Top 10 SAP priorities for 2011

Tony de ThomasisNetWeaver Practice Lead

Acclimation

Priorities according to who?

• Based on feedback from Australian customer visits • Based on my daily interaction with SAP thought leaders

and tech vendors• Based on my active participation in the SAP ecosystem• These are my observations based on the latest industry

developments

1. The Generation Y Impact

• Long response times are not acceptable• The users interface is everything• Have device – will connect• Data must be fast and accurate• PowerPoint sale is dead – show me!

2. Mobile devices come of age

• A new dimension of business• Extending the reach of Backend systems• Combining mobile apps, devices, and

content will drive the enterprise• One-app, one-device model is impractical• Mobility promotes inclusiveness and

opens opportunities and markets

3. Social Media Strategy

• Low-cost platform to build your personal brand, communicating who you are

• Engage rapidly with peers, employees, customers, and the broader public

• Learn from instant unvarnished feedback• If you don't engage your customers, you

are missing the conversation

4. The Analytics explosion

• Reporting using BW and multiple datamarts is too expensive to maintain

• BOBJ gives the business better visibility of sales, financials, risk and production

• In Memory computing enables more informed and timely decisions

5. The changing business unit

• Innovation is now key for the CIO• SAP professionals more aligned with

individual business units• No more Teams of IT Architects • SAP Technical roles will be outsourced to

local specialists as companies stick to core competencies

• Companies will multi-source to achieve 24/7/365 specialist support

6. It’s not just the Technology

• The best Technology needs the best people to implement it properly

• Better consultants deliver better results• Keep good people and supplement with

skilled resources• Intelligent pay grades need to balanced

7. IT Spend

• Companies are spending intelligently• To increase production or reduce costs• Spend on innovation as a differentiator• Safest spend areas

Mobility Solution Manager SAP Enhancement Packs Analytics Strategic roadmaps

8. Technical Skill acquisition

• Education cost cutting is commonplace• Employees are left to fend for themselves• SAP has reacted positively

SDN Weblogs Learning on Demand Ramp-up Knowledge Transfer YouTube learning channels Expert Guided Implementation sessions SAP Mentor Webinars

9. Speed and Agility

• IT must be able to quickly implement technologies that support the business Taking a product to market faster than competitors Optimising the supply chain Better service through a web channel, tracking and

workflow until completion

• SAP Rapid Deployment solutions and SAP predefined services

10. Shrinking the private data centre

• Private Clouds for cost effective Training, archiving or support pack testing systems

• Software as a Service offerings • Public Clouds for cost effective Sandpit systems • SAP will certify outsourcing providers• SAP will provide orchestration tools

Honourable mentions

• Real-time dashboards • Data storage explosion • Enterprise search• Sustainability• Disaster Recovery

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www.acclimation.com.au