June 2022Issue 11

COVER STORY

50 years of SAP, Klein says, “We’re just getting started.”By Paul Esherwood

50 years ago five former IBM executives started the conversation by forming a company called Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung. Since then, new protagonists have emerged, markets have shifted, share prices have fluctuated and products have evolved, but one thing has remained constant. SAP is the market leader….by a mile.

EDITOR'S CHOICE

Editor’s words: what kind of future do we want?By Paul Esherwood

Our future is being designed for us and we have very little say in the process. Drucker told us we could predict the future by designing it, the only question that remains is what kind of future do we want?

Red Hat: an open shift in the enterprise cloud By Adrian Bridgwater

An interview with Matt Hicks, Red Hat’s global executive VP of products and technologies. "Disrupting a critical application is never the right path, but deliberately evolving into an open ERP foundation is absolutely a well-trodden and successful approach."

FEATURES

Celebrate pioneers during time of disruption By ERP Today

Since its founding 50 years ago, SAP has strived to create positive economic, environmental and social impact, and the SAP Innovation Awards reflect that mission.

From hard hat to high tech, the evolving role of frontline workers By Stephanie Ball

We talk to Marne Martin, president of IFS Service Management, about how the benefits of a digitalised frontline are being felt by individuals and enterprises alike.

Navigating global supply chain disruption By Christine Horton

It has never been more important to ensure supply chains are both resilient and sustainable. So how can organisations develop both short and long-term strategies to cope with global disruption?

image of Sanjit Biswas, CEO and co-founder of Samsara | Samsara Q3

Samsara poised to disrupt world of physical operations By Paul Esherwood

The IoT industry is more than 40 years old, but until recently most companies that strapped a device to a physical asset got little more than some binary data with almost zero value.

The CIO is becoming the innovation orchestrator at digital first enterprises By Bob Parker

We have all heard it – the pandemic has accelerated digital transformation. Great; but the need for speed required a change in approaches to technology deployment. Prior to the pandemic our research showed a strong correlation between advanced digital maturity...

Young professionals are keeping office space alive By Giacomo Lee

Despite all the hype about remote work, Big Tech is still clearly invested in big bricks – and so are its younger workers.

The metaverse is a shiny new hammer, but what are the nails in enterprise tech?By Giacomo Lee

Deloitte, ServiceNow, Zoom and more reveal exactly what they’re thinking about a business metaverse.

Field service management solutions prepare for digital transformation By Paul Korzeniowski

FSM solutions have been an important element in large enterprises’ operations. A raft of new technologies offers them the ability to streamline and improve service delivery.

Open Source ERP is no free lunch By Adrian Bridgwater

The community contribution model of open source centralises around the practice of ‘code commits’ that sees users, teams and organisations actively working to share advancements for the collective benefit of others.

Moving on: When it’s time to adopt a dedicated ERP system By Christine Horton

The time will come when basic accounting software will no longer fulfil your growing business’ requirements. There often comes a point within a relationship when one party realises it’s time to move on.

How can technology provide the tools to meet the future demands of sustainable supply chains?By Christine Horton

What is Big Tech doing to ensure its customers are equipped with the tools and technologies to ensure that supply chains are optimised and sustainable?

SAP Suite sweet spots: how well do you know your SAP Suite?By Adrian Bridgwater

A tour around the sometimes lesser-known elements of the SAP software suite is guaranteed to provide additional insight into how the company has built a whole which has always intended to be greater than the sum of its parts.

Supply chain skills: a battle for talent or a race to automation?By Marc Ambasna-Jones

It wasn’t so long ago that terms such as ‘supply chain’ and ‘product shortages’ were never really mentioned in daily news bulletins. Since the pandemic though, it’s almost become a daily occurrence, the latest problem being disruption to food supplies...

Augmenting the butterfly’s wing: new frontiers in supply chain technology By Giacomo Lee

Tech can’t prevent every freak incident, but, as HS2, Accenture and Boomi reveal, innovative software can help industries protect their supply chains during times of chaos.

