Third-Party Software Support for SAP: Hidden Savings
The oft-quoted Michael Porter has stated that the essence of strategy is knowing ‘what not to do!’ ─ it is as important as knowing what to do. How does this apply to maintenance for SAP and IT roadmap strategy? In a November 2019 survey conducted by Rimini Street, 79% of licensees said that they have […]
ERP Software License versus Cloud ERP SaaS Subscription ─ Pros and Cons
Your software is an asset. Software vendors such as Oracle and SAP are pressing licensees to replace existing enterprise applications in order to move to the vendor’s new platform. Yet, most companies have invested millions in their current ERP systems on targeted applications – Financials, Supply Chain, Distribution, Manufacturing, Human Capital Management, or Customer Experience […]
On-Going IT Response to the Global Pandemic: The View from a Front-Row Seat
In January’s “2020 State of the CIO Executive Summary,” the news was good for CIOs… They were getting increased recognition from CEOs and colleagues for their growing and essential leadership role in business strategy, innovation, and revenue generation — while decreasing time spent on important yet “back-office” activities such as optimizing the enterprise IT infrastructure […]
Third-Party Support: A Strategy for IT Agility, Not Just a Cost-Cutting Measure
The financial benefits of dropping vendor-sourced maintenance in favor of third-party enterprise software support are very tangible; the lure of cutting expenditures by 50% – for what are commonly agreed to be superior levels of service – has proven compelling to thousands of companies. However, for many CIOs, the transition to third-party support presents advantages […]
Use AI to Enhance the Human Connection in IT Support Services
Global disruption and competition are placing new demands on the delivery of IT support services. As global turbulence rocks the business environment, CIOs that use artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance — not replace — a human-first digital strategy in IT support services as part of a strategy to improve service levels and responsiveness will likely […]
5 Questions on S/4HANA Migration — Answers for SAP Business Suite Licensees
SAP’s extension announcement of ECC 6.0 support from 2025 to 2027 is an apparent acknowledgment that SAP customers do not see value in a prompt migration to S/4HANA. Even prior to the pandemic, nearly 80% of SAP licensees planned to continue to run their current customized, mature SAP systems for five additional years or more.1 […]
The Time to Act is Now to Meet SAP’s September 30 Maintenance Deadline
By September 30, many SAP customers need to retain SAP Enterprise Support at 22% of license contract price,1 or save 50% of that support price, and up to 90% of overall support costs with third-party support? It is no news that 2020 has turned out to be an unusual year! For IT leaders, this means […]
Automation 101: An Essential Tool For CIOs And IT Teams
This article originally appeared on Forbes.com; it has been modified for this space. Automation is a key element of digital transformation, a paradigm shift that many IT teams are undergoing. This shift could replace nearly 70% of manual, repetitive tasks, according to the Brookings Institute. Automation — the tools and practices used to programmatically execute tasks, […]
A Strategic CIO/CEO Partnership Allows Innovation to Thrive in a Turbulent Global Market
This article originally appeared on Forbes.com; it has been modified for this space. CEOs need their CIOs’ help more than ever as they navigate through today’s global market turbulence. Shifting their focus from being overseers of data center operations to being strategic partners with their CEOs enables tech leaders to develop a business-driven innovation roadmap […]