2013 Conference – selling very well!

Get in quick to get your tickets. If your supplier or SAP partner is exhibiting or an affiliate member contact them to see if they have a discount code arranged before booking.

Apart from the excellent conference sessions (especially looking forward to Jim Snabe and Mandy Hickson), the Gala Dinner and Evening will be the best we have ever run to celebrate 25 years of success and growth as a User Group.

NOTE: The main conference hotel – the Birmingham Crowne Plaza has sold out already – still spaces in other affiliate hotels.

All go in the world of SAP

As we fast approach this year’s User Group conference, the IT media has been awash with S A P news (not to mention on the hot topic of licensing).  So what have been the key announcements that may be shaping the agenda?

SAP has announced its intention to build a brand for itself in the enterprise mobility space, in much the same way that Apple  has in the consumer space. SAP has also been active in the areas of cloud and big data. The company has recently announced plans to unveil its HANA Cloud, based on in-memory technology. SAP NetWeaver Cloud Service and SAP HANA One Platform are the first applications to become available on Amazon Web Services, and can be deployed for production use with small data sets in minutes, opening a door to starter projects from customers, ISVs and startups.

New packages that integrate Hadoop software with SAP’s analytics and database technologies have also been recently launched. These will allow users to employ a data warehousing solution for real-time analysis on large data sets from a number of different sources.

At the conference we’ll look to understand more about how SAP’s investments in mobile, cloud and big data will impact on and benefit users in the future.  So make sure to check out the conference programme to ensure you don’t miss the latest updates from SAP and the opportunity to hear from and network with your industry peers.

Breaking News

Only 20 days to go until our conference and one organisation has booked 22 places for its staff – what an outstanding endorsement for value!

Survey reveals SAP users’ licensing concerns

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, here at the User Group we recently surveyed our membership regarding their thoughts on SAP licensing.  I can now reveal some of the top-level findings from the study:

95% of SAP users believe that the company’s software licensing policy is overly complicated

• 89% of users stated that they would like SAP to reduce complexity by offering software that is only limited by one license or usage metric
• 67% stated that as SAP’s product catalogue has continued to expand they have found it increasingly difficult to track license usage
• 97% stated they should have the ability to ‘park’ unused licenses for support periods
• 97% didn’t believe that SAP has effectively explained the migration path of moving from on-premise to its mobile or cloud offerings and how this impacts on their existing licensing agreements

In many respects the results aren’t a surprise, as in the current business climate many organisations are looking to ensure they are getting maximum value from their software licenses.  At the same time the changing IT landscape is also having an impact on the complexity of software licensing.  This is an issue currently facing a lot of software vendors and their customers, as many license terms were agreed at a time when workforces were larger and the vast majority of deployments were on premise.

SAP users are no different and these findings illustrate that they would like to see license costs and conditions that are transparent and flexible.  Encouragingly SAP has acknowledged these concerns and is starting to work with SUGEN to engage on a topic that is clearly challenging for both parties.

We will be looking to work closely with SAP in the UK, to ensure users are provided with greater clarity when it comes to licensing.  To find out more about the licensing workshop we are running at this year’s User Group Conference click here.

 

Conference early bird rate rate only 7 days remaining!

We’ve only got 7 days remaining for the early bird rate. Remember additional rate discounts for groups, and if your supplier is exhibiting they may be able to offer discounts.

Check out the Conference Website for details:    www.sapusers.org/conference2012/

 

Driving licenses: why software licensing need to be more flexible as IT becomes more complex

New technologies such as in-memory computing and virtualisation together with new ways of accessing and exploiting that technology (e.g. cloud or mobile computing) are changing the way that IT is bought and used.   A ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is no longer suitable in today’s increasingly mobile and on-demand world, as today’s organisations are wanting greater flexibility from their licensing terms.

Currently the battle that many organisations face when it comes to licensing is that original license terms were agreed at a time when workforces were larger and the vast majority of deployments were on premise.  But in today’s business climate many organisations are now looking to re-negotiate their licensing terms.  As organisations’ IT needs change, licensing can vary in terms of length, cost per user and associated support costs.  In addition, there is the need to ensure that every element of the IT the business uses is covered by a license.

For their part users need to keep a tight rein on licenses.  However, many are doing so with one hand tied behind their back due to a lack of vendor flexibility when it comes to licensing and associated maintenance fees.

Indeed, the greatest responsibility for reducing the complexity and increasing the accessibility of licenses lies with the vendors themselves. There are many actions that they could take. For example, licenses should be made transferrable or easily replaceable when users up- or side-grade across their products. Licensing should also be consistent across the product range regardless of how it is delivered: whether software is accessed on-premise or as a service, users getting the same capability should be on comparable licenses. Yet vendors should make sure that their license costs and conditions are transparent and flexible so that customers can make more informed decisions.

Vendors should not see this as a call to reduce costs or otherwise hamper their business: ideally, by making licensing as flexible, consistent and open as possible they can reap the benefits of a customer base that understands exactly what they are paying for. Neither IT users nor vendors exist in a vacuum: each needs the other to survive. By simplifying and opening up licensing on one hand, and keeping a tight rein on it on the other, both can ensure that they are getting the maximum benefit from their relationship.

