-->

SAP Promises "Innovation You Can Trust"

ORLANDO, FLA. — Despite the recent glimmers of hope seen in the stock market, Leo Apotheker, co-chief executive officer of German software giant SAP, isn't yet ready to exhale. As part of his opening address this morning here at SAPPHIRE '09, the company's annual user conference, Apotheker went to great lengths to impress upon the crowd that businesses should continue to expect a wild ride.

"We face a new reality, and this is not just a bump in the road," Apotheker said, referring to the current recession. "Volatility will stay with us for a long time, and uncertainty is here to stay. So, we need to prepare the world to be a different place and emerge out of crisis."

[Editors' Note: For more of Christopher Musico's coverage from SAPPHIRE '09, see his destinationCRM.com news story here, and his blogposts here and here.]

It's fair to say the SAPPHIRE conference itself reflects some aspect of that new reality: With an onsite crowd at the Orange County Convention Center estimated by SAP at 10,000, and another 8,000 people joining virtually, Apotheker described the event as the largest Sapphire show ever. The onsite attendance, however, marked a 50 percent drop from attendance levels that had held steady at around 15,000 in each of the last three years.

The recession, however, will one day come to an end, Apotheker said, adding that when the economy revives there's only one way for a business to rise above the laggards: clarity. "Globally, we're all seeing a lasting, growing desire for clarity," he told the audience. "As people conduct business in a global economy in increasing speeds, complexity, [and]…risk…, the only antidote to uncertainty is clarity." Underpinning the contention that enterprises must be clear and transparent, Apotheker spelled out some of the characteristics that SAP expects to see in a transparent enterprise:

  • clarity of purpose and strategy, a necessity in making informed business decisions;
  • agility, with full visibility to operate and understand what's going on in all business networks; and
  • transparency, accountability, and sustainability, in order to foster trust among all business stakeholders.

Apotheker said that SAP is already built to deliver on the promise of clarity, especially with its latest offering, SAP Business Suite 7, formally announced in New York this past February. "[This solution] provides the foundation for running a clear enterprise," he said. "In this latest edition, we added numerous, integrated processes…to avoid fragmentation that can happen when you run in disparate environments."

While stressing the importance of visibility and clarity, Apotheker also urged the crowd to push another step further, toward sustainability. "The world has limited ability to produce what we consume, and it affects businesses [insofar as] volatile prices for energy," he said. "That doesn't even speak to the risk and impact on [the] environment. Businesses worldwide have a moral obligation to embed environmental and social concepts into [the] way we do business." Apotheker noted two specific achievements as proof that SAP's interests here go far beyond mere posturing:

  • First, the announcement that the company had reduced its carbon footprint by 7 percent in 2008; and
  • the acquisition of Clear Standards, a company that provides enterprises with carbon-management solutions, which Apotheker said will help SAP customers "continue to build out environment solutions."

Expect that message of sustainability to echo throughout SAPPHIRE, says Paul Greenberg, president of CRM consultancy The 56 Group (and a CRM magazine columnist). "SAP's commitment to sustainability is what resonates the most about this conference," he said. "Not only are they reducing their own carbon footprint, but they've developed applications, services, and even a Sustainability Solutions Framework that can be used by other businesses. This seems to be something they are genuinely committed to -- it's a pleasure to see it from such a large company."

In another sign of SAP's push toward clarity throughout the enterprise, specifically with data and decisioning, the company also announced today what it called the first major fruit of its collaborative work with Business Objects, acquired a year and a half ago: SAP BusinessObjects Explorer. The new release aims to help virtually any business user easily navigate and mine company data without the help of specialized technology staff. With the new product, Apotheker said, "We're crossing the chasm from ‘I think this is a good solution' to ‘I know it's a good decision.' "

Ray Wang, vice president and principal analyst for Forrester Research, says that SAP has worked hard to investigate what's really troubling its customer base -- but that the work isn't yet complete. "SAP has done its homework to identify the customer pain points in this crisis and…to find solutions within its stable of solutions," he says. "The key thing is to pitch areas that sell more new licenses such as Business Objects and [governance, risk, and compliance]. Customers see some opportunities, and want SAP to provide more details for their [specific] industry."

Speaking directly to the thousands on hand and the thousands more watching online, Apotheker concluded his keynote by stressing SAP's commitment to helping customers of all sizes -- from small-to-midsize companies on up to enterprise-level ones -- find their way to the top of the heap when the economic smoke clears.

"We've seen that clarity in business is the antidote to uncertainty," he repeated. "Our vision is that we will help every enterprise to become a clear enterprise, carry our entire ecosystem of customers and partners out of this crisis and into the future as strong leaders in their respective industries…. This is our commitment to bring new innovations you can trust, and continue to deliver increased value."

News relevant to the customer relationship management industry is posted several times a day on destinationCRM.com, in addition to the news section Insight that appears every month in the pages of CRM magazine. You may leave a public comment regarding this article by clicking on "Comments" at the top; to contact the editors, please email editor@destinationCRM.com.

