SAP Sapphire 2008 Orlando: SearchSAP.com Special Report

By SearchSAP.com Editorial Staff 04 May 2008 | SearchSAP.com

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SearchSAP.com's editorial team is out in full force at SAP Sapphire 2008 in Orlando. Our coverage includes breaking news, case studies and podcasts from the event, as well as news, analysis and tips from our archives. Keep a close eye on this page as SAPPHIRE 2008 unfolds.

SAP Sapphire 2008 coverage

• SAP support dilemma highlighted at Sapphire
  SAP said it added nearly 200 new customers to its new Enterprise Support offering, just as Rimini Street said it will add SAP products to its third-party support alternative.

• SAP shifts down on marketing of ERP product
  SAP CEO Henning Kagermann set the Business ByDesign bar high. Too high. Humbled, the company is now taking a more modest approach.

• Business Objects brings BI to business
  Business Objects CEO Johnathan Schwarz explains why business intelligence for businesspeople is finally viable.

• SAP starts to meld Business Objects partners into PartnerEdge
  SAP starts to bring Business Objects' service and solutions partners into its PartnerEdge program fold.

• SAP CEOs preach networks, collaboration and BPM
  Business networks and collaboration are the new competitive differentiators, SAP's co-CEOs said. Newly planned BPM tools will help users get there.

• SAP teams with IBM, HP to bring ERP to midmarket
  SAP is teaming with IBM and Hewlett-Packard. The point? Convincing midmarket customers that buying and installing Business All-in-One is effortless.

• Bank of America outlines its choice of SAP over Oracle
  Bank of America selected SAP this year, and presented its decision-making process at Sapphire 2008. However, it went through a rigorous and rational process of due diligence before selecting SAP. Find out that process here.

Podcasts

• SAP user chief chats up Sapphire, executive changes:
  To get a preview of what to watch out for at SAPPHIRE 08, SearchSAP.com sat down with Steve Strout, ASUG's first full-time CEO. In this 15-minute podcast, Strout details the hot topics at this year's show, how ASUG is working with Business Objects customers, and what those attending can do to prepare for the show -- also, how those who can't attend can access some of the event's information resources.

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Blog

• Why did you go to Sapphire?
  Sapphire had booths featuring magicians, Guitar Hero, and fancy cars. With all these distractions, people were wandering around aimlessly everywhere. We noticed this strange behavior and had the urge to ask these people what their original goal was en route to Sapphire.

• Where SAP is going
  One of the general anxieties at this or any other SAPPHIRE is about SAP's strategic direction: "Where is SAP going, and how will it impact me?" A new report from AMR Research's Jim Shepherd offers specific insight into where SAP is going until at least 2013, and offers educated predictions about what's going to happen after 2013.

• The changing role of the finance organization
  IBM released its Global CFO Study 2008 at Sapphire, with the CEO study to appear soon. IBM's CFO Study, executed in cooperation with The Wharton School and Economist Intelligence Unit, is full of data points that indicate where the finance organization--and, by association, the rest of the enterprise--is going.

• SAPPHIRE preview: Cool ASUG sessions
  We asked Cyndi Leamon, chief learning officer with ASUG, to give our readers a heads-up on key ASUG sessions at SAPPHIRE 08. Read this post for her insight on the hot ASUG sessions of '08.

• SAPPHIRE's top 10 sessions
  Here is a preview list of SAPPHIRE's top ten sessions -- not by any objective quality, but by how we see them based on what's hot.

Vendor Announcements

• Infosys Technologies and SAP Enter into Global Services Partner Agreement
  Through this newly expanded relationship, customers will benefit from bolstered implementation services, enhanced solution delivery and increased global reach.

• SAP Embraces Business Objects Partners and Demonstrates Benefits of Expanded Partner Ecosystem
  SAP has launched the first certification program for partners that are developing solutions that integrate with Business Objects solutions. In addition, partners of Business Objects can benefit from a new program that certifies solutions from Business Objects technology partners have been tested and optimally integrate with Business Objects solutions.

• SAP Collaborates with HP on All-Inclusive Business Management Solution Targeting Midsize Companies
  Building upon the recently announced SAP Business All-in-One fast-start program, the new comprehensive, cost-effective turnkey solution will include SAP Business All-in-One and the SAP MaxDBTM database, which will be based on SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell and delivered with systems built on the HP BladeSystem c3000 enclosure.

• SAP and IBM Collaborate to Offer Integrated Business Systems Dedicated to Midsize Companies Worldwide
  SAP and IBM are currently evaluating three potential offerings based on IBM Power Systems, System x and BladeCenter servers to provide customers with the flexibility to fully leverage their existing IT infrastructure, while benefiting from proven and pre-tested combinations optimized to meet the unique demands of midsize customers.

• SAP Takes Big Strides in Small Business and Midmarket Segments
  SAP AG announced growing adoption of its business software among small businesses and midsize companies across all regions, and in particular from such rapidly growing economies as Brazil, China, India and Russia.

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