience. Jon Reed, Co-Founder of diginomica, leads a brief conversation with Geoff Scott, CEO &  Chief Community Champion of ASUG, and Joshua Greenbaum, Principal of Enterprise Applications Consulting, on the event's first keynote. The three discuss their thoughts about the announcements unveiled at the address, before answering questions from the live audience.  Key Insights The three thought-leaders' thoughts and reactions to the keynote featuring SAP  executives unveiling new SAP software capabilities  Benefits of the public cloud options for SAP customers How ASUG approaches bringing feedback from its members to SAP Related Resources  Read our recap of the day one and two keynotes addresses at SAP Sapphire & ASUG Annual Conference, and how the announcements impact customersListen to the ASUG Editorial team's immediate reactions and responses to the event's keynote addresses Register for a series of ASUG Community Conversations unpacking insights and announcements from SAP Sapphire & ASUG Annual Conference

Building on yesterday's post about our SAP Sapphire series, we're excited to bring you Episode 2 on the Dutch BI Podcast—live from Madrid!

Following last week's kickoff in Orlando, the excitement now moves to Madrid this week. Our colleague Ronald Konijnenburg will be on the ground there, bringing you exclusive insights and behind-the-scenes coverage. This means something special for our Dutch BI Podcast listeners: a dedicated Sapphire series! 

In a time-honored Sapphire 2025 tradition, I located an empty hallway and commandeered a couple of chairs to debrief on what we heard in Orlando. This time, with a new guest, Conor Riordan, Chair at UKISUG. Riordan brings a fascinating perspective to this conference review, as he's had a deep career in SAP IT leadership before moving over to the business side - and that's the gap that SAP (and all of us, really) still need to fully bridge. How well did SAP do? How did SAP's AI announcements stack up with UKISUG member data and priorities? Does Riordan agree with my take on the importance of public cloud ERP (formerly S/4HANA public cloud edition?). Are customers getting what they need to migrate and modernize? Is SAP's innovation strategy resonating? What has Riordan's team learned from their own dialogue with SAP? These are just some of the key topics we hit on, before we escaped to pack for the return.

For SAP Sapphire 2025 opening keynote, we took the old school retro chat backchannel, and turned it into a public watch party. I invited special guest commentators Bonnie Tinder and Josh Greenbaum, and it seemed to go pretty well. So for this podcast version, you can hear our pre-game keynote expectations, and then a post-game keynote wrap to see how it stacked up (the replay of most of the keynote commentary is also available on Jon Reed's LinkedIn stream). Many of the issues raised are ongoing topics to keep an eye on. If you haven't seen the keynote yet, you can still catch free on-demand replays on the SAP Virtual event site (just search on SAP Virtual Events and it will come up).

For SAP Sapphire 2025 opening keynote, we took the old school retro chat backchannel, and turned it into a public watch party. I invited special guest commentators Bonnie Tinder and Josh Greenbaum, and it seemed to go pretty well. So for this podcast version, you can hear our pre-game keynote expectations, and then a post-game keynote wrap to see how it stacked up (the replay of most of the keynote commentary is also available on Jon Reed's LinkedIn stream). Many of the issues raised are ongoing topics to keep an eye on. If you haven't seen the keynote yet, you can still catch free on-demand replays on the SAP Virtual event site (just search on SAP Virtual Events and it will come up).

In a time-honored Sapphire 2025 tradition, I located an empty hallway and commandeered a couple of chairs to debrief on what we heard in Orlando. This time, with a new guest, Conor Riordan, Chair at UKISUG. Riordan brings a fascinating perspective to this conference review, as he's had a deep career in SAP IT leadership before moving over to the business side - and that's the gap that SAP (and all of us, really) still need to fully bridge. How well did SAP do? How did SAP's AI announcements stack up with UKISUG member data and priorities? Does Riordan agree with my take on the importance of public cloud ERP (formerly S/4HANA public cloud edition?). Are customers getting what they need to migrate and modernize? Is SAP's innovation strategy resonating? What has Riordan's team learned from their own dialogue with SAP? These are just some of the key topics we hit on, before we escaped to pack for the return.

ASUG Talks breaks down the major announcements from SAP Sapphire & ASUG Annual conference. Jim Lichtenwalter, ASUG Talks Host, is joined by Isaac Feldberg, Senior Content Manager at ASUG, for a special news brief recorded at the conference. Following the second major keynote address delivered by SAP executive leadership, the two dive into the major announcements made at the event and what these updates mean for SAP customers.  Key Topics Discussed  SAP's suite approach to applications and expansion of JouleThe new generative and agentic AI offerings announced How SAP positioned its offerings as a means to combat tariffs  Related Resource:  Listen to ASUG's exclusive interview with Philipp  Herzig,  SAP Chief Technology OfficerTune into an exclusive discussion with Jeff Suellentrop,  Chief Information & Technology Officer of Phoenix Global, who sat down with ASUG Talks before joining SAP on the keynote stageRead ASUG's conversation with Jan Gilg,  Chief Revenue Officer & President for SAP Americas and the SAP Global Business Suite organizationDive into our breakdown of the recent SAP Q1 2025 earnings call

The Big Themes:SAP's Flywheel Strategy: SAP introduced a compelling flywheel model that integrates applications, data, and AI to drive enterprise momentum. The idea is that integrated applications generate structured data, which then feeds a robust AI layer. As these layers build on one another, they create a self-reinforcing cycle of productivity, insight, and innovation—a flywheel effect. Unlike Microsoft and ServiceNow, which predict the collapse of applications in favor of agents, SAP asserts that AI agents will enhance, not replace, applications.The Business Data Cloud and Databricks Partnership: A highlight of the event was SAP's Business Data Cloud (BDC), launched in partnership with Databricks. This foundational layer brings together internal SAP data and external sources like Moody's or climate models, enabling richer decision-making. SAP showcased real-world use cases, such as tariff fluctuation impact analysis across supply chains, to demonstrate the power of combining enterprise and contextual data.Prompt Optimizer and the End of Prompt Engineering: SAP's introduction of a “Prompt Optimizer” signals a shift in the AI interface landscape. Instead of manual prompt engineering, users will soon rely on AI to manage and optimize prompts across multiple large language models (LLMs), including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. CTO Philipp Herzig even declared we're at “the beginning of the end” of prompt engineering.The Big Quote: "[Customers are] not ready to deploy AI and have that completely eliminate the need for apps. The data is just not there. So, maybe five years from now, let's see what progress we've made. But what's in the here and now is that customers are looking for applications."

In an exclusive interview with ASUG Talks, Dr. Philipp Herzig, SAP Chief Technology Officer, discusses the talk of the SAP ecosystem:  artificial intelligence. The constantly-evolving technology is steadily becoming a critical component of the software company's offerings, with SAP working to embed AI capabilities across its entire suite of solutions. Ahead of SAP Sapphire & ASUG Annual Conference 2025, Herzig sat down with Geoff Scott, ASUG CEO & Chief Community Champion, for a wide-ranging discussion about the place AI holds in the SAP ecosystem and how he is working to further enable SAP customers to embrace the technology.  Key Insights How Herzig is specifically driving SAP's goal of being the “number one business AI company”Specific examples of how SAP is embedding AI capabilities across its entire portfolioThe vision for SAP Business Data Cloud and how it empowers enterprises to embrace AI solutions Related Resources Read ASUG's exclusive interview with Jan Gilg,  Chief Revenue Officer & President for SAP Americas and the SAP Global Business Suite organizationExpand your AI knowledge with the ASUG  Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals and SAP AI Solutions Content CollectionListen to ASUG Director of Strategic Topics and Communities, Kelly Dowling, on a recent episode of the Women in ERP Podcast, where she discusses her work building and empowering the ASUG community Listen to more ASUG TalksJeff Suellentrop, Chief Information & Technology Officer at Phoenix Global, joins the podcast to walk through his organization's recent GROW with SAP projectAndre Bechtold,  President of SAP Industries & Experiences, lays out how SAP approaches technology innovation and building the next generation of SAP professionalsGeoff Scott is joined by two members of the ASUG Board-- Mark LeClair and Craig Dalziel--to break down the SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC) release and Databricks partnership 

Enterprise Architecture is about to become more intelligent. Join us in Orlando to see how! An XTraw AI episode preview to AI-First Architecture, your Blueprint for Intelligent Enterprise Transformation. Hear how we plan to embed AI natively into Enterprise Architecture Get a preview of frameworks and AI patterns, and real business use casesDiscover how tools like Joule, LeanIX, Signavio, BTP etc., will help EAs move from strategy to execution

In the April 2025 episode of SAP BTP Talk, we explore how existing and potential SAP partners can build, run, and integrate scalable full-stack cloud applications using the SAP Cloud Application Programming Model (CAP) and adhering to the development recommendations set out in the SAP BTP Developer's Guide. We would touch upon including an ERP-agnostic design while you are developing the solution that lets you deliver your application as a side-by-side extension to consumers using any SAP solution, such as SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP Business One, and SAP Business ByDesign.

