
Was the S4HANA launch rushed?
As I listened to the SAP launch in NYC of its S4 product I told a few folks I was struck how high level the presentation was. That they should have field tested and matured the pitch with many customers and presented a more mature version at Sapphire 3 months from now. I went back […]

Book review: SAP Nation — a must read for CIOs enterprise software watchers
This is a must read, dissecting the massive SAP enterprise software ecosystem and economy. Hopefully senior executives, both in SAP and in the service providers and systems integrators that operate in the SAP Nation can put themselves in their customers shoes, read this book and listen to Vinnie Mirchandani’s call for action.

Hasso’s Dozen
Dr. Hasso Plattner has written a long blog post about Business Suite on HANA. He has 12 reasons justifying why. His passion for the product screams through the post. I wish he would make it a Baker’s dozen and add a 13th point: that SAP plans to change its business model around HANA. I am […]

SAPPHIRENOW Vishal Sikka Keynote – HANA For Speed, Fiori For Usability
Vishal Sikka, who leads technology and innovation at SAP, followed Hasso Platner onto the keynote stage; I decided to break the post and publish just Plattner’s portion since my commentary was getting bit long. Sikka also started his part of the keynote with HANA, and highlighted some customer case studies from their “10,000 Club”, where […]

SAP and HANA: 5 Points of advice for CIOs
SAP’s future is a combination of hardware and software, called HANA (high performance analytical appliance), which can process large volumes of data orders of magnitude faster than anything else the company offers. The potential applications of HANA are numerous and include examples such as: Real-time adjustments of airline ticket prices based on moment-by-moment shifts […]

SAP Goes All in for User Experience and Design
I flew down to Madrid yesterday to check out what’s happening in the SAP ecosystem at the company’s TechEd and Sapphire event. There are a ton of angles to consider in looking at the company’s comeback, but one of the most obvious is the growing influence of SAP’s Research Labs in Palo Alto. SAP’s future is […]

The end of vaporware
It was a striking sight. It was end of day in last week’s Technology Summit after Workday had showed us countless demos of new functionality, when under non-disclosure they announced plans to develop a Recruiting module. It would be next-gen, not just applicant tracking, but would allow for candidate identification through traditional and social channels, […]

Quark Summary: Does SAP HANA Change Your Database Strategy for SAP Apps?
Forward And Commentary SAP’s made big claims about HANA and its capabilities today and into the future. This Quark goes into the details and Constellation’s point of view. A. Executive Summary Both HANA as an architecture and database alternative indicate SAP’s future direction and next-generation approach. Consequently, numerous clients and SAP customers have inquired on […]

Enterprise Deja Vu
I am enjoying In-Memory Data Management- An Inflexion Point for Enterprise Applications – SAP kindly sent me an advance copy of the book by Dr. Hasso Plattner and Alexander Zeier. I am also watching Vishal Sikka, SAP’s CTO present this morning at its “New Reality” event in Boston talk about in-memory, mobility, clouds – as […]

Vindicated by SaaS
<Shameless chest-thumping below. You’ve been warned.> In 2008 I said: I am a strong believer that in 4-5 years most software developed will be SaaS, and that in 10 years it will be the predominant method of “consuming” software by large enterprises. Today IDC says (as cited by Joe McKendrick @ ZDNet): By 2012, IDC […]