SAP Sapphire is one of the most coveted annual conferences hosted by SAP, a global leader in enterprise software solutions. The event brings together industry professionals, thought leaders, partners, and customers from around the world to explore the latest innovations, trends, and technologies in the business software industry. It serves as an excellent opportunity for attendees to connect with SAP experts and share their insights on the latest trends and challenges. Attend captivating keynotes, interactive demos, and engaging live events. It also makes way for great networking sessions with the best minds of the SAP Community, and to discover the best strategies and solutions for both present and future success. However, this year SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando returned with an even more promising agenda – future-proofing businesses!
SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando, organized from May 16 – 17, 2023 brought SAP’s flagship event, SAP Sapphire, and the ASUG Annual Conference in one place, bringing together the best of both worlds.
“Every organization, in every industry, wants to be ‘future-proof’. Join our global community at SAP Sapphire to share what’s already working and explore what’s possible. ‘Future-proof’ is a way of operating, and it can be built right into your business with SAP,” says Julia White, Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer and Executive Board Member at SAP. With this idea at SAP’s core, it is needless to mention how great the success of SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando has been. Without further ado, let’s delve into the event!
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SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando – Key Highlights
SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando revolved around the idea of future-proofing businesses in the age of AI.
SAP introduced a range of groundbreaking innovations and collaborations designed to empower customers in navigating an uncertain future with certainty. These significant announcements encompassed the integration of responsible AI into business solutions, the implementation of ledger-based accounting for carbon tracking, and the establishment of industry-specific networks to enhance supply chain resilience. With these advancements, SAP is supporting customers in transforming their business models in the cloud, placing sustainability as a core focus in their operations, and fostering agility to thrive amidst continuous change.
h2>SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando – Opening Keynote
SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando was kicked off with the opening keynote presentation by Christian Klein, CEO and Member of the Executive Board of SAP, and Julia White. The keynote session discussed how this year; SAP’s focus is on empowering leaders in all functions to utilize technology in conquering their business challenges. It highlighted the collaborative approach, uniting business, IT, and SAP to address the navigation of CXOs through various obstacles.
SAP’s vision revolves around meeting customer needs, enabling them to become agile, intelligent enterprises with resilient supply chains and sustainable operations. Despite uncertain times, SAP has consistently assisted customers in seizing opportunities and overcoming challenges, resulting in strong demand. SAP is unveiling thrilling innovations across their entire portfolio, with notable advancements in Generative AI, SAP Business Network, and carbon accounting. They are also bolstering its ecosystem by forging significant new partnerships and expanding existing ones, further enhancing the value of their solutions.
As Christian Klein puts the famous climber’s quote together that suggests that SAP is focused on elevating skills rather than lowering