By Fred Isbell, senior director and head of Thought Leadership – Digital Business Services Marketing, SAP
As we head into the “dog days of summer,” I recall a time when the summer season brought a slower pace and a short break from non-stop activities. Despite summer vacations, including my own, the reality of running a Live Business is increasingly driving 24-hour, year-long dedication to our endeavors.
Having just finished our last round of thought leadership Webcasts for Digital Business Services from SAP last month, there’s still no rest for the weary. But, I couldn’t be more excited about this timely topic: Making a business case for the cloud.
Fundamentally, cloud computing is nothing new. It’s a model for consuming technology with the mindset of everything as a service – needless to say, this is a complete game-changer. After attending and covering our SAPPHIRE NOW customer event last spring, I realized that cloud
computing is not only evolving, but also following business reasoning first and foremost – especially when we consider external innovators and early adopters.
Every technology goes through a moment on the hype roller coaster and hype cycle. Something triggers a new technology, and the hype rises over time to unrealistic proportions. Sooner or later, reality and, at times, a bit of delusion set in about the actual reality and value. However, as the technology matures, we set run-rate expectations, and the status quo emerges. At that point, reality meets expectations (similar to that of the supply and demand curve) – reaching an equilibrium.
I have a feeling that we’re at that latter phase for cloud technology. As a result, many customers are building a business case and justifying their cloud investments. And for that very reason, we are kicking off the second half of 2016 with a new series of Digital Business Services Thought Leadership Webcasts.
The first Webcast will be “Making a Business Case for the Cloud: Issues, Considerations, and Best Practices.” I am thrilled to be joined by three knowledgeable subject-matter experts:
- Lisa McCann, COO, SAP Services, North America: I’ve have known Lisa for years here at SAP, and she shared her thoughts on a SAPPHIRE NOW customer panel in which she participated. Lisa’s perspective on the market and business drivers for the cloud are very insightful.
- Stuart Williams, VP, Research, and Technology Business Research (TBR): During one of my many interactions with TBR, I’ve had the great fortune to meet Stuart. Recently, he offered some great insights on this topic with me in a short video interview. Stuart will share TBR’s observations that could be critical in establishing your vision and direction as we follow the evolution of cloud solutions.
- Eamon Kearns, senior director, Emerging Solutions, MIT: At the SAP Art of the Possible event and again at an ASUG earlier this year, I was impressed after hearing Eamon’s cloud vision for MIT. As I’ve said many times before, customer stories are literally the best part of my job! And he’s bound to inspire your cloud journey too!
Please join me, Lisa, Stuart, and Eamon on Thursday, July 28, at 11:00 a.m. EDT for the first of an inspirational series, “Making a Business Case for the Cloud: Issues, Considerations, and Best Practices”. Register today. I look forward to joining you online!
Fred is the senior director and head of Thought Leadership for Digital Business Services Marketing at SAP.
Join Fred online: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, sap.com, SAP Services Hub