All industries must handle a certain degree of complexity, but for companies in the energy industry, companies that work directly with the government, that complexity is compounded – not only by compliance expectations but by constant change. Clemencia Vera is the Vice President of Finance at NineDot Energy. Although she started her career in traditional accounting and finance, she is now purposefully staying in the energy industry. Listen in on this Digital Transformers classic episode, as she speaks with host Kevin L. Jackson – in person at SAP Sapphire in Orlando, Florida – about how her team is combining frameworks and flexibility to continue their growth trajectory.Additional Links and Information:Learn more about Digital Transformers: https://supplychainnow.com/program/digital-transformers/Subscribe to Digital Transformers and other Supply Chain Now Programs: https://digital-transformers.captivate.fm/listenThia episode was hosted by Kevin L. Jackson. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/digital-transformers-classic-leading-transformation-purpose-driven-industry-dt92

In this latest episode, Mustansir Saifuddin is joined by Barry Sjostedt and Julea Ferrera to take a look back at what has transpired since SAP SAPPHIRE 2024. Was it all hype or was the conference content applicable to clients and partners like them? Listen in for an engaging conversation on what still resonates months later and suggestions for organizations on how to navigate the SAP ecosystem and leverage conferences like SAP SAPPHIRE. Julea Ferrera is the Founder of J. Ferrara Consulting Solutions, Founding Director of Techqueria x MKE and is on the America's SAP User Group WI Board of Directors. She has worked in Business Transformation as a Technofunctional consultant in a variety of different companies globally throughout the years promoting lean process and operation excellence through community impact. Barry Sjostedt is a Business Operations Consultant specializing in Finance and Organizational Excellence, having collaborated with numerous global organizations to drive lean processes and optimization through innovative technology solutions. His expertise spans various business areas, uniting teams for enhanced collaboration and future success. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrysjostedt https://www.linkedin.com/in/juleaferrera https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/midwest-tech-week/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/asug https://www.linkedin.com/company/techqueria-x-mke https://www.linkedin.com/company/isolutionpartners https://www.linkedin.com/in/mustansirsaifuddin X : @mmsaifuddin IG:@asug365 @midwesttechweek Learn more at www.isolutionpartners.com   Episode Transcript: [00:00:00] Mustansir Saifuddin: Welcome to Tech Driven Business brought to you by Innovative Solution Partners. Now that several months have passed since Sapphire 2024, I invited Barry Sjostedt and Julea Ferrera to share their insights on the post Sapphire landscape, including the role of AI and best strategies for navigating the S4 journey. [00:00:26] Listen in for the customer and service provider viewpoints to see how your team can stay ahead in the ever evolving SAP ecosystem. [00:00:38] Welcome you both. How are you? [00:00:40] Julea Ferrara: Doing pretty good. [00:00:43] Thank you for having us. [00:00:45] Barry Sjostedt: Yeah. Good seeing you both again. [00:00:48] Mustansir Saifuddin: I know we were all at Sapphire back in June and it was a great event and I thought, Coming out of the event I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about [00:01:00] the experience and the reality. You know, that's what I wanted to cover in this show because I think it's always good to look back and see where we have come and where we are heading in the future. [00:01:12] There are a few observations that I would like to share with you both and then like to open it up for your take on. How have you seen things unfold over the past couple of months and where do you see the direction in the future? So I know that the Sapphire event itself this year was full of learning and networking and it was great. [00:01:33] And it was filled with opportunities as well as it was a bit of an overload of information as you can tell by the amount of information being shared and a lot of different things that were happening during the conference. Now, if I look back, it is in our rearview mirror. I think this is time that we talk about and revisit what we got out of Sapphire and see what resonates with different [00:02:00] people. [00:02:01] Just like you, who touch the SAP ecosystem. Coming back to some of the content. Sapphire, we focused on Gen AI. That was like the the theme that was going on in different sessions, different conversations, and on the show floor, in the presentations, and those networking events. [00:02:20] Gen AI, Juul, You know, SAP talked about some key partnerships with their hyperscalers like AWS, Google, NVIDIA, Microsoft. I mean, you name it, right? We also talked about CleanCore, what that means, and a lot more. So, I know there was a lot of things were covered. And based on my experience, I would say some folks even thought that it was a lot of hype. [00:02:47] So, that brings me to you both, and, this conversation today. And I'd like to start with what did you get out of the show and where do you think we are heading? So, let me start with you, Julea. You know, when you left Sapphire, [00:03:00] what was top of your mind? And what was your first action step after coming out of the conference? [00:03:06] Julea Ferrara: I first went to honestly, LinkedIn, and I'm a part of BTP a lot of group sessions shared groups on there to kind of understand, like, different polls. A lot of people put a lot of different polls out there to understand the five different pillars with BTP and where we're at, and 100 percent across the board was on AI. [00:03:28] These last few weeks, since Sapphire, it's been again, a big thing around the AI aspect. I think, yes, there's a lot of hype around it, which is exciting. But as much as I love A. I. I still believe we have to tell the A. I. what to do. So it's what I see missing is people having those general conversations in the S. [00:03:50] A. P. space of how do we do that? What do we work with to do that? A lot of amazing tools. The problem is I don't think people understand like where to [00:04:00] go to get everything set up. So , I realized the importance of all working with all these partners and vendors to get, to understand and having really the ASUG network, the ASUG pre conference conversations were great to help you get [00:04:15] those things set up for your data processes for the AI to work. Barry, what did you think? [00:04:23] Barry Sjostedt: Yeah, I mean, it was a lot. I think, you know, going in there from a focus standpoint, you kind of almost had to know what you were looking for. My feeling is cloud is really the big initiative. I was trying to learn a little bit more about their positioning, you know, what they're really truly trying to accomplish. [00:04:43] And, you know, at the end of the day is my strategy aligned with theirs? My view of it is slightly different from yours, from, you know, you're a customer, whereas I'm trying to assist the customer. So of course I had that slightly different view. AI, [00:05:00] I think. It's AI is more of in its infancy. [00:05:05] It's here. It's evolving. It's quick and it's going to happen faster. So what they laid out is Kind of more as this is what's to come but we know having worked in the space for quite some time. It's It's really not super efficient today, and I agree with you. Where are the resources going to come from where? [00:05:28] They're already trying to look for resources for people to transition and still transition over from ECC to S4. So from my perspective, we're looking, you know, at where SAP is going, and more importantly, where are organizations going? What's most important to them? Who's going to what sessions? [00:05:51] As are they in the same sessions I'm in and who's in the sessions that are in, let's say cloud facing or cloud alignments, you know, and what's more [00:06:00] important to them. Because what's important to you is different than what's important to another organization. And let's say, you know, not all Molson Coors, but let's say something in a you know, a small manufacturer. [00:06:17] So there's a big difference there, and I think it's layered. [00:06:21] [00:06:21] Julea Ferrara: Yeah, you do have a great point. The one thing I have learned by going to Sapphire over these years is everybody tends to take their IT department. And you have a little bit more understanding of, like you said, Barry, Hey, we're more concerned about the cloud aspect. [00:06:40] When companies, customers send their people there, they need to send more of their business teams out there, business process teams, and that's not really happening. So the biggest encouragement I offer is you need to have more of your business functioning teams [00:06:56] to attend because they hear, they hear all these [00:07:00] hype words and around AI, they're ready to go. They don't realize that we have to still do all this work. Ahead of time. And there that's the gap that I see is people don't understand, okay, you have this available. This tool can do all this stuff for us. And I see a lot of different industries keep buying the tools and tools and tools, but they don't understand all the data and all the business processing that needs to be done with that for that automation to work. [00:07:30] So. My biggest takeaway for any customer and send more business functioning groups to those conversations. Sapphire being that. [00:07:40] Barry Sjostedt: That's such a great point. It really is, working with all different aspects of businesses. And this is not just kind of in this circumstances, but just, you know, from years of experience. [00:07:52] There is such a vast difference between the person who's in IT, who gets the complete and total understanding of, how it works, [00:08:00] and how I'm gonna put it into your system, to the individual actually using it, and is it functionally sound for their day to day. And it's almost, you know, sometimes I feel that the representatives that they send to some of the shows, it becomes that telephone game, when they get back to the organization and say, "I saw the coolest thing ever." And then the person sitting at the desk saying, yeah, but only one aspect really kind of helps me. [00:08:27] It's great. But overall for the organization, does it fit the need for where we're going not just daily, but in the future? How are we going to accomplish that? So, yeah, I mean, that's a great point. I enjoy meeting several different people from several different areas. And I think that's kind of where I think I really like more from an ASUG point of view. [00:08:50] When you start to get a little bit more granular in some of the smaller shows, you get to meet the users and understand where their difficulties is in that chain of how it can [00:09:00] go up and it can benefit the organization as a whole and not just one instance. [00:09:06] Mustansir Saifuddin: You both made a great points on this particular conversation. [00:09:11] One thing that I've seen, and this is what is going to persist going forward, especially when we are transitioning from the current environment customers are in, either you take your ECC environment or on prem or whatever the current situation is from their ERP to their data and analytics to any of the technology that they're currently using in their organization is having that path available to them. [00:09:38] You know, having that advisory kind of role, someone who is capable of understanding their current landscape and then walking them through the path to the new technology, to the generative AI type of discussions because the path has to be clear. Because you're not jumping to the [00:10:00] new technology, you know, in the next move. [00:10:01] You're going through those steps to make sure that you are getting to the destination in a way that is helping and benefiting the business, right? In the end of the day, a customer is looking at ways to make sure their systems are running flawlessly. You know, their path to technology and future trends is aligned with what their business strategy is. [00:10:24] That brings me to my next question So Sapphire is in the back view mirror now. A couple of months into it and the dust has kind of settled down How has your outlook changed since you left Sapphire? Barry, I would like to start with you this time. [00:10:41] Barry Sjostedt: For me, my outlook hasn't changed a lot . Having, you know, done a little bit of research prior to going to Sapphire and what we were looking to accomplish. [00:10:54] It's really kind of the same thing. My follow up from the show and the outlook [00:11:00] is, I'm a little bit more focused on some of the, the technology, obviously cloud was being one of them for us. The onset of BTP and trying to roll out the different portions of what they're, you know, trying to make it bigger and better, but really it's much of the same. [00:11:20] How am I going to be able to help organizations and align with their strategies? And really try to help them to make these moves. I mean, we, you know, we've made mention, you know of some of the the people having to move over, whether it's just to S4 or being a part of the Rise journey, or Hana cloud for that matter, How can I help be a value and a benefit for the organizations to make these moves? I always turn back to my past experience of just working in operations. Operations is costly for [00:12:00] groups. It's a cost. How do you defray that cost? How do you make that cost as small as possible to help the profitability in the future? [00:12:08] How can I make, that process more lean and a more efficient, saving more money for them to make this upgrade. Because these upgrades are costly. And that's what we see a lot of is, our focus is solely on this. And it's like, yeah, however, if you have terrible process today here, you can upgrade, but you've just upgraded to another terrible process. [00:12:36] And you just paid a lot more money to do a terrible process. So again, it's getting that mindset. So for me, not a lot has changed in that aspect. I think it's just more of understanding what the messaging is and also aligning with the organizations to make sure they understand what the messaging [00:13:00] is and is it being, is it being relayed from that show to Julea, just like you said, to your business people, to your end users. [00:13:10] If I'm at a slightly larger organization and I'm going to send people down to Sapphire, I'm going to have that mindset of a divide and conquer. And I am going to pick, do you know what I mean? Three groups. I'm going to have an IT, I'm going to have a finance, I'm going to have an end user group. [00:13:28] Do you know what I mean? And I'm going to say this is what I would like to find out. And then All three groups collaborate when they get back. What did you find out? What did you learn? And then once you do that, I think you're really on the path to making the best decision moving forward. [00:13:45] Do we do this? And in what order do we do this? What is most financially advantageous to the group? So we're prepared not only today, but we're prepared for tomorrow when we have to make yet another jump or do we do [00:14:00] it incrementally? That's smart. [00:14:02] Mustansir Saifuddin: That makes sense. [00:14:03] Julea, what's