Happy 40th birthday SAP

This week SAP celebrated its 40^th birthday.  It is amazing to think that what began as a five-man operation is now one of the world’s largest independent software providers, now employing more than 55,000 people and serving more than 183,000 customers worldwide.

Like many businesses, SAP had had its ups and downs over the years, but certainly the company has been a lot more bullish under the leadership of Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe.  Both have vowed to keep SAP independent and with the recent acquisitions of Sybase and SuccessFactors, alongside the company’s best ever financial results, SAP seems to be in a healthier position than it has been in years.

According to Bill McDermott “We (SAP) remain focused on the success of our customers.  They are at the heart of our ambition to transform the industry.”  As the User Group, this is encouraging to hear, but at the same time it will be up to us as users to ensure that SAP remains good to its word.   So whether it is through the likes of SUGEN or initiatives such as SAP’s Customer Connection program, there are many channels for users to influence SAP and help ensure it delivers value to its customers.

As I have said before, a strong SAP is good for the entire user community, so here’s to the next 40 years.

Record early bookings for annual conference

Our members know value when they see it. The record early booking numbers for our annual conference testify to that. There are still early rate offers available so don’t miss out.