Thomas Otter
Group Vice President Product Management at SAP-SuccessFactors. Previously Research Vice President, Gartner Group. Recognised industry leader in HCM (Human Capital Management) technologies.
A bit of 1771, an alternative Babbage quote, Roosevelt, Kennedy and Reagan.
Note: This is my personal view. Andrew McAfee has come out quite strongly against wikileaks and Assange’s principles and motives in particular. We disagree. However, like Andrew, I’m a fan of computer and political history and I often use ancient quotes to make an argument. This post will be no different, and I may ramble […]
On Wikileaks, the Inkspots and a political philosophy ramble.
Thomas Paine, “It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry.” George Washington, “Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light.” Julian Assange, “The more secretive or unjust an organization is, the more leaks induce fear and paranoia in its leadership and planning coterie.” Antonio Gramsci, “To tell […]
Test Match Sofa. This is what the Internet is for.
Regular readers will know that I’m a cricket fan. Being a cricket fan in Germany is awkward, as unless you con the beeb into thinking your computer isn’t in Germany, you can’t get decent audio or video coverage. This post will not be about the dumbness of DRM, but if the BeeB is reading, I […]
O’er lawyers’ fingers, who straight dream on fees
Shylock: Most learned judge, a sentence! Come prepare! Portia: Tarry a little, there is something else. This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood; The words expressly are “a pound of flesh.” (painting by Alexandre Canbanel. The Merchant of Venice) The jury has decided. SAP owes Oracle 1.3 Billion dollars. I’ll leave others […]
On SAP’s Q3 2010.
(Cross posted on my Gartner blog.) Here are some quick thoughts on SAP’s Q3 performance. It was was okay. It wasn’t awesome, but it wasn’t grim either. Have a look here for what the FT says. The headline number of 20% revenue growth seems impressive but strip out the Sybase numbers and it is very […]
SAP Teched Berlin coming up
I’m off to Berlin tomorrow evening, to spend two days at SAP Teched. photo via cc of Svenwerk. Thanks. Earlier this year, SAP did a good job at Sapphire in laying out more compelling vision. I expect Teched to be about adding some details to that vision, and I’m looking of evidence of execution: These […]
Get your HR VP an iPad.
I’ve just read Stephen’s note on the iPad in the enterprise. (Gartner subscription required) here is the summary. CEO Advisory: Seize the iPad Opportunity Now The Apple iPad and associated ecosystem are likely to disrupt existing technology usage profiles and business models. CEOs should take a moment to ensure that the potential opportunity is being […]
The blog of a kind and wise man.
I’m very pleased to see that Les Hayman has a blog, and that he is rattling off posts with vim, vigour and consistency. If you are interested in HR, career and life advice from someone who has been there, done that, then Les is a must read. Les was on the the extended board at […]
Branding innovation at a conference
I have been to many, many software conferences, but I’m especially fond of the HR tech conference in Chicago. It has a good mix of vendors and practitioners, and is well worth a visit. Over the years at conferences around the world, I’ve strolled the vendor booths, and seen all sorts. Some, just a desk […]
A short, sort of review of Nicholas Carr’s “The Shallows. What Google is Doing to our Brains.”
Many technology writers deify or reify technology. There is often an assumption that more technology is by definition a good thing. Nicholas Carr’s recent book challenges that. This is probably why many tech types don’t seem to like it. Looking through my blog archive, I’ve often disagreed with Carr, but rather than just base my […]