In the next few weeks, we will be releasing the results of our member survey which looks at their views on licensing – so watch this space!

Cutting through the technology hype

Gartner’s recently released Hype Cycle report noted that the bubble of expectations around cloud computing has finally burst. Expectations around Big Data, however, are on the up.  From the perspective of an SAP user such predictions are ‘interesting’ considering the investment the company has made in both areas over the last 12-18 months.

While the Gartner report signals that cloud may have lost some of its lustre, this is probably more of an indication of greater realism.  While cloud computing clearly offers some exciting possibilities it does still present a number of challenges when it comes to things like compliance and application customisation.  As I have mentioned in the past, I think certainly for the foreseeable future we will see many organisations implement a hybrid model, whereby vendors such as SAP will supply both on-premise and cloud solutions.  This approach can reduce integration issues and also means organisations don’t have to put business-critical processes in the cloud if they felt it was too risky.

It makes sense that Big Data is on the up in Gartner’s Hype Cycle with CIO expectations around its potential growing fast.   Certainly SAP is addressing this as it is vigorously driving HANA adoption and the development of compatible applications, which means that businesses of all sizes, can take advantage of incredibly swift information analysis. This is already becoming a disruptive technology for industry sectors such as utilities or finance where huge amounts of data are being generated. The potential elsewhere is also huge if you believe industry commentators.

Here at the User Group we always encourage organisations to really cut through the hype surrounding new technologies and services. Reports from the likes of Gartner can help, but every organisation is different. It’s always wisest to make a really thorough evaluation of your business needs and capabilities before taking the plunge implementing a complex and costly project.  For the latest information on cloud, Big Data and beyond make sure you are signed up for our latest SIGs and our User Conference in November.

SAP defies tech gloom with strong software sales

Last week it was encouraging to hear that SAP had announced a stronger-than-expected rise in profits, driven by a rise in software sales.  Considering the current macroeconomic uncertainties and the poor recent results of some other companies in the IT sector, this latest set of financials shouldn’t be sniffed at.

Many analysts were pointing to an increased customer demand for robust cloud computing as a big reason for SAP’s strong software sales performance.  In this instance, SAP’s acquisition of SuccessFactors was also cited as being particularly beneficial. It is clear that in spite of worries over the global economy, many organisations are still continuing to invest in software in a bid to cut costs and improve productivity – and cloud computing is certainly one way of doing this.

Cloud computing will no doubt again be one of the main themes discussed at this year’s User Conference.  So please keep regularly checking the conference website for details for details on the latest cloud computing content.  Of course there will be the opportunity to network with SAP experts but also with your industry peers too.

If you would like to register for the User Group Conference 2012 taking place in Manchester (18-20 November) please follow this link.

Less than 150 days until the start of this year’s User Conference

As we are now less than 150 days away until the start of this year’s User Group conference I thought it would a good idea to provide a short update on how things are progressing.

We are again delighted to be welcoming back Ray Wang from Constellation Research as a keynote speaker. In addition to being a great advocate for the User Group, Ray has proved to be one of our most popular speakers over the years, so we are delighted that he will be returning to Manchester.

We have now also released details of this year’s conference streams aimed at providing delegates with a comprehensive guide to all areas of SAP.  Furthermore, we have also started putting together the full programme for this year’s event which promises to be our best ever –visit the conference site for the latest updates to the programme.

For the first time we will also offering delegates a free 80 minute MBA, which would usually cost £250.  This talk is designed to give delegates access to the latest business thinking and insight, providing them with a great opportunity to boost their knowledge and think about future developments at their organisations.  We are really excited by the session and we think it is great addition to the programme.

Finally, I am also pleased to welcome ComputerworldUK, CBR, Search SAP and SAP.info as media partners for the 2012 Conference.  All four publications have been great supporters of the User Group so it is great to have them on board.

We will be announcing new speakers over the coming weeks so make sure to regularly check out the conference website and follow us on Twitter on @SAPUserConf

 

 

What to make of SAP and Ariba

When SAP announced its intention to buy cloud-based B2B trading network, Ariba the general consensus was that this deal would fit in with its apparent cloud strategy, which we’ve seen demonstrated through other notable acquisitions, such as SuccessFactors.

However, as some commentators have noted the Ariba deal does not fit quite so neatly under the simple ‘cloud’ bracket.  For SAP users, it is actually how the acquisition is going to complement SAP’s existing supply-chain and supplier-management capabilities, which is potentially of most interest. The acquisition of Ariba, who compete more with specialised supplier-management and trading firms, stands to vastly extend SAP’s network of integratable supplier systems, which are focused almost entirely on indirect spending–office products, IT gear, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul goods.

Jason Busch at Spend Matters, a research and advisory firm focused on spend-management issues such as procurement, believes that this acquisition is likely to shake up Oracle and its own supplier network.

Clearly there is some overlap with SAP’s existing offerings, so here at the User Group we will be keeping an eye on how things develop and how the potential acquisition will impact on new and existing customers. So watch this space.