Ukraine and the state of play in Enterprise Security By Giacomo Lee

When it comes to cybersecurity, enterprise tech can no longer afford to ignore the threat of hostile nation states.

A Complete Guide to Supply Chains By ERP Today

Special report sponsored by Capgemini looking at supply chains and associated technologies. Download > Special Report Supply Chains

Expert Opinions

Sustainability: the next frontier of digital transformation By Vivek Bapat

We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redefine the meaning of economics and accelerate progress towards a more sustainable world: one with zero emissions, zero waste, and zero inequality.

From IT delivery to business success: shifting the mid-market project mindset By Andy Bird

In a cloud world, ensure the business objectives of your project are clear

Aligning ESG and digital strategies By J R VanOrder and Sameer Shah

In the quest to build sustainable, purpose-driven companies, technology cannot be an afterthought.

An effective metaverse strategy requires a web3 mindset By Wayne Lloyd

Businesses might face risks by underpinning their metaverse strategies with a web2 way of thinking.

The tipping point scenario for consumer product supply chains is now By Mike Petevinos

Consumer product (CP) companies are sitting in hot water, right in the middle of a value chain that is transforming across almost every conceivable dimension. And it’s not a stretch too far to say that most are hot under the...

The state of the key HCM vendors for 2022 and beyond By Holger Mueller

The future of work is changing faster than ever, and people are the biggest asset of any enterprise.

A fair and inclusive future of work needs some planning By Dr Zara Nanu

For a closer look at how much the Great Resignation is impacting the IT sector and its workforce plans for the future, just look at the data.

Why Ukrainians need UK business to step up refugee support By Emma Sinclair MBE

The story and personal history behind the RefuAid Ukraine business consortium.

The Rise of Industry Vertical Solutions By Mark Sweeny

Both the platform vendor and systems integrator landscapes are changing. Where to put your money?

Welcome to the New World: how Capgemini is solving supply chain challenges By Darren While

Before the global pandemic, public awareness of supply chains and the dependency on these to move goods around the world was taken for granted.

stock image of virtual cloud | Unit4 Marketplace

The hidden gem in SAP RISE’s crown: the SAP Business Network By Joshua Greenbaum

SAP’s RISE initiative has a lot of moving parts that together offer customers and prospects important incentives to move to the cloud.

Guest Contributors

We are ready to write our next chapter By Julia White

It feels as though we’re just getting started. In this special issue, we look back so we can innovate forward - we hope you’ll join us on the journey as we write our next chapter.

Five key cloud opportunities for the next decade By Scott Russell

After years of repeated shocks and disruption, there is still one constant when we talk to customers about their cloud goals - the need for business transformation.

The future of cloud ERP is here By Thomas Saueressig

Five founders and the vision to transform the way businesses run - that is how SAP’s story began in 1972. I’m privileged to have been part of this journey for almost two decades.

SAP’s history – fifty years and counting By Jon Simmonds

What started SAP on such an illustrious journey, all those years ago back in 1972? Let’s take a dive into history to understand SAP's legacy and what the future holds.

I want my ERP; what SAP and MTV have in common By Stuart Browne

You’ve probably heard that SAP is 50 years old this year. I mean, you can’t really avoid the social media celebrations rippling out from the Walldorf epicentre, amplified by an eager to please SAP partner ecosystem.

Why it’s time for a user group upgrade By Paul Kurchina

User groups are struggling. So what’s next? The importance of human engagement can never be underestimated, especially when challenging times are ahead and exciting innovations are being built.

How SAP ERP is a strategic enabler of sustainability By Derek Prior

I have been passionate about sustainability in the environmental sense. But in the last two years, sustainability has dramatically rocketed up the agenda of all businesses and the public sector.

You can’t spell entrepreneur without ERP By Chris Gabriel

Hypergrowth, a concept first coined by Alexander V. Izosimov in a 2008 issue of Harvard Business Review, is the rapid growth of a business by at least 40 percent compound annual growth rate.