Sustainable Solutions Instead of Pipe Dreams

When the SAP community gathers in Bremen for the DSAG Annual Congress, its gaze is directed upwards: into the clouds of cloud visions, in which SAP is creating an impressive picture with the new Business Suite and the Business Technology Platform (BTP). It is about far more than just presenting new products and roadmaps. The focus is on the question of how SAP's ambitious visions can be reconciled with the practical reality of users.

With the Business Technology Platform, SAP is creating a clear vision: a modern cloud architecture in which the cloud, artificial intelligence and security interact seamlessly. The vision is convincing, but the path to achieving it remains rocky. Many companies continue to operate in a field of tension between highly customized systems, costly on-prem investments and strict regulatory requirements. At the same time, the economic environment is becoming increasingly complex and dynamic.

The BTP plays a key role in SAP's strategy. It is intended to accelerate modernization, promote innovation and make companies more agile. At the same time, it itself remains challenging, for example in terms of the uniformity of the user interface, complicated license models and costs that should not be underestimated. The transformation to S/4 remains a feat of strength for many companies. It is cost-intensive, lengthy and risky. Despite initiatives such as Rise, many customers feel pressured to switch to the cloud, often with the sobering realization that the costs of cloud contracts significantly exceed previous on-prem models. An overarching strategy is also not yet fully apparent in the field of artificial intelligence. Partnerships are filling gaps, but the company's own innovation leadership appears weaker than market expectations suggest.

The annual congress offers the opportunity to discuss these topics openly. The event is an excellent opportunity to bring together vision and practice as well as SAP, partners and user companies. It is a chance to clarify expectations, demand transparency and develop joint approaches. This is the only way to achieve a sustainable balance between cloud strategies, cost transparency, security and innovation. This E3 Extra aims to get you in the mood for these discussions. It shows perspectives and solutions that existing customers can use today to remain competitive in the future.