SAP Sapphire 2024 – What remains?
One thing is certain: SAP Sapphire is the top event in the SAP event calendar. And that was clearly demonstrated again this year. From the location to the agenda and speakers to the field of participants – these were truly impressive event days. Christian Heinrich, Chief Solutions Officer and board member at sovanta, was at SAP Sapphire in Barcelona and has summarized his most important insights for us here:
“Bring out the best in your business”
The title of SAP CEO Christian Klein’s keynote speech at this year’s SAP Sapphire was well chosen because, in my view, the entire event provided some answers as to how SAP customers can actually achieve the goal of “bring out the best in your business”. And one of the big levers was also heavily discussed directly: How can AI really make a difference? Everyone is talking about AI and this naturally continued at SAP Saphire. However, the big difference for me compared to previous events was the selection of AI use cases. In the meantime, clear AI scenarios and added value for specialist departments can be identified in many areas.
Of course, the topic of Joule was also omnipresent. It is exciting to see that Joule is no longer positioned and used as the AI front end. Personally, I like this direction, because it makes artificial intelligence tangible and gives it a face. Joule as a UX for AI makes complete sense. It’s nice to see that “The next UI is no UI” is becoming a reality after all, after a few years’ delay. Of course, I was particularly proud to see the sovanta logo as part of the keynote, as a pioneer in the field of AI.
The technological possibilities have never been so great
SAP BTP provides customers with a platform that has the right technological foundations for any type of business requirement. And this toolkit is constantly growing and becoming easier to use (in many places). The announcements in the area of SAP Build Code, GenAI for ABAP, and Joule for Consultants show the direction. AI will support developers and consultants in the future and will certainly lead to faster and better project results. The topic also plays an important role for us and AI is being incorporated into the sovanta Innovation Factory for SAP BTP.
Clear support on the road to adoption
New systems and technologies are all well and good, but if they are not successfully introduced and used by customers, nobody benefits. As an SAP partner, we traditionally play a very important role here. It is good that SAP also wants to play an even greater role in adoption in the future than in the past. A new “Customer Services & Delivery” division with Thomas Saueressig in the lead for this topic is a really good step. At SAP Sapphire, you could already see how this could have an impact in the future:
- A further developed approach for RISE projects
- A clear anchoring of the Signavio, LeanIX and CALM solutions along the approach
- Customer support from new SAP Enterprise Architects
- The acquisition of WalkMe in order to clearly take the end user along on the journey
- Emphasizing the role of SAP BTP for the adoption of SAP’s innovation topics
I look forward to continuing to work closely with the SAP team on customer projects.
Concepts that customers understand
What really struck me was that all the presentations on the topic of Clean Core were extremely well attended. For me, this is a great sign, because this topic is no longer just a buzzword, but has arrived at the companies. Many of the discussions I was able to follow show that the paradigm shift towards “side-by-side” extensions has been understood and that many companies are moving in this direction. One thing is clear to everyone: Clean Core is not something that can be achieved overnight, but it makes sense to start the journey early.
At SAP Sapphire 2024, it became clear that there has never been a better time in SAP’s history to get the best out of your company. We like to stick to the words of Hasso Plattner:
