ERP in the 21st Century: How the technology boom is changing the face of SAP

Our world is at an inflection point.

• 5 billion people are becoming the middle class
• There are more than 1 billion network users
• There are approximately 15 billion web-enabled devices
• Data is doubling every 18 months

Believe it or not, there are more mobile devices than people. If you are looking for a career in technology, you’ve come to the right place. There’s no better time than the present. ERP is not lost in the burgeoning technology market… Over the past 40 years, SAP has been incredibly successful in solving complex business problems for companies and governments. As proud as we are of our past, we must focus on the future and address the new reality.

The world is changing, but it is making SAP more relevant than ever.

Customer priorities and requirements are shifting, as businesses expect more innovations and better solutions delivered in a very different way.

• IT purchasing decisions are sifting from the CIO to the line of business
• Customers and business users want access to information and applications anytime and anywhere, with real-time connectivity and consumer-grade usability
• We will need to focus on the “segment of one” to address these new needs
• SAP’s expertise in resource management and ERP means that we are best positioned to provide a new category of solutions to solve the business problems of the future, and new thinking must start now.

Our industry is also changing.

• Major players are increasingly consolidating while niche players are innovating at a rapid pace.
• We are in the middle of a once-in-a-generation technology shift – mobile, cloud, big data, social, and collaboration are all innovative technologies reaching maturity at the same time.
• Connectivity, exponential data growth, a desire to better communicate with consumers means that customers are ready to adopt innovations – we need to embed these in our product portfolio to drive business value

If you read Tanya Duncan’s post earlier this week, you probably already know that our careers started out very differently. She transitioned from a position in the industry into her current role as a consultant, while I began my career as an SAP consultant directly out of college. As most of my readers already know, I kind of fell into SAP… I always had an inkling that I wanted to be a consultant, as working with people from all walks of life is something that has always appealed to me (besides the fact that I can literally talk to a brick wall) and I knew that I would quickly lose interest if I chose a career in which I sat in a cubicle all day doing the same tasks a hundred times over. If you would have told me three years ago that I would have a thriving consulting career, I would have believed you, but if you told me three years ago that I would have a thriving career in COMPUTER SOFTWARE CONSULTING, I would have laughed in your face as I stalked off shouting, “You gotta be kidding me, I can barely turn on my computer.” Isn’t it funny how things change?

Don’t miss the Consulting vs. Industry Q&A Webinar where Tanya Duncan and I will compare and contrast SAP careers in consulting vs. industry positions. This will be an interactive Q&A session where you can ask about our experiences and advice. Reserve your place now!

The webinar will take place Friday, May 9, 2014 at 1:00 PM EST. We will accept questions in advance, in addition to live questions. Please leave a comment in response to the blog post with your questions or email aadams@erpcorp.com.

Happy Friday!

@PostGradSAP