I’m in Amsterdam covering SAP TechED 2006. This is not an an area I’d expect many of my core readership to be interested in so I’m not going into the content here. Instead, you can check from here. However. They’re attempting something quite unique.
SAP has invited a bunch of bloggers and analysts over. At least three are members of Enterprise Irregulars out of 6 I know are here. I have found no mainstream media people. We’re having great conversations with their partner network operators – SDN.
They’ve been prepared to engage in real discussion around cost, innovation, the place of business process. In other words they’re talking about the very things their customers are interested in and issues around which SAP is building its future business model. This is not the SAP I know from days before. In the past, SAP would be controlling the whole process. We’d be frog-marched from interview to interview with little of any value coming from most of the scripted responses.
Now before anyone thinks I’m going soft in the head, I’ve said to SAP that I don’t think they’ve any idea just what they’ve unleashed. Well maybe they do because they have some pretty astonishing metrics. Like 500,000 + developer network members discussing SAP in all sorts of ways. This is unheard of. Contrast this with what Vinnie is saying about Oracle PR and AR handling.
What I mean is the flood of ideas that will come streaming at SAP could overwhelm them. That’s happened to me in other networks in which I’m engaged. I currently reckon I’m missing a good 30% of ‘stuff’ I feel I need to read. I need new filters to take all that I need on board.
SAP is making big bets and taking big risks in this strategy. Regardless of their leadership in opening themselves up in this way, I question whether they can turn the IT equivalent of an oil tanker quickly enough for their customers. I hope so for everyone’s sake. But if my sense of the conversation is anything to go by, SAP really has let the genie out the bottle. For that, they should be applauded.
As for the rest of the industry? You tell me.
Technorati Tags: enterprise+irregulars, SAP
