Category: People

SAP announced that its supervisory board has voted to extend the tenure of Dr. Vishal Sikka as Executive Board member of SAP AG through December 31, 2017. Sikka agreed to the extension of his tenure. “The SAP Supervisory Board expressed great appreciation for the innovation and technology leadership Vishal has provided,” said Hasso Plattner, chairman of the SAP Supervisory Board.

In December, SAP announced that the launch of the new SAP Community Network, originally planned for that month, would be pushed forward to early this year due to various technical problems. "Since then, while all of us have been working on the new platform, I've been publicly quiet on the launch topic, since the news changed daily as progress was made on one front, and new issues were uncovered on other fronts, and I didn't want to set a new date or new expectations and not be fully confident of living up to them," said Mark Yolton, senior vice president of SAP communities and social media.

The past few years have not been easy on the IT organization. IT budgets at many companies remain tight and there are still a number of companies whose SAP organizations are concerned about justifying their staffing and resource levels. When you spend a long time building up an expert SAP team, the last thing you want is to have it broken apart as a result of cutbacks and the inevitable departures that follow those cutbacks.

So how can you keep your SAP organization together? Here are a few suggestions for IT executives looking to keep their SAP teams intact, based on recent conversations I’ve had with SAP customers.

As enterprise resource software solutions become more prevalent in today’s corporate landscape, the methods for implementation have become greater and more diverse. From large consulting firms like Accenture and IBM, to smaller organizations, and independent contractors, the choices available for an IT Director have become overwhelming. Each option comes with its own pros and cons, but if there is only one thing for certain, it’s that SAP is not going away anytime soon.

Ensure “Training is Not a One-Time Event” SAP buys datango, Seeks to Ensure “Training is Not a One-Time Event” Posted by: Courtney Bjorlin Tags: SAP training Posted date: January 20, 2012 | No comment Seeking to provide better support and resources for end-user training, SAP this week announced it will acquire datango, a Berlin-based vendor that sells workforce performance support software. The acquisition fits into SAP’s strategy to extend learning software in its portfolio, according

Seeking to bring better support and resources for end-user training, SAP this week announced it will acquire datango, which sells workforce performance support software. The acquisition fits into SAP’s strategy to extend learning software in its portfolio, according to Markus Schwarz, who is the senior vice president and global head of SAP Education. datango allows customers to collect, build, package, and disseminate training to their end users by creating end user documentation, work aids, simulations, and small e-learning programs for SAP, and all kinds of processes that run between an SAP system

A new Aberdeen report finds that cloud-based expense-management software offers a better alternative to today’s Excel-based or other on-premise software and processes. The verdict, according to Aberdeen survey research of 50 service firms, is that the cloud does offer advantages over on-premise systems. Cloud-based systems contributed to: a 52 percent increase in billing speed compared with those firms using on-premise management software; a 26 percent higher increase in payment speed; and 21 percent more consultants and other employees using the expense management system to create and submit project expenses, notes the report.

Understanding what will be the present and the future of Talent Management and build the next generation of applications in that space, is a combination of SAP experience in the Human Resources market, where SAP has been leader for years, a deep understanding of trends and the competitors landscape and Co-Innovation with SAP customers -- a program which is unique in the industry.

SAP has appointed Kevin Gilroy to lead Global Indirect Channels. Reporting directly to Eric Duffaut, president of Global Ecosystem & Channels, Gilroy is tasked with accelerating global indirect revenue through key SAP partners and developing new business opportunities by extending both the SAP channel partner ecosystem and alternate channels.

To plan and execute tests there are many different products on the marketplace. SAP Solution Manager provides different options that can be utilised depending on which 3rd Party tools are already deployed. This blog focuses on utilising the SAP Solution Manager toolset .

It’s that time of year again. Enterprise social media has had an impressive ramp-up in 2011 as well as being well-poised for a banner year in 2012. However, along the way, social business has become a very broad topic indeed, covering a wide range of topics that ranges from social marketing and Social CRM to [...]

SAP's Cloud Strategy has taken some big turns. But, will it be a boon for all businesses.

The implication is that SAP is building and promoting cloud, HANA and mobile apps that connect to pre-existing application suites (e.g., BusinessOne, Business ByDesign and Enterprise Suite). They are not planning on materially re-working the Enterprise Suite code anytime soon.

Bottom line: SAP cloud progress has been notable. BUT, the benefits will be uneven with mid-market buyers getting a better value experience in the short term.

SAP's acquisition of SuccessFactors raises plenty of questions for the future. The good news is that buyers will at last see some genuine innovation from SAP that is available now and not a hyped pipe dream for the future. That should provide welcome relief to customers who see themselves being pulled away from their strategy of having a one stop shop approach to the transactional systems.

SAP always talked a good game about the cloud, but today it put its money where its mouth has been, acquiring cloud HCM vendor SuccessFactors. Now what, SAP?

If you are determined to gain and then maintain SAP project momentum you will see stress. Part of the requirement for momentum includes asking people to reach for stretch goals and stretching their capabilities can cause tension and conflict. Without hands on, active SAP project management you can expect the stress and conflict to destroy your SAP project momentum. Active SAP project management is not about micromanaging people or their activities but rather finding the right balance around task execution and delivery while working through the conflicts that will arise. If you are a project manager who does not have the skill to work through conflict then you might want to consider a different career.