CRM Covers
Free
for qualified subscribers
Subscribe Now Current Issue Past Issues

Related Articles

SAP Declares "ByDesign Is Here" (Sort Of)

SapphireNow '10: SAP's co-CEOs deliver back-to-back keynote addresses celebrating not only their first 100 days at the helm, but also the general availability of on-demand offering Business ByDesign 2.5 — two months from now.

SAP Insists "Mobile Is the New Desktop"

SapphireNow '10: SAP executives explain the recent Sybase acquisition and set a date for the general availability of on-demand software Business ByDesign 2.5.

SAP Slips StreamWork Into the Cloud-Based Collaboration Current

In the first major move since its recent restructuring, the German giant makes a play for the Enterprise 2.0 space — and beyond.

SAP Releases "BI for the Rest of Us"

With its version of SAP BusinessObjects BI OnDemand, SAP targets the "casual user" with an integrated toolset that spans both on-demand and on-premise technologies.

After CEO Ouster, Plattner's Plea: "Please Trust SAP. We Have Not Forgotten You."

Announcing the exit of Chief Executive Officer Léo Apotheker, SAP returns to a "Co-CEO" format, appointing Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe to split leadership duties.

SAP Sets Sustainability in Motion

With the launch of Business Objects Sustainability Performance Management, SAP wants to provide companies with holistic views into their sustainable strategies and actions.

Learn to Innovate by Unlearning

True innovators jettison some "best" practices in favor of first practices.

Challenge Your “Market Permission”

Capture new markets — or reinvigorate existing ones — by reevaluating how those markets perceive your brand.

Deciding to Compete

Economist Intelligence survey indicates that agile decision making is vital to operational efficiency and success -- yet most firms' ability to make good decisions needs improvement.

SAP Calls on Companies to Embrace "The New Value"

SAP World Tour '09: Morning keynote addresses challenge attendees to take charge — or risk failure.

On the Scene: Clarity Is SAP’s New Enterprise

SAPPHIRE '09: SAP executives stressed the emerging need for transparency among all enterprises. Did the message ring true?

CIO vs. CFO: The C-Suite Deathmatch

SAPPHIRE '09: Experts attempt to dispel stereotypes about the battles that rage over technology-purchasing decisions.

Speed and Clarity Drive SAP's Success

SAPPHIRE '09: Keynote addresses by several SAP executives reflect the company's desire to quickly deliver business value for companies during the downturn.

Former Oracle Executive to Join SAP

A year out of the spotlight, John Wookey is back on the scene, except now he's playing on a different side.

SAP Retains Market-Share Lead in CRM

Gartner report shows the Wonder of Walldorf still on top—but a lawsuit and other troubles loom.

SAP Seeks to Tie Up Loose Ends

SAPPHIRE '08: Relying on services-oriented architecture, SAP co-CEO Henning Kagermann believes his company can now help businesses "close the loop" between strategy and execution.

SAP + RIM = CRM2Go

Introducing a rebuilt version of its CRM application to run natively on Research In Motion's BlackBerry mobile devices, SAP aims to give companies universal access.

SAP Takes a Dual Approach

SAPPHIRE '06: The company highlights its hybrid on-demand/on-premise CRM offering, while persistently promoting its enterprise services architecture strategy.

SAP Goes Vertical

SAPPHIRE '05: SAP releases the latest version of its CRM suite, but analysts cite the company's 'failure' to deliver a hosted application.

SAP to Acquire Business Objects

The friendly takeover folds new business intelligence capabilities into one of the leading enterprise software platforms; amidst differing opinions, rumors loom of a counteroffer from Oracle or IBM.

SAP Unveils Its BI Black Box

SAPPHIRE '05 International: The software giant, HP, and Intel combine efforts to produce an appliance that allows more employees to tap into analytic

On the Scene: SAPPHIRE '06: SAP Continues Its Enterprise SOA Push

The enterprise software company underscores its on-demand CRM capabilities while continuing with its enterprise services architecture approach

SAP Targets Enterprise SOA

SAPPHIRE '06: Amid "the industrialization of software," the German juggernaut continues its service-based strategy.

SAP Zeroes In On the Contact Center With M&A

SAPPHIRE '07 International: The company acquires Finland's Wicom Communications; expect to see more large CRM firms buying contact center companies down the pike, according to one analyst.

A New Business Blueprint Stars at SAPPHIRE '05

SAPPHIRE '05: SAP touts its NetWeaver platform/partnership concept as the next evolution in CRM, blending innovation with best-of-breed capabilities.

SAP Sounds Off on SOA and Collaboration

SAPPHIRE '07: The business software giant highlights its enterprise services strategy and champions the importance of business network transformation.

SAP Looks to ‘Change the Game’

On The Scene: Sapphire 2008 -- One analyst believes the latest from the German juggernaut propels the company squarely back into the CRM 2.0 battle.

CRM Is All About Teamwork

SAPPHIRE '08: At SAP's annual user conference, the opening keynote address stresses the value of teamwork and its importance to any CRM investment.

SAP Refocuses on "Fun"

SAP CRM 2008: SAP's overarching theme of "customer co-innovation" goes beyond its newly launched CRM offering, according to company executives.

SAP Susses Out 2008

With financial results in hand and Business ByDesign humming along, the vendor offers some thoughts on what's coming next.

Buyer's Guide Companies Mentioned