your take on it? I mean, have you seen any change in your perspective after this couple of months? [00:14:11] [00:14:11] Julea Ferrara: Generally, you don't. Again, it's all hype. It goes back to more the cloud perspective and automating. Different aspects and going to the AI route because again not everybody understands that you're putting additional costs onto the problem you already have of upgrading and everybody's too worried about the maintenance side of things. [00:14:33] Instead of fixing the issue right now, everybody's more focused on the tool . The business sees, Hey, you have all these awesome tools. They push and the business gets what the business wants. They have the money. They can say , Hey, I want these tools. And then you have these complicated webs. [00:14:50] I liked the point that you said, bring your finance person, bring your business person. People forget, is bring your data people . Your data people need to be a [00:15:00] part of these conversations. That is one group I do not see a lot of, data people. Yeah, maybe on the analytics side, but you need your master data governance team there. [00:15:10] I think security is another one. [00:15:13] Mustansir Saifuddin: Thank you for sharing your thoughts on that. This is very good to hear the two perspectives. And that was the whole idea of this conversation was to get what you have seen from your point of view, and then how it has progressed since that event happened. [00:15:29] So from your purview, where do you see SAP customers heading when it really comes to this S4 journey we all talking about and a 2027 deadline from SAP? [00:15:39] Julea, what's your take on it? I mean, this is coming up quickly. [00:15:44] Julea Ferrara: Yeah. I see a lot of people scrambling. Again going back, they just, what do we do? Are we taking all the initial steps that we need to, all the checks and balances ahead of time? It kind of goes back to what [00:16:00] I'm previously referencing is people are scrambling. [00:16:03] They're focusing on the tool to get it done and not really understanding that they need to be more involved. And this is where I plug in the ASUG: ASUG plug is even part of your S. A. P. membership is the customer excellence team that you can tap into to help you. And that's where my recommendation seeing those pre conferences, I was like: if you want to work with bigger, like Deloitte and Accenture and EY, to help navigate these things, you still need small providers to come in, to really understand your landscape a little bit more, to help guide those teams. [00:16:41] Those are the disconnects I'm seeing, and I think if you get the mapping and all that stuff done ahead of time, you're in, you're aware of what maintenance fees and stuff. People are there to guide you through all that. And not enough customers know about those benefits. [00:17:00] As being a part of an ASUG membership where you're amongst a group of all these subject matter experts who can guide you, you know, it's, it's full of customers, partners, and vendors, not everybody realizes that. [00:17:13] I mean, I'm still. Been trying to get that out as a champion myself. [00:17:18] Mustansir Saifuddin: That is great. [00:17:20] Barry Sjostedt: Well, pressure's on, isn't it? Right? I mean, that clock has been ticking. There's been that push and I think that some of the early adopters obviously had some pains and let's also remember COVID was slammed right in the middle of this. [00:17:38] So I know that they went from, and correct me if I'm wrong, I think it was 2025 was the original date. I think they're two years out considering the COVID and I don't know if that's enough. The last time that I checked, I want to say that there were still 68 percent of [00:18:00] organizations still on ECC. [00:18:01] I could be wrong on that number you know, obviously, but that's quite a bit. So now we're going to have this mad dash in two years. My concern becomes resources. These organizations if they're not adopting earlier and stuff, are they doing the right thing? Piggybacking off what you said Julea too is you know I couldn't stress enough of using, you know organizations like the ASUGs and the education. And more importantly the peer to peer contacts and I can't tell you how many people I have talked to here in the new england chapter. Use the people who have already moved over. [00:18:39] What approach, what would they do different? If they had to do it over again, spend time on this, clean up this, don't do this. And there I agree again, Julea, it's just that I think that the smarter organizations are taking a step back, they're taking a look and doing just kind [00:19:00] of what I said before. [00:19:02] Thanks. What we have internally. Clean up. I mean the clean core concept is really kind of what I was talking about a little bit more about being lean. let's clean up what we have now clean up some dead data clean up some stuff that we have to do so when you actually make that transition You're not bringing over junk. [00:19:23] You're actually starting and think about the cost and I mean we promote that a lot here. As we're doing our projects, is that working with a documentation, organization, and optimization that we do is if we can assist you to clean up that whole entire area within your documentation, you're not bringing that stuff over. [00:19:46] I mean, I know we've saved organizations hundreds of thousands of dollars in just migrations and think about that. That can go to what you're moving over. This is just one small piece, one small [00:20:00] area of your SAP ecosystem. Think about where else you can clean up. So again, I think that the smarter organizations are really taking a harder look at that move and what makes sense. [00:20:11] And does it make sense if I'm going to do just do S4? Do I do S4 cloud? Do I do it all at once? And how do I do that and how do I go about it? So. Yeah. I think really organization is the key and communication is really big, internally and externally, and who works best for your organization. [00:20:33] You have some of these larger groups, they might be more suited to work with you. But there are a lot of smaller groups that need kind of more boutique, more hand holding, more understanding, and more experience in that area. Someone working on a multi billion dollar corporation, might not be the best fit for a smaller organization. [00:20:58] You know what I mean? That's revenue under a [00:21:00] hundred million. And there are all different levels for that. I think it's going to be interesting to see over the next couple years. I'm starting to see a smaller shift kind of on my end from an interest standpoint of I think that people are learning from the smaller groups and that peer to peer contact. And I actually couldn't encourage that enough from my end. And Julea and Mustansir and we're being part of these organizations is where you kind of get the most benefit. [00:21:25] Talking to each other, get an understanding. And it's amazing how willing people are to help each other in this capacity. I really enjoy that part of the, the group of the organization. [00:21:37] Mustansir Saifuddin: Yeah, totally agree. [00:21:39] Julea Ferrara: I've seen different industries who rely on SAP education to only be in the IT department. You talk to business departments and they're like they solely rely on IT creating the documentation, putting everything together, and really not going [00:22:00] in to do transactional work or understand what they're doing versus they're relying on the reports that are coming out. And my biggest takeaway to customers, the ones that are successful is you have SAP education throughout your whole organization. [00:22:18] Not just your IT department. So if you're doing integrated business planning, it needs to be a part of the whole integrated business planning teams conversation to, like you said, Barry, going back to that documentation, cleaning up the data, cleaning up the process to then move it all over. The hard part is people don't know how to educate others. [00:22:44] And that's why we have great groups like ASUG. I said, you don't have to leave the company to learn other best practices. So focus on educating your people and having that organizational change management process set there for [00:23:00] everyone. [00:23:00] Mustansir Saifuddin: I think that's a great takeaway, I think, from both of you, and you touched upon it, right? [00:23:03] I mean, it's all about peer to peer education, just learning and utilizing the resources available to you to be more prepared before you get on the journey. And the journey is going to be challenging for folks who have not gone through all the work that you folks mentioned about doing the homework, cleaning up, getting your house in order. [00:23:24] All those things are important for you to be successful in this journey, right? And I know we covered a lot today. What would be one key takeaway that you would both want our listeners to leave with? Julea, please start from your perspective. [00:23:38] Julea Ferrara: I know a lot of people are going in the AI route and we're talking data, process and then, big key takeaway is utilize the networks that you have, to come together, share. When it comes to the A. I. aspect of it all: to have the greatest prompting you can. Describe your [00:24:00] scenarios as descriptive as possible when you are building out the AI for these tools. If you leave things very blank, if you leave things very from the box add your operations to that, consider your operational changes, consider the process, and then consider what the software does. [00:24:22] Cause you can customize to that and utilize the SAP excellence center, utilize ASUG. Get some smart, smaller partners in to understand your landscape. If you're a big company to help get those SOWs going in the right direction that work for you and you're not just putting money out the door and out the door and out the door. And you're creating more webs of Disarray, focus on those avenues and I think you'll do, you know, do do really well. [00:24:54] Mustansir Saifuddin: Great. Barry, what's your take? [00:24:57] Barry Sjostedt: I can't stress enough the [00:25:00] peer to peer, partner, collaboration, communication network. I think that's the most helpful. People like to talk about their accomplishments. People like to talk about what works, their successes and how it works. The more you get to know people and the more you kind of get yourself out there and you get more in these groups, you know, they're not afraid to talk about, yeah, we tried this and it didn't work. [00:25:29] And they explain why. Then that relationship continues. And between reading and trying to collaborate on linkedin, which I try to use a fair amount. I try to share as much as I can so that people can learn more about their space . Whether it's the people that I follow or the people that I am connected with I think there's a lot of value in there. But again, it's that research And I agree with you Julea. [00:25:52] It's just vetting out What is best for your organization? What I've seen a lot of is that you have organizations that [00:26:00] come in and say, Oh, don't worry. We have that. We have that solution for you. That's in our portfolio. Well, great. [00:26:09] Does it work? Do you know what I mean? Like, you know, it's great that you have it in your portfolio, but is it a right fit for us today? At the end of the day, if you actually have something in mind and you have a project in mind, take a step back and say," Hey what are the best ones out there right now?" [00:26:26] And let's look at three, four, five and find the best fit with your organization. You know what I mean? We're a good fit for you as you are for us because that means we're setting you up for success. [00:26:39] We're a valued partner and we're going to move forward with you. And I think oftentimes it gets lost because people are trying to sell. People are trying to put stuff in there. It's all great if I put something in your system, But if a year or two later, it doesn't work, [00:26:54] it's bad. It's bad for both of us. Bad for business. Bad for reputation. And it doesn't work. That's [00:27:00] no good. So the combination of that peer to peer contact and understanding and having a true understanding Of your organization and what fits best for your needs for your groups and that comes with communication and collaboration. [00:27:13] Julea Ferrara: I say there's a lot of as for supply chain groups. There's a lot around the finance groups. There's the latest and greatest, and that's where I'm getting a lot of my information from. So I suggest customers do the same as well. Go in those groups and learn, like you said, peer to peer. [00:27:30] Barry Sjostedt: Well, you know, and that's funny. When you mention the latest and greatest here, it's great, right? You take a look at it, and is it a good fit for you today, right? Maybe not. But I think the key is, is that by looking at the different organizations, who is set up the best for you to make that move. [00:27:45] So if you are in fact on ECC today and you want to fix it, is that next step for you S4 and will that solution or that particular idea move over to S4 in an easy [00:28:00] transition.. Or is it more of a, well, since you're going on this version, the next version is going to be twice as expensive to make a move. [00:28:08] And I see that a lot too. Whereas, you know, and it's nice part about stuff that we will do here is that it doesn't matter what version you are on and it's an easy transition. You can just bring everything over once you're ready to move. And I feel that's a true valued partnership. Is that we're, we're looking to move forward with your roadmap and we are aligned with all versionings of SAP. [00:28:33] There's that nice collaboration, right? We're collaborating with the organization. But we're also just going to be right along with the roadmap. If they're going to move forward, we have the capability of moving forward with you and it's not at an outstanding cost. A better ROI at the end of the day. [00:28:50] And ultimately that's what you want. You got to look hard at that. [00:28:53] Julea Ferrara: Yeah. What people don't do is discuss the how together. [00:28:58] Barry Sjostedt: Right. Yep. [00:29:00] No, that's exactly right. [00:29:02] Mustansir Saifuddin: I think this is great and great takeaways from both of you and I think that this is where the real value comes in from sharing this kind of format with listeners so they can get, Hey, what is really out there and what should be focusing on in order for me to be successful in my organization and in the future I want to move forward to. [00:29:24] Thank you again both of you for joining the session and it's been a great conversation. Look forward to talking to you in the future Thank you again for joining us today. [00:29:34] [00:29:34] Mustansir Saifuddin: Thanks for listening to Tech Driven Business brought to you by Innovative Solutions Partners. Barry and Julia shared their unique perspectives to give a 360 view of SAP Sapphire. As we heard from both of them, the key to success in navigating the SAP ecosystem lies in collaboration, [00:30:00] communication, and a focus on business processes. [00:30:03] Don't hesitate to leverage the resources available within the SAP community and seek guidance. from experts when needed. We would love to hear from you. Continue the conversation by connecting with me on LinkedIn or X. Learn more about Innovative Solution Partners and schedule a free consultation by visiting isolutionpartners.com. 

