Large vendor events are about the people you get to meet and the delight that goes with chance encounters. This morning I received a surprise call from Tim Tribe requesting a quick meeting. Tim is one of the people around which CODA was built in the sense he's been with the business for a very long time. He's also a really smart accountant who went over to a technology vendor what seems eons ago. I can't get into specifics because CODA is not ready to go public. But from the conversation we had I can say they're doing cool things that could surprise the market. It's a long time since I've been able to say that about CODA.
In the first of the Blogger Corner sessions, Uwe Hommel, EVP, SAP global solution operations support said that most customers only use around 30% of SAP functionality. I asked why SAP doesn't price according to usage at which point Uwe quipped that maintenance: "Is a good deal." Some colleagues would likely choke on that statement. But as Dennis Moore who has led SAP's end of the Duet joint development with Microsoft said: "Uwe's people are constantly co-innovating with customers" so maybe 17% of license (or 22% if you're on the premium programme) isn't such a bad deal after all.
Between sessions, I bumped into Marilyn Pratt. Marilyn heads up SAP's BPX community programme. I've not been over enamoured of what I've seen to date but this is a relatively new thing for SAP. Like so many of the experiments going on around social computing, Marilyn is feeling her way and trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. She's doing a great job in pushing the boundaries so regardless of my personal concerns, she deserves much credit.
There is a perception that SAP is a lumbering giant where innovation is low on the priority list. I'm not so sure. Craig Cmehil showed me a fascinating card game I'd describe as a software version of Jeopardy. Fun aside, the game shows in really simple terms what it takes and how implementation engineers can use the SAP community networks to solve common problems. Given the potential complexity that SAP might present, that kind of innovation should be encouraged.
It's clear to me that despite growing pains, SAP 'gets' community i the broader sense. It recognises the world has changed and appreciates the importance and value of engaging openly with the whole business ecosystem that touches SAP products and services. There is still a sense of 'them and us' in that some sessions are closed to parts of the community. So for instance, analyst sessions are purely for analysts. I believe that will change over time so that regardless of a person's interest, it will be 'access all areas.' Maybe not 2008 but certainly by 2010.
To be continued...
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Innovation
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