This year’s SAPPHIRE NOW high-tech sessions focused on leveraging the power of technology to do great things. With an eye to the future, speakers emphasized the growing importance of using tech to make customer-focused business decisions and to ensure the success of those decisions.
I’m sharing my top five high-tech takeaways below. I hope these insights inspire you to take advantage of everything the latest technology has to offer your business and your customers.
TAKEAWAY #1: The Internet of Things Will Transform the Way We Do Business.
Stefan Krauss, GM of Discrete Manufacturing Industries, led a panel discussion about everyone’s favorite topic: the Internet of things (IoT). Leaders in a number of industries discussed how the IoT would transform all aspects of design, manufacturing, sourcing, after-sales services, and business models. From smart manufacturing and a connected supply chain (which ensures better visibility and efficiency) to smart, connected consumer products, the IoT is a game-changer that has everyone talking. Watch the panel discussion now.
TAKEAWAY #2: There’s a Customer-Focused Way to Leverage Technology.
Leaders at Adobe discussed the power of placing customers at the center of business and explained how they leveraged the latest technology to meet their customers’ needs. “About three years ago, Adobe took a hard left turn to become a SaaS [software as a service, where software is licensed on a subscription basis] business,” explains finance and operations leader Matthew Glaser. Find out how Adobe partnered with SAP to scale its solutions, adding flexibility and agility to execute a major, customer-focused transformation. Watch the session now.
TAKEAWAY #3: Cloud Technology Enables Real-Time Global Collaboration.
Mark Vollrath, global supply chain worldwide director at Colgate-Palmolive, illustrated how to improve global collaboration through integrated business planning. Colgate-Palmolive is a truly global company, covering six continents for more than a century and distributing products to 225 countries. In his session, Vollrath explains how you, too, can use analytics, planning, and optimization solutions from SAP to monitor and control your supply chain in real time and to collaborate with business partners using cloud technology. Watch the session now.
TAKEAWAY #4: The Latest Tech Trends May Revolutionize Your Business.
Jagadish Bandla, SAP HANA leader at Deloitte Consulting, and Bill Briggs, CTO at Deloitte Consulting, shared the latest trends for the future of IT and business. From core renaissance to amplified intelligence, there are a number of important trends to watch for in the coming months and years. In their session, Bandla and Briggs run through their favorites and discuss how you can use the four “Rs” – Replatform, Remediate, Revitalize, and Replace – to take full advantage of everything these trends have to offer. Watch the session now.
TAKEAWAY #5: Big Data and SAP Can Help You Simplify Your Operations.
A common theme throughout the conference was how the power of SAP HANA and Big Data can help high-tech companies run simple while further empowering disruptive technologies. Learn how SAP helps you streamline your processes, so you have the agility to create new growth opportunities for your business with the world’s most innovative platform. Watch the session now.
As this year’s conference, high-tech speakers showed that leveraging the latest technology can be a powerful tool, but it should never steal the focus from your customers. By taking advantage of the tips these speakers provide, you’ll be prepared to integrate the latest tech trends into your customer-focused approach.
Hear more sessions, keynotes, and interviews from this year’s SAPPHIRE NOW conference. Browse the session replays now.
Harry E. Blunt
Director, North America Industry Field Marketing
SAP America, Inc.
3999 West Chester Pike
Newtown Square, PA 19073
M: 302-740-8293
E: harry.blunt@sap.com