In episode 201 of our SAP on Azure video podcast we talk about Microsoft Copilot and SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition. We are now at over 200 episodes and I actually saw that we also passed 7000 subscribers -- thank you everyone for listening in and subscribing! To celebrate this achievement I am really happy to have Christian Hoffmann from SAP joining us today. For the last few years we have worked together on the Teams integration SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud. If you attended SAP Sapphire or saw some of the videos online you might have seen the next evolution of this -- the Microsoft Copilot integration. Christian will explain this a little more and also show us how the integration looks like. Find all the links mentioned here: https://www.saponazurepodcast.de/episode201 Reach out to us for any feedback / questions: * Robert Boban: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rboban/ * Goran Condric: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gorancondric/ * Holger Bruchelt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holger-bruchelt/ #Microsoft #SAP #Azure #SAPonAzure #Copilot #S4HANA #CollaborativeERP

SAP's "clean core" mantra raises enough questions to earn its own podcast. So, in the aftermath of SAP Sapphire and ASUG's Annual Conference, Josh Greenbaum and ASUG CEO Geoff Scott join Jon Reed again. We start with the open questions each of us are pursuing after the show. Then we shift into the SAP clean core discussion: is clean core marketing/sales hype, or a way of achieving deeper customer value from SAP? Scott reveals fresh data from ASUG on customer views, and Reed asks the guys to react to recent blog posts from SAP, as well as the clean core partner certification. We wrap with the question: where should SAP customers take this from here?

SAP's "clean core" mantra raises enough questions to earn its own podcast. So, in the aftermath of SAP Sapphire and ASUG's Annual Conference, Josh Greenbaum and ASUG CEO Geoff Scott join Jon Reed again. We start with the open questions each of us are pursuing after the show. Then we shift into the SAP clean core discussion: is clean core marketing/sales hype, or a way of achieving deeper customer value from SAP? Scott reveals fresh data from ASUG on customer views, and Reed asks the guys to react to recent blog posts from SAP, as well as the clean core partner certification. We wrap with the question: where should SAP customers take this from here?

In our latest episode, Craig is joined on the SUGTalks podcast by Iver van de Zand, CTO & Vice President Business Technology Platform, EMEA at SAP. Together they discuss the main takeaways from SAP's recent Sapphire event, including the latest AI advancements and SAP's acquisition of WalkMe.To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme 

In this new episode Niklas Siemer, Product Specialist for SAP Business Technology Platform, is talking to Geoff Scott, CEO and Chief Community Champion of the Americas' SAP Users' Group (ASUG). Together they will make a recap of the impression and announcements of SAP Sapphire and the ASUG Annual Conference. Geoff is sharing his top moments and his opinion on AI in business. To close the interview, Geoff give a little preview on the ASUG Tech Connect in November.

In this new episode Niklas Siemer, Product Specialist for SAP Business Technology Platform, is talking to Geoff Scott, CEO and Chief Community Champion of the Americas' SAP Users' Group (ASUG). Together they will make a recap of the impression and announcements of SAP Sapphire and the ASUG Annual Conference. Geoff is sharing his top moments and his opinion on AI in business. To close the interview, Geoff give a little preview on the ASUG Tech Connect in November.

In this episode of Enterprising Insights, host Keith Kirkpatrick is joined by Robert Kramer, VP and Principal Analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, to discuss using data to enable ROI from AI deployments. The pair discuss this topic through the lens of several events they attended in recent weeks, including SAP Sapphire, Zoholics, PegaWorld iNspire, and Databricks Summit. The two conclude the show, each contributing a Rave to the Rant and Rave segment.

We are live for episode 27 of the Hot Desk Podcast with Melody Brue and Robert Kramer.   Adobe Earnings    Databricks https://www.databricks.com/company/newsroom/press-releases/introducing-databricks-aibi-intelligent-analytics-real-world-data   InfoComm HP Poly: https://moorinsightsstrategy.com/the-six-five/the-future-of-workplace-collaboration-six-five-in-the-booth-at-infocomm-2024/ Shure: https://www.shure.com/en-US/conferencing-meetings/infocomm BrightSign: https://www.brightsign.biz/markets/entertainment-venues/   SAP Sapphire https://news.sap.com/2024/06/sap-sapphire-news-business-ai-enterprise-cloud-portfolio-cutting-edge-partnerships/ https://news.sap.com/2024/06/joule-microsoft-copilot-unified-work-experience/   Cisco Live  https://www.linkedin.com/posts/melodybrue_one-of-my-favorite-parts-of-big-tech-conferences-activity-7203872187026489346-q-dU?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop https://www.forbes.com/sites/moorinsights/2024/06/11/cisco-finds-its-ai-hyperdrive-at-cisco-live-us-2024/   Zoholics  https://www.zoho.com/news/zoho-announces-early-access-to-crm-for-everyone.html?zwcDate=june%205,%202024 https://moorinsightsstrategy.com/the-six-five/philosophy-conviction-and-culture-the-distinctive-edge-of-zoho-six-five-on-the-road/ https://moorinsightsstrategy.com/the-six-five/zohos-business-impact-from-smb-to-enterprise/ https://moorinsightsstrategy.com/the-six-five/how-improving-employee-satisfaction-elevates-customer-experience-six-five-on-the-road/    Disclaimer: This show is for information and entertainment purposes only. While we will discuss publicly traded companies on this show. The contents of this show should not be taken as investment advice.

In this episode, we explore the key AI innovations and takeaways from the recent SAP Sapphire Conference. We'll discuss how these advancements are set to transform industries and enhance business operations. Get on the AI Box Waitlist: ⁠⁠https://AIBox.ai/⁠⁠ AI Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/739308654562189 Conor's AI Newsletter: https://www.ai-mindset.ai/ Podcast Studio Network: https://podcaststudio.com/network/

Imran Sajid and Sherry Meyer discuss the latest news/announcements from SAP Sapphire 2024 held in Orlando Florida. Topics include Sapphire Event Highlights Thoughts on the WalkMe Acquisition Major Announcements Joule/Generative AI Capabilities Thoughts on the future of AI SAP Partnerships & ASUG sessions Latest on Moving from On-Premise to Cloud Relevant Links SAP SuccessFactors Accelerates AI Capabilities SAP Enters into Agreement to Acquire WalkMe SAP Sapphire Virtual --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/imran-sajid/message

In a special, live episode of ASUG Talks recorded at SAP Sapphire & ASUG Annual Conference, Marissa Gilbert was joined by Geoff Scott, ASUG CEO & Chief Community Champion; Deirdre Toner Marketing Director for Specialists' Sales at Amazon Web Service (AWS); and Brendan Verni, ASUG Board Member.Coming off the heels of SAP CEO Christian Klein's marquee keynote address where he emphasized SAP's focus on AI and announced an expanded partnership with AWS, the discussion focused on the place of AI in the SAP ecosystem and the experiences of customers working with hyperscalers. Listen here.

On the final afternoon of SAP Sapphire, Jon sat down with Brian Dennett for a sleep deprivation show review. Brian's SAP adventures have landed him with a partner that is expert on RISE and BTP, so it was the perfect time to dig into the pros and cons of RISE, where the value lies, and whether "clean core" is a crucial concept for SAP customers - or a marketing/commercial catch phrase. Also: what is the "BTP economy," and why should customers cast a wide net when it comes to their implementation partner moving forward? Jon also shares some of his customer feedback and surprises: including customer advocacy of the S/4HANA public cloud edition. We wrap with a brief chat about cynicism versus open-minded curiosity in the role of market analysis.

On the final afternoon of SAP Sapphire, Jon sat down with Brian Dennett for a sleep deprivation show review. Brian's SAP adventures have landed him with a partner that is expert on RISE and BTP, so it was the perfect time to dig into the pros and cons of RISE, where the value lies, and whether "clean core" is a crucial concept for SAP customers - or a marketing/commercial catch phrase. Also: what is the "BTP economy," and why should customers cast a wide net when it comes to their implementation partner moving forward? Jon also shares some of his customer feedback and surprises: including customer advocacy of the S/4HANA public cloud edition. We wrap with a brief chat about cynicism versus open-minded curiosity in the role of market analysis.

In this latest episode, Geoff Scott, of ASUG, joins Mustansir Saifuddin to discuss what is required for businesses to be successful with Gen AI as they prepare for the future. With more than 20 years of leadership and technology experience, including seven years of extensive SAP implementation and operations experience, Geoff understands the impact of Gen AI in digital transformation. Listen in as he also highlights how ASUG is supporting the SAP ecosystem on the Gen AI journey. Geoff Scott, is CEO and Chief Community Officer of ASUG, believes that the connections ASUG makes for our members have the potential to become career-defining relationships that inspire innovation and success for their organizations. His forward-thinking leadership prioritizes helping our members make the most of their investment in SAP technologies. To that end, Geoff works closely with customers, members, the SAP Executive Board, and the extensive partner ecosystem to amplify the voice of the SAP customer.   Past positions include CIO for TOMS Shoes, where he led the implementation of SAP: CIO at JBS; and senior leadership positions at Ford Motor Company. Before becoming CEO, Geoff was an ASUG member and served on the board. Geoff has served on several philanthropic boards and is the founding member of the Denver CIO Executive Council.  Connect with Us: LinkedIn Mustansir Saifuddin Innovative Solution Partners  Twitter:  @gscott16 @Mmsaifuddin YouTube or learn more about our sponsor Innovative Solution Partners to schedule a free consultation.    Episode Transcript   Welcome to Tech-Driven Business brought to you by Innovative Solution Partners. I'm honored to have Geoff Scott, CEO of ASUG, joins me to discuss what is required for businesses to be successful with Gen AI as they prepare for the future. He'll also share valuable insights on how ASUG is supporting the SAP ecosystem on the GEN AI journey. [00:00:02.560] - Mustansir Welcome to TechDriven business, Geoff. How are you?   [00:00:11.190] - Geoff I'm wonderful. How are you today?   [00:00:13.480] - Mustansir I'm doing great. Thank you. Thank you for joining our show.   [00:00:17.570] - Geoff Pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me. Or I should say, you can make that decision after we're done today.   [00:00:23.130] - Mustansir All right. Sounds like a plan. Hey, it's always good to have you, Jeff, especially meeting in person every year, either in the volunteer meeting or at Sapphire or other events. It's always fun to have that conversation with you. Glad to have you on our show.   [00:00:38.390] - Geoff What a pleasure to be here. I want to thank you for your connection and commitment to ASUG, your commitment to the Michigan chapter, one of our most wonderful places to be in all of the United States. I have close ties to Michigan, so it's always wonderful to hear Go Green, for those who are Michiganders, my alma mater. I think that being part of ASUG and being part of this The SAP community is really a tremendous thing. I've been doing the CEO job at ASUG for 10 years. Every year, as you mentioned, we get all 300 volunteers together to plan the year and celebrate our successes and talk about our challenges. It's a tremendous things. So I encourage everyone to be part of ASUG. If you are an SAP professional and you want to be at the top of your game of SAP, there's no better place to be than being an active part of ASUG, which you are. I want to thank you for that.   [00:01:28.530] - Mustansir I second that. Thank you. Thank you. So today, we will be talking about how digital transformation in AI is changing the business landscape. How does that sound to you?   [00:01:39.350] - Geoff I think that sounds like a tremendous conversation.   [00:01:42.040] - Mustansir It absolutely is, and it's going to be fun. So let's start with the basics. Jeff, you have been around for a long time, not counting your-Original dinosaur. Hey, it's all good. But your extensive background with SAP. Can you share with our listeners a brief overview of your career journey?   [00:02:03.150] - Geoff Well, I would love to. As we just spoke about, 10 years as the CEO of Asug, and I don't love the CEO title. I like to think of myself as the Chief Community Champion. My job is to rally us as a community around this SAP software and make sure all of us are getting the most value from it. The organizations that are purchasing the software, we as all professionals in investing our careers into this amazing ecosystem, it's very important that we feel like we make forward progress. We feel that this is a place where we can learn, connect, and grow, which are three of our very important ASUG pillars. That's been a tremendous journey for me for the last 10 years. I didn't come into this intentionally. Prior to that, I was a CIO. I was at Tom's Shoes in Los Angeles. Prior to that, at a beef company, small beef company, only the third largest in the world, in Greenley, Colorado, where we were also an SAP shop. That was where I cut my teeth on being a full-time SAP advocate. Then prior to that, in your neck of the woods, in your backyard, in Deerborn, Michigan, doesn't take a lot to figure out what's in Deerborn these days.   [00:03:08.510] - Geoff So I was there for almost 10 years doing lots of different IT work. And then obviously prior to that, consulting in college and being a teenager and things like that.   [00:03:20.120] - Mustansir That's a wonderful background, Jeff. It's okay. I think the best part about this is being in your role, the role that you're playing at ASOG, your background or your history really brings that tremendous amount of knowledge and technology know-how, which really is what a lot of ASA customers or in general, SAP folks who are dealing with technology on a daily basis can utilize your know-how and your in-depth knowledge of what's going on in the industry versus someone with a background in business. You don't really have that depth in terms of what you bring to the table.   [00:04:00.920] - Geoff You're very kind. You're very kind. In my career, I started off when I was going to college, just a little bit west from where you are. Again, go green. Then that's the last I'm going to say that today, maybe. My degree's in accounting, and I chose that field because I really wanted to understand how business worked. I figured the best way to figure out how business would work is to understand how the money moves around. Accounting was actually a fallback for me. I started I started off in finance, and then this will date me tremendously. Then the stock market collapsed back in the late '80s, and I went, Oh, wait a minute. I don't know I want to be on Wall Street anymore. I grew up in the suburbs of New York City, so I had this delusion I would go back into New York and be on Wall Street. I said, I don't think that's going to work so well. I went to accounting, and I found I liked it better. A little bit more pragmatic. Finance can be fairly esoteric. I came into consulting in IT because I always thought about IT as a way in which businesses can be more efficient.   [00:05:01.780] - Geoff I was always intrigued by how we could use technology to drive business outcomes. That has served me throughout my career. I really think about business outcomes first and technology second.   [00:05:13.390] - Mustansir Absolutely. I think that's what really counts, how business drives technology. That takes me to my next discussion point. Ai. Ai took the business world by storm last year. We all know that. How are ASOG and ASAP supporting their clients with navigating AI and Gen AI in particular. Everybody is about Gen AI, so I'd like to hear your thoughts on that.   [00:05:38.820] - Geoff Yeah, I think that generative AI and all the things related to AI, nothing new to that, Mustache. We've been around in the SAP ecosystem. Ai has been around for a long time. What was new in November of 2022 when ChatGPT first came onto the market was this thing of generative AI. Well, that was different. But most SAP practitioners, the people you and I are talking to today, would say, Hey, we've been filling around AI for a long time. Understanding PDF documents, understanding pictures, converting pictures to text, scanning documents, scanning invoices, making sure we can convert all that. None of that is terribly new. I think generative AI made it mainstream. What was back office technology that was used to achieve business the outcomes all of a sudden became available to the masses. And it became available to the masses in a very simple way. I can sit down, I can write a sentence into a computer, and it will produce paragraphs of very eloquent text. We can have a whole conversation about how accurate it is, but I could finally get this star tracky type of thing, or I could type a sentence in and I would get this back.   [00:06:55.320] - Geoff And I could do cute things. Tell me how to bake a cake in Shakespeare in English, and it would do it. I think it became a piece of technology that everybody could connect to, and that everybody includes the board of directors, the CEO, the rest of your business peers who can now say, I get it. I understand how this works, and I want that for my business. We can make this work for all of us.   [00:07:25.460] - Mustansir I think it's a very interesting point you mentioned, Jeff. We always talk about C-suite, right? And you know that in this-I'm one of them. Yeah, exactly, right? So we talk about, I still get involved with a lot of implementations and boots on ground. And I know that a lot of these technology implementations, you have this gap between the C-suite and folks who are actually involved in the technology day to day, right? Do you think Gen AI is going to close that gap? What is your take on that perspective? Bringing these two worlds together.   [00:08:03.730] - Geoff I think generative AI is going to be an incredibly interesting diversion or departure for all of us in the sense that we've talked about for a long for a long time, the importance of some things in the SAP ecosystem that are near and dear to our heart. Master data, accuracy of data, archiving, things that warm our hearts that make the business run for cover. You want to watch paint dry? Have a conversation about archiving. The challenge with all of that is if we really want to get the most value from a generative AI solution, whether it be SAP's Joule or ChatGuard, GPT or everything in between, our enterprise data has to be lined up correctly. I think this is where we're going to see a tremendous amount of energy and effort to understand how this enterprise data will form these models and make them work. There was an article in the New York Times, I think two weeks ago, and this is topical because last week I was in Las Vegas for a few days at Google Next. And I always go to Google Next, and I also like to try to make it to AWS and Microsoft's events as well, because it refreshes me and it makes me think about how to tackle these problems from different perspectives.   [00:09:29.500] - Geoff And that, coupled with the New York Times article was very interesting to me in that it appears we're running out of trainable data for these models, that our models now are demanding so much data that we can't fill them. And And so there was an interesting topic in Las Vegas about synthetic data, which I'm still wrapping my head around and what that means. I'm trying to understand how we get to the levels of data. We do know one thing that these generative AI models require a lot of data in order to give very effective answers. And even when they have a lot of data, they can still hallucinate. I mean, there's no greater data source than the English language over the last 300 years. And the cool thinking about it is it hasn't really changed all that much. I can take all that stuff and I can pour it in. And yeah, there's different dialects, but the English language or pick a language, French, whatever, it hasn't moved all that much. So the data is fairly stable. Sure. Is that true when we think about our enterprise data? And the problem that I see coming is if we have lots of historical data, what does it really mean?   [00:10:37.900] - Geoff How accurate is it? And then the second big question is, how relevant is it? And if both of those are not at the top of their game, you run a huge risk that your model is being trained on data that isn't accurate, isn't relevant, and then you expect it to give you amazing results. The thing that makes me chuckle is the notion of saying to a model running on top of your SAP data, Hey, what's the best product I should sell? And it spits back a product that you made 15 years ago because it might have been at the time the most profitable based in parts that you don't even have access to anymore. And the model doesn't know that. I think there's another really important part of this whole equation, and that is something that I call gray data. And gray data is the data that's in our heads, in our minds, which is what we use to make decisions that the AI models have zero knowledge of. And the only way long term an AI model will be able to replicate what you do, what I do, what anyone listening today does, is it has exactly what's up in your head.   [00:11:42.850] - Geoff And it's not going to. We still know today in you're involved in SAP implementations all the time, that it takes someone interpreting that data, oftentimes, to understand what it's saying and what cues it's giving. Ai doesn't understand that because it's missing all the stuff that's in your gray space. And if that's the case, and how much of the data that you use to run your enterprise is gray data versus bits and bytes. If the answer is greater than 50 %, 60 %, 70 %, wow, we got a lot of missing data, and the model is not going to be that effective.   [00:12:17.980] - Mustansir For sure. I think it's an interesting point you mentioned about historical data and the quality of data. And that leads me into this next conversation about, I'm an analytics person in data focus. And it's all about good information will produce good results, right? So from that perspective, I'm curious, what are you seeing with ASUG members as it applies to their approach, especially to real-time data and analytics, and also the move to the cloud? Because a lot of things are happening in the cloud. So what is your take in this whole space?   [00:12:53.370] - Geoff Well, certainly, I believe that if you are going to want to participate, play in in a generative AI, AI space, and you say, and probably before you make that conclusion, you have to ask a question, which is, where do you and your organization want to be on the innovation curve? Do you want to be on the very front of it? Do you want to be in the middle of it? Where do you want to be? Now, if you want to be on the very, very back end of the innovation curve, continue doing what you're doing today. If you want to be to the middle of the innovation curve or the front end, and I think about it as a bell curve. If you want to be to the middle to the front end of that curve, and most people don't want to be at the front, you need a lot of courage and a lot of strength to be. That's the scary place. But there are organizations that are there. Let's say you want to be safely in the middle. I don't want to lead the pack. I don't want to trail the pack. I want to be right in the middle.   [00:13:47.870] - Geoff It necessitates three things, I firmly believe. Number one, you have to be in the cloud. Number two, you have to really think about your software investments as software as a service. You're moving the requirement for changes and updates to the software vendor in this world SAP. Number three, as little customization as possible. If you can If you can do those three things and you can do them well, you have the greatest likelihood that you will be able to take all this innovation, absorb it and go. Which to your question is, when you talk about analytics, when you talk about predictive analytics, that's what you're going to For many, many SAP customers, that is a tectonic shift in perspective. And certainly, the longer you have been an SAP customer, and the more customizations you have made for whatever reason. Your business process doesn't line up with SAP's. Sap didn't have a solution for you at the time. We talk about this thing of technical debt, and where I quibble with some of the leading thought people is We tend to say and infer the technical debt is bad. Well, I don't think any of us as SAP practitioners wake up in the morning and say, Today is the day I'm going to build a lot of technical debt.   [00:15:11.820] - Geoff There are some good reasons for it. There might be some bad reasons for it, too. I don't know how to do something, so I'm just going to code it. I get it, but I don't necessarily believe that the technical debt is something that we all strive for. Motherhood and apple pie, as few customizations as possible. The problem now is the stakes are way up because we've learned that you have to be in cloud, you have to be in SaaS, and you have to be almost no customization in order to adopt fast. And that means that we have to be super careful about customization. That creates another problem inside most organizations, and that is how do you handle change control and how do you handle organizational change management? So the IT folks say, Hey, this is good for me. No customization. I'm good to go. And the business says, Well, wait a minute here. I have to retrain thousands of people across 16 time zones in 32 different geographies, and that's hard. And it is. And it is. So how do we find that necessary balance? And I think if you've been on SAP a long time, that transition is not going to happen overnight.   [00:16:14.000] - Geoff It's going to be multiple years, maybe even a decade, dare I say. And if you haven't started your S/4 migration yet, you are fastly running out of time. And so there's no time like the present to start working on that, because absent that, you are going to be perpetually behind. And I don't want to be Cavalier here, Mustanzer, because what I just described is an epic undertaking. But if you get there, predictive analytics is super interesting, right? We have got to figure out a way to take our technology professionals and find ways for them to have more time. Because if we really want to do predictive analytics, it requires us to jump into data sets. It requires us to look at data, plant floor data, log data, all these other things where we haven't traditionally looked for things. In order to find those patterns and those indications and those clues that help us sell more, get more efficient, do other things. And that requires time. And in order to get that time, we have to be more efficient. So if we're going to spend all of our time working on customizations of SAP, we are not going to be doing predictive analytics.   [00:17:18.870] - Mustansir For sure. And I think that's one of the key points you mentioned about that, right? Stop spending time on doing things that are not adding any value, especially in this fast pace, changing constantly on a daily basis. And you put AI in the middle of all this, all of a sudden, your stakes are different, your challenges are different. And at the same time, the time to make those decisions is shrinking for you. So for organizations to be nimble and be able to act quickly, I mean, all the things you just mentioned, I think they go hand in hand, especially a lot of times folks think about analytics as a byproduct, right? It's after the fact. And then What we're thinking or what are you talking here at this point is put analytics in front because that will drive that whole behavior of change of exactly what is important to me. Predictive is one part of it. There's so many different aspects of information which you can put your right brains and your geeks. I mean, everyone has got geeks in the organization. I mean, you want to put those folks to good use. And the best way you can do it is having that Get ahead of the curve, right?   [00:18:31.520] - Mustansir Don't wait, basically.   [00:18:32.910] - Geoff That's what I'm hearing. A hundred %. And I'm excited about the potential of AI to help us migrate systems faster. I'd like to see us use AI to help understand quality in data, to help us understand how we lift and shift business processes out of legacy systems into new systems. I'd like to understand how we use AI to drive business test cases, quality assurance. I believe that we are at a massive inflection point where the upgrading of these systems, you asked a question earlier about digital transformation. We have to move to the next generation of SAP software. I believe that unlocks the gateway to everything we're talking about today. That cannot be a five-year project. We have got to figure out as technology professionals how to automate it, how to make it faster, how to do it and how to make sure we can get an unlock value faster. It's my biggest ask of SAP, and in conversations that I have with their CEO and their leadership team, please stop making new SKUs for new software licenses. I implore you to make your software easier to migrate and uplift and move to the next generation.   [00:19:53.220] - Geoff And can we use some of these AI ML tools to achieve that? It's essential.   [00:19:58.860] - Mustansir For sure. No, for sure. And I think talking about all this technology and SAP, let's come back to our conversation ASAG. Asag is a great start in 2024, right? I mean, personally, I know we had over 150 people at our Michigan Chapter meeting back in February. That is absolutely amazing. So what can ASEC members expect this year from their membership? Can you delve into that?   [00:20:26.820] - Geoff 100 %. First and foremost, I think you said the most important thing where we're seeing the most interest, the most excitement is in our 39 chapters. So if you are an SAP professional and you want to be at the top of your game and you want to learn, connect, and grow, you don't have to jump on an airplane. And of course, we're welcoming you to do that. You don't have to spend hotel room nights. Go to your local ASUG chapter and become involved. You will meet people like you who want to get ahead and understand how to solve problems using SAP. And you're You're in the middle of the Michigan SAP scene. It's amazing. So go spend time there, which is a huge pitch for what you do and why you volunteer is because you want to be part of what's happening on the ground, real-time in geography. And that is what the chapter organization is here to do. And I would really like to see that over the next three to five years grow to epic proportions. I have a challenge. I want to see your Michigan meeting not be just 150 people. I want it to be 350 people.   [00:21:33.460] - Geoff That, to me, is exciting, which is a very different change of perspective from us. But I think in a post-pandemic world, what a great opportunity to get out from behind your laptop. And whether you're back in the office or still working remotely, go spend time with your friends in an ASUG chapter event in Michigan or in California or in Florida. Pick a place and just go and have fun and meet your peers. It'll be so wonderful for you. If that's not good enough, then And enjoy some of the other events that we do. Get online and do some research and education there. We have ASUG annual conference and SAP Sapphire coming up in June. In the fall, we have SAP for utilities. We have ASUG best practices, which is a whole source of industry-based events. And then we cap off the year. This is my most exciting event. We cap off the year in West Palm Beach, Florida, November 12th through 14th with ASUG Tech Connect. It used to be called TechEd, but we've reconfigured TechEd with SAP. So TechEd is a virtual program. But in North America, it's ASUG Tech Connect. So if you want to wrap up 2023, sorry, 2024, getting my years all confused, and get ready for an amazing 2025, ASUG Tech Connect is the place to be.   [00:22:46.120] - Geoff And I think those are fine. What else can you do? First Five newsletter comes out every Monday morning. It's an amazing place to just get a recap of the top five articles that happened in the SAP ecosystem over the last week. Podcast, you and I are in a podcast Today. Everyone's doing podcast. Aseg does podcast. Be there. Let's get together at Campus Connect. Citadel University, University of Texas at Dallas, Fayetteville State University, and then my favorite at Michigan State University. There's my last plug for Go Green, are all very much in the Campus Connect program. What a great way to have this next generation of talent, get excited about the careers that we've been so fortunate to have in the SAP ecosystem.   [00:23:29.360] - Mustansir For I think there is a lot to learn. And the best thing about it, like you said, there's so many mediums. You pick what makes sense to you, what really florts your boat, especially after the pandemic. A lot of folks are open to coming out and meeting others and getting to know what's coming exciting. No, put it this way. Excitement is one thing. You get to meet people and either it's online, either it's in person or you're traveling somewhere else. Or like you mentioned, June. June, big event. A lot of new things are being shared and you understand and know exactly where SAP is going, where ASAG wants to take you in your journey. And as an organization, you want to learn from your peers, right? And That's the best opportunity. And one thing I like about your plug for the November event, you cannot go wrong with it. Exactly. You end your year on something that you really want to take into next year, and that and search your basis for exactly what you want to do. A lot of opportunities. I really love the whole platform that you explained so well.   [00:24:37.180] - Geoff Thank you. There is a lot going on inside the SAP ecosystem. It is a wonderful place for professionals like you, me, and everyone else, 130,000 of us in North America, to make our home, to learn, connect, grow, to thrive. And all you got to do is just raise your hand and go to a chapter meeting, meet with people outside of your your standard core team that you might be working on SAP for, and the whole world will be unlocked for you. And it'll make you feel like what you're doing has value, that the things you're learning can have a place in this broader ecosystem. We are going to need a lot more talent who stands there in the next 10 years than we have today. It frightens me about how much change is happening, and I believe we all find very rewarding careers inside of SAP.   [00:25:27.700] - Mustansir Now, I think the future is really bright And I know we can talk for hours, Jeff. I mean, your knowledge, your passion for technology and SAP. But I do have to finish our session, our talk for today. I'd like to leave with this one question for you. As far as topics and discussions you covered, what is the one key takeaway that you want our listeners to leave with?   [00:25:55.440] - Geoff I believe the key takeaway today is generative AI is real. The faster you get in and start contemplating what it can and can't do. We are trying inside of Asug lots of different technologies, and we're fiddling, and we have this experimental culture. Let's go try some stuff. It's good. And I think we We're doing a lot with video to text, recaps, things like that. I think there's a ton of upside to all of this. Go get yourself immense in AI.   [00:26:25.780] - Mustansir Yeah, for sure. I think that's a great advice. And It seems like a lot of folks who are still on the edges, it's time for them to move on and get on this bandwagon because this train has started rolling and there's no stopping. At least I don't see it in the near future.   [00:26:43.870] - Geoff Today is the worst day AI ever will be. It will get better from here, and it's going to be on an exponential scale. So don't wait another three, four weeks or months or years. Get in now.   [00:26:54.490] - Mustansir Great advice. Thank you. Now, this is an awesome conversation. Really enjoyed the talk, and I would love to get you back in the future. Whenever you need. Feedback on how things have settled down once we traverse through the 2024.   [00:27:10.980] - Geoff We are here for you, and I appreciate greatly everything you do for the community, for the SAP community, for ASUG, and everything you do in Michigan. Thank you.   Thanks for listening to Tech-Driven Business brought to you by Innovative Solution Partners. Geoff delved deep into the transformative power of Gen AI shared valuable insights on how organizations can transform business with Generative AI. His main takeaway? Generative AI is real. Go get yourself immersed in AI as today is the worst day AI will ever be. We'd love to hear from you. Continue the conversation by connecting with me on LinkedIn or Twitter. Learn more about Innovative Solution Partners and schedule a free consultation by visiting isolutionpartners.com. Never miss a podcast by subscribing to our You Tube channel. Information is in the Show Notes

In our prior podcasts on SAP's innovation direction, we debated everything from AI to RISE - with the goal of providing actions and context for customers. This time, we wade into deeper waters by looking at the role of SAP partners. Join us as Josh Greenbaum, ASUG CEO Geoff Scott and Jon Reed look at how SAP services partners are responding to disruptions inside and outside the SAP "ecosystem." How should partners address clean core/BTP versus customizations? How should customers evaluate partners? Are customers missing out on partners that are not on their radar screen? And what is the role of ASUG (and other SAP user groups) in helping customers engage and assess partners? What has ASUG learned from recent surveys on this topic? We cover all that and more in this lead up to SAP Sapphire and the ASUG Annual Conference.

In our prior podcasts on SAP's innovation direction, we debated everything from AI to RISE - with the goal of providing actions and context for customers. This time, we wade into deeper waters by looking at the role of SAP partners. Join us as Josh Greenbaum, ASUG CEO Geoff Scott and Jon Reed look at how SAP services partners are responding to disruptions inside and outside the SAP "ecosystem." How should partners address clean core/BTP versus customizations? How should customers evaluate partners? Are customers missing out on partners that are not on their radar screen? And what is the role of ASUG (and other SAP user groups) in helping customers engage and assess partners? What has ASUG learned from recent surveys on this topic? We cover all that and more in this lead up to SAP Sapphire and the ASUG Annual Conference.

Nicola Kastner is one of the rare people who intentionally entered the events industry. The founder of The Event Strategist, a boutique consultancy firm, she helps her clients optimize their event experiences to drive bottom-line results. Before creating The Event Strategist, Kastner was the global vice president of event marketing strategy for SAP, a market leader in enterprise application software. She recently discussed the importance of data in event strategy with Skift Meetings at the Future of the Events Industry 2024 virtual summit. Light Bulb Moment Kastner studied hospitality at university, and when she took a course about incentive travel, a light bulb went off for her. After graduating, she worked on the hotel side at a destination management company. Later, she joined Maritz, where she helped run incentive travel programs for 12 years. Attending a conference, Kastner took a course about event strategy that changed the course of her career.  SAP Sapphire Shines When asked what event she has planned that she is most proud of, she says SAP Sapphire 2019 in Orlando. This SAP flagship event included 25,000 attendees, 35 workstreams, and 120 content team members alone. In total, 5,000 employees worked on it. In addition, the conference strategy was led by data. Data Geek According to Kastner, not much can't be figured out with a pivot table. Now, with the addition of AI, her pivot tables are even more in-depth. She is leaning in to understand all the nuances of AI, which she says will change the work. Being so data-driven has been a differentiator in her career, she says.  Learning From TED Last year, Kastner applied and paid out of her own pocket to participate in the TED conference in Vancouver. It was worth it, and she was very impressed. Before she even got onsite, she had a feeling of belonging from a WhatsApp group created for first-timers.  Big Difference Between the Business of Events and the Events Business She said that event professionals tend to focus on logistics, not the business of events. And those are two distinctly different things. 

All industries must handle a certain degree of complexity, but for companies in the energy industry, companies that work directly with the government, that complexity is compounded – not only by compliance expectations but by constant change. Clemencia Vera is the Vice President of Finance at NineDot Energy. Although she started her career in traditional accounting and finance, she is now purposefully staying in the energy industry. Listen in as she speaks with host Kevin L. Jackson – in person at SAP Sapphire in Orlando, Florida – about how her team is combining frameworks and flexibility to continue their growth trajectory.Additional Links and Information:Learn more about Digital Transformers: https://supplychainnow.com/program/digital-transformers/Subscribe to Digital Transformers and other Supply Chain Now Programs: https://digital-transformers.captivate.fm/listenThis episode was hosted by Kevin L. Jackson. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/leading-transformation-purpose-driven-industry-dt59

In the new episode Niklas Siemer, Product Specialist for SAP BTP, is talking to Steffen Pietsch, the Vice President, Head of SAP BTP Product Management. You will hear about SAP Sapphire which took place mid of May in Orlando and Barcelona. Together with Steffen Pietsch we will make a recap of these awesome events and hear about great new announcements, the atmosphere at the event and his personal experiences and impressions visiting the SAP Sapphire as Vice President, Head of SAP BTP Product Management. To enrich the episode, we will also dive into the customer story of the month and on top of that, you will learn about some of the road map items at the horizon of SAP BTP.

Building a leading supply chain tech stack is a journey, not a destination. The transformation process requires internal and external collaboration, a keen understanding of the customer experience, and solid integration between applications. If anything, or anyone, can speed up that transformation journey, it is a win. Jose Paredes Hernandez is a Global SAP Consumer Industry Leader and Distinguished Engineer at IBM Consulting. He has extensive experience leading transformations of GTM and global services organizations. Listen in as he joins host Kevin L. Jackson – in person at SAP Sapphire in Orlando, Florida – to talk about how ISM and SAP are using intelligent workflows to connect the power of people for competitive advantage.Additional Links and Information:Learn more about Digital Transformers: https://supplychainnow.com/program/digital-transformers/Subscribe to Digital Transformers and other Supply Chain Now Programs: https://digital-transformers.captivate.fm/listenThis episode was hosted by Kevin L. Jackson. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/intelligent-workflows-connect-people-dt57

Leading global tech analysts Patrick Moorhead (Moor Insights & Strategy) and Daniel Newman (Futurum Research) are front and center on The Six Five analyzing the tech industry's biggest news each and every week and also conducting interviews with tech industry "insiders" on a regular basis.    The Six Five represents six (6) handpicked topics that will be covered for five (5) minutes each.    Welcome to this week's edition of “The 6-5.” I'm Patrick Moorhead with Moor Insights & Strategy, co-host, joined by Daniel Newman with Futurum Research. On this week's show we will be talking:   SAP Sapphire 2023 https://news.sap.com/2023/05/sap-sapphire-future-proofed-business-age-of-ai/ https://news.sap.com/2023/05/sap-successfactors-helps-hr-solve-skills-gap-with-generative-ai/ https://news.sap.com/2023/05/sap-sapphire-orlando-keynote-customers-trust-sap/?amp=1   Dell Technologies World 2023 https://twitter.com/PatrickMoorhead/status/1660694029233975296?s=20 https://twitter.com/PatrickMoorhead/status/1661055691862478848?s=20 https://twitter.com/PatrickMoorhead/status/1660655045308817409?s=20 https://twitter.com/danielnewmanUV/status/1661126221651148809?s=20 https://twitter.com/danielnewmanUV/status/1661056157514088448?s=20 https://twitter.com/danielnewmanUV/status/1660695845862543361?s=20 https://futurumresearch.com/research-notes/dell-introduces-dell-nativeedge-an-edge-operations-software-platform-designed-to-help-simplify-secure-optimize-and-automate-edge-infrastructure-deployments/ https://futurumresearch.com/research-notes/dell-technologies-and-nvidia-launch-project-helix-for-on-prem-generative-ai/ https://futurumresearch.com/research-notes/dell-technologies-introduces-project-fort-zero-to-help-accelerate-and-simplify-zero-trust-adoption-at-dell-technologies-world-event/ https://futurumresearch.com/research-notes/dell-apex-platform-advancements-empower-customers-to-optimize-multicloud-strategies-and-streamline-it-operations/   Microsoft Build 2023 https://twitter.com/PatrickMoorhead/status/1660995939920941057?s=20 https://news.microsoft.com/build-2023-book-of-news/ https://twitter.com/danielnewmanUV/status/1661912844282265600?s=20 https://twitter.com/danielnewmanUV/status/1661879217548840960?s=20 https://twitter.com/danielnewmanUV/status/1661755277279121408?s=20 https://twitter.com/danielnewmanUV/status/1661497197798756355?s=20 https://twitter.com/danielnewmanUV/status/1661120240997269505?s=20   Nvidia Q1 Earnings https://twitter.com/StreetSignsCNBC/status/1663052964070817792?s=20 https://twitter.com/danielnewmanUV/status/1661497197798756355?s=20 https://twitter.com/PatrickMoorhead/status/1661492733243195392?s=20 https://s201.q4cdn.com/141608511/files/doc_financials/2024/Q1FY24/Q1FY24-CFO-Commentary.pdf https://twitter.com/danielnewmanUV/status/1661879217548840960?s=20 https://investor.nvidia.com/news/press-release-details/2023/NVIDIA-Announces-Financial-Results-for-First-Quarter-Fiscal-2024/default.aspx https://s201.q4cdn.com/141608511/files/doc_financials/2024/Q1FY24/Rev_by_Mkt_Qtrly_Trend_Q124.pdf   Marvell Q1 Earnings https://twitter.com/PatrickMoorhead/status/1661909835523440642?s=20 https://twitter.com/danielnewmanUV/status/1661879217548840960?s=20 https://twitter.com/StreetSignsCNBC/status/1663052964070817792?s=20 https://investor.marvell.com/2023-05-25-Marvell-Technology,-Inc-Reports-First-Quarter-of-Fiscal-Year-2024-Financial-Results https://twitter.com/danielnewmanUV/status/1661897158264750080?s=20   Lenovo Q4 Earnings https://www.google.com/search?q=lenovo+earnings&oq=lenovo+earnings&aqs=edge..69i57j0i512l6j0i390i650j69i64.4079j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://investor.lenovo.com/en/financial/results/press_2223_q4.pdf https://doc.irasia.com/listco/hk/lenovo/annual/2023/res.pdf https://investor.lenovo.com/en/financial/results/presentation_2223_q4.pdf   Disclaimer: This show is for information and entertainment purposes only. While we will discuss publicly traded companies on this show. The contents of this show should not be taken as investment advice.

The promise of digital transformation sometimes leads companies to push hard for progress without realizing what it means for the people doing the work. When an implementation isn't supported by an active change management effort, adoption and ROI may fall short of expectations. Kristi Choate is a Partner with IBM Consulting's SAP Process Adoption practice where she develops end- to-end change strategies with clients and provides leadership and guidance for successful implementations. Listen in as she joins host Kevin L. Jackson – in person at SAP Sapphire in Orlando, Florida – to share five executive behaviors associated with successful digital transformation journeys. #IBMPartnerAdditional Links and Information:Learn more about Digital Transformers: https://supplychainnow.com/program/digital-transformers/Subscribe to Digital Transformers and other Supply Chain Now Programs: https://digital-transformers.captivate.fm/listenThis episode was hosted by Kevin L. Jackson. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/5-executive-behaviors-tied-successful-digital-transformation-dt56

ERP Advisors Group had the pleasure of attending the 2023 Epicor Insights Conference in Las Vegas, which focused on “turning insight into action.” Epicor's CEO, Steve Murphy, summarized the event, stating, “To be successful in today's marketplace, Makers, Movers, and Sellers must make data-driven decisions faster and with greater accuracy. It's all about the right insights, in the right place, at the right time.” Related, SAP also hosted their conference in Orlando last week, SAP Sapphire in 2023. SAP made announcements across Business AI, the Green Ledger, and business-ready innovations.Connect with us!https://www.erpadvisorsgroup.com866-499-8550LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/erp-advisors-groupTwitter:https://twitter.com/erpadvisorsgrpFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/erpadvisorsInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/erpadvisorsgroupPinterest:https://www.pinterest.com/erpadvisorsgroupMedium:https://medium.com/@erpadvisorsgroup

In episode 144 of our SAP on Azure video podcast we recap SAP Sapphire 2023 in Orlando with lots of announcements around Azure Center for SAP Solutions and other topics. Then we have Sujay Jain and Akarsh Prabhu joining us talk about the general availability of Azure Monitor for SAP Solutions, or AMS. Sujya and Akarsh walk us through the motivation and main features and then show us how it looks like in the Azure portal. https://www.saponazurepodcast.de/episode144 Reach out to us for any feedback / questions: * Robert Boban: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rboban/ * Goran Condric: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gorancondric/ * Holger Bruchelt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holger-bruchelt/  #Microsoft #SAP #Azure #SAPonAzure #AzureMonitor #AMS

Peggy and Joseph Msays, global managing partner, EA Managed Services, IBM Consulting, talk about what IBM will showcase at SAP Sapphire—and how the SAP and IBM partnership has evolved over time. He says we will be showing many critical capabilities that span from advisory, to implementation, to migration to cloud, to managed services, industry solutions, and more. They also discuss: A new announcement that will help with user experience, improve productivity, and more. If we have a skills gap and how generative AI (artificial intelligence) can help. The first step companies should take if they want to move forward. SAP to Embed IBM Watson AI into SAP Solutions IBM Transforms Business Operations with the RISE with SAP Solution in Expanded Partnership with SAP (5/9/23 - 821) IoT, Internet of Things, Peggy Smedley, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, digital transformation, cybersecurity, blockchain, 5G, cloud, sustainability, future of work, podcast, Joseph Msays, IBM Consulting

This episode of Over the Edge features an interview between Matt Trifiro and Stephen Goldberg, CEO at HarperDB. Stephen is an established thought leader in the IoT space, with previous professional experience as a CTO and CEO of startups, holding several roles at larger organizations like Red Hat, and leading digital transformation projects at a number of Fortune 500 companies across many verticals. He's been published on sites like Tech Target and quoted in a number of articles and publications like Forbes and ZDNet, as well as being a speaker at IoT World, SAP Sapphire, and Salesforce.com's Dreamforce. Stephen holds 2 patents and received his Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College-Hartford in 2006.In this episode, Stephen talks about being a self taught programmer that initially wanted to work in anything but technology. He explains the process of co-founding HarperDB to deal with the rigidity and complexity of databases, and how the company makes it easier to globally distribute data faster. Stephen also discusses how bureaucracy, in many ways, is the biggest challenge to innovation and the adoption of new technologies. ---------Key Quotes:“For example, while we felt like the iPhone is an extremely complex device, technologically and internally, it exposes a very simple interface to the world that even a child can use. And, so our thought process was that a database should be the same for a developer. It should be a thing that a developer can just sit down and code, and ultimately, we have built far more than a database in the end. But, that was kind of the premise of what we wanted. We wanted something that would scale with you as your application grew, that made your life easy.The bureaucracy, like the speed at which people move, their ability to think about how things work, that is now the one that I think is the biggest challenge is that this stuff is now and it's here. And, if you really wanted to do it, you could, but I think it's also just changing how people think about stuff. So, like you know, willingness to adopt new technologies, willingness to adopt new architectural paradigms, not trying to bring sort of the same cloud centralized sort of cloud model that you implemented to the edge, because it's not gonna work, because it doesn't scale.”---------Show Timestamps:(02:00) Getting started in tech(05:00) Starting HarperDB(08:35) What makes HarperDB unique(16:00) Understanding HarperDB(22:00) Use cases for HarperDB(26:45) HarperDB's cloud product(35:15) New product release(36:30) Internet of Things(46:00) HarperDB in gaming(48:15) The future of tech--------Sponsor:Over the Edge is brought to you by Dell Technologies to unlock the potential of your infrastructure with edge solutions. From hardware and software to data and operations, across your entire multi-cloud environment, we're here to help you simplify your edge so you can generate more value. Learn more by visiting DellTechnologies.com/SimplifyYourEdge for more information or click on the link in the show notes.--------Links:Follow Matt on TwitterConnect with Stephen on LinkedInwww.CaspianStudios.com

John Appleby, CEO Avantra, managed to duck a podcast taping with me at SAP Sapphire. But after Appleby told me that this year's SAP Insider marked a change in SAP events, I put him in the podcast hot seat: what matters most to SAP customers? After our review of RISE with SAP, Appleby gives his answer: SAP automation. But hold up - automating SAP landscapes is different than classic DevOps. Can SAP Basis engineers make this transition, and have impact on their company's automation strategy? What are the pitfalls? I had some tough surprise questions ready for Appleby. I hope this practical look at why SAP automation is coming to a head will be useful to project teams. Disclosure: Avantra is a diginomica partner, but this podcast is not part our contract, nor is this a diginomica podcast. We did this one for fun, with only a bare bones list of topics, no script.

After learning how HarperDB's technology is transforming their business, and their technology is changing other companies in unique and innovative ways. I felt compelled to find out more. So I invited their CEO Stephen Goldberg onto the podcast to find out more and ask his to share his startup story. Stephen has worked as a CTO and CEO of startups, held several roles at larger organizations like Red Hat, and led digital transformation projects at a number of Fortune 500 companies across many verticals. He is an established thought leader in the IoT space, having been published on sites like Tech Target, and quoted in a number of articles and publications like Forbes and ZDNet. He has been a speaker at IoT World, SAP Sapphire, and Salesforce.com's Dreamforce. Stephen holds 2 patents with Kyle and Zach.

Procurement currently finds themselves at the intersection of many challenges. The war in Europe, inflation (possibly recession?), sustainability, diversity, and the Great Resignation are just a few. All of these need to be balanced with the core deliverables of cost and risk management, making data, digital experiences, and measurement more important than they have ever been. SAP has recently commissioned a number of research studies with The Economist, IDC, and Harvard Business Review, all looking at different opportunities for procurement to impact the business. In order to get some idea of their findings, Philip Ideson recently interviewed Baber Farooq, Senior Vice President of Product Strategy, Procurement Solutions at SAP, at SAP Sapphire in Orlando, Florida. In this conversation, Baber shares his perspective on: Why initiatives like sustainability will struggle to have an impact without the measurement and reporting that procurement is already well-suited to provide The importance of SAP sponsoring studies on the topics of greatest importance to procurement, and not to support a specific product or functionality rollout The two top findings that stood out to him from all of the data and research he has had the opportunity to review

O que é uma Empresa Inteligente e Sustentável? Durante este podcast, diversos especialistas de mercado darão suas visões sobre como empresas estão aplicando tecnologias em diferentes setores para tonar negócios ágeis, integrados e sustentáveis. Para saber mais consulte o conteúdo on demand do evento SAP Sapphire Orlando Virtual 2022, registre-se aqui: https://www.sap.com/about/events/sapphire.html Este episódio conta com a participação de: Christian Geronasso (host) SAP Cloud Account Executive https://www.linkedin.com/in/cgeronasso/ Suzie Clavery Employer Branding & Employee Experience Senior Manager no UnitedHealth Group https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzieclavery/ Paulo Roberto Bertaglia Founder and Head of Berthas https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulobertaglia Paulo Silvestre Diretor executivo, Paulo Silvestre Consultoria e LinkedIn Top Voice https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulosilvestre/ Camila Santos CEO da CamiX Customer https://www.linkedin.com/in/camila-santos-2b640a55/ Participe do SAP Cast enviando o seu comentário para: sapcast@sap.com. Siga a SAP nas redes sociais: @sap_brasil.

On this episode of The Six Five – Insiders Edition I am joined by Julia White, SAP's Chief Marketing Officer, Head of Marketing for a conversation around digital cloud, ERP and other SAP solutions.   My conversation with Julia revolved around the following: Julia's observations on SAP over the last year An overview of SAP's "Always on" innovation How SAP is focusing on sustainability How SAP is getting customers to come along on their innovation journey If you'd like to learn more about SAP visit their website. And don't forget to subscribe to The Six Five webcast so you never miss an episode.

Jon revives a pre-pandemic tradition by locating an abandoned conference room and taping an underground podcast review - this time with special guest Josh Greenbaum. This works as a companion to Jon's diginomica opinionated SAP Sapphire news review, so we hit on different topics, especially the issues Josh was chasing down such as business networks. He explains why SAP has finally turned a corner on business networks, and why, in his usual outspoken style, (literally) called "BS" during an SAP CX meeting. After the Josh convo, I've added a quick convo I had with ASUG CEO Geoff Scott on the show floor. Due to a few tech difficulties the sound wasn't perfect, but I fixed most in post-production. The diginomica post direct link I referred to is: https://diginomica.com/sap-sapphire-2022-opinionated-news-review-orlando