SAP Sapphire 2010: Observations, News and Tweets

Here are the tastiest bits of news, views and goings-on from SAP's big show in Orlando.

By Thomas Wailgum
Thu, May 20, 2010

CIO — SAP's annual Sapphire conference is over, and here's a round-up of some of the important news, announcements and high-tech happenings that came out of the show.

Focus Pocus
Unlike at recent SAP gatherings, executives were "on message" at Sapphire 2010 with the new strategy: Customers can choose from "on premise, on demand, on device" deployment options. Learn it. Know it. Live it.

Cinderella Arrives!
Business ByDesign, SAP's on-demand suite of ERP apps that's been under wraps for years, was the belle of the ball. (BBD certainly had plenty of time to get itself ready for the debut.)

Sybase (SY) Shuffle
There was a mixed bag of reactions from attendees regarding the Sybase acquisition. From SAP people: Rah-Rah! From those who don't take home a pay check from SAP: Wait and see.

Yes!
Invariably, all conversations with good CIOs at events like these come back to conversations not about technology.

SAP co-CEO Bill McDermott

Media Training Posterboy
SAP co-CEO Bill McDermott (at right) is polished like an expensive Italian loafer. (That's a compliment.)

Ins and Outs of In-Memory
In-memory database technology...feel the excitement? Conceptually, yes. Will customers? We shall see.

Take That, Oracle
One VP of IT (a big SAP shop) I was talking with said: "Best of breed is dead."

Good Grooming
This was a coming out party for SAP CTO Vishal Sikka.

Mobility Ain't New, Folks
Seems like we've been talking about enterprise mobility for decades...and yet it's SAP's new fountain of innovation.

"About Your Latest Dynamics AX Release..."
The relations between SAP and Microsoft (and their on-again, off-again strategic partnerships) make the dysfunction of the Lindsay Lohan family look like a Norman Rockwell painting.

Fond Memories
Chances of getting an SAPer to reminisce about Shai Agassi's time at SAP: 74.3%
Chances of getting an SAPer to reminisce about Leo Apotheker's time at SAP: .01%

Combat Chatter
SAP is a demanding application suite—even for top IT shops. Talk to any CIO who's gone through an implementation, and there are some awfully juicy war stories there. Most in attendance, however, appear generally satisfied with their apps. (I mean, they probably wouldn't come if they weren't.)

Keynote Overload
We have a new record for Sapphire! 3,177 keynotes during the three-day period. (I'm kidding, but, seriously, when every presentation is labeled a "Keynote," it kinda loses its meaning.)

Taking a Cue from Internet Inventor Gore
From the Department of Great Moments in Rewriting of High-Tech History, this: @rwang0 Tweet: "Jim Hagemann Snabe, SAP invented the 3-tier client server architecture? POV: might have been others too here." #SAPPHIRENOW #SAP

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