Solution Versus Tool

Business technology tools

The SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) is a large collection of tools that are useful enough. At the E3 Summit 2024, Wolfram Jost, Group Chief Technology Officer at Scheer, spoke about Steampunk (embedded Abap) and the BTP, saying that the SAP platform is an interesting toolbox for many, but that it lacks essential features to be a Steampunk platform.

SAP's CTO and Chief Technology Officer, Jürgen Müller, has thus failed to enable a homogeneous and stringent further development of the ERP. Instead, SAP customers will find numerous tools that they can license and use as they see fit. SAP still lacks a clear statement and roadmap.

SAP CEO Christian Klein and his board of directors are avoiding giving any clear answers and clear decisions about the direction they are taking. With partnerships, product developments, and cooperations that are hard to keep track of, SAP is obviously trying to be present in all markets for all opportunities. SAP board members Christian Klein, Jürgen Müller, and Thomas Saueressig do not offer business solutions, but a platform of endless possibilities. SAP customers will have to find their own way.

SAP's loss of expertise

Why all this chaos? asks the SAP customer. The answer is simple: SAP has no AI expertise of its own. In an emergency, partnerships are formed with almost any AI provider, and the small AI budget is spread across many start-ups.

Because SAP has no AI expertise of its own, Christian Klein is unable to separate the wheat from the chaff. AI is a mixed bag at SAP. There is no clear, unambiguous, transparent AI strategy at SAP. A little bit of everything, that's how Klein hopes to find and do the right thing at least once.

Signavio, LeanIX and Emarsys

It is still completely unclear whether the billion-dollar acquisition of Signavio is a step into the business process era or just a defensive battle against Celonis from Munich, Germany, which has been working on the topic for longer and managing it better. Celonis has potential. However, there is a lack of singularity in the SAP product offering. This means that Signavio remains one of many options—a good product, but without vision and sustainability.

LeanIX is a hybrid in the SAP universe. The product should extend and enrich the SAP offering, but at the same time remain independent and attractive to non-SAP customers. The LeanIX offer is interesting. However, SAP CEO Christian Klein lacks a logical and convincing roadmap. This makes LeanIX just another commodity in SAP's mixed product line.

Emarsys used to be an e-mail system for newsletters. SAP bought it and turned it into another marketing tool. Many users praise the product. Whether there is a strategic approach at SAP or whether Emarsys is just another e-commerce offering in the SAP universe remains unanswered. Christian Klein's CX (customer experience) activities are unfathomable.

Even SAP will not be able to please everyone with everything. An IT general store like SAP will never be the answer to digital transformation. The SAP community needs direction, competence, and clear strategies from the world leader in ERP. Simultaneous real-time dancing (see SAP Hana) at every wedding is not an answer for SAP's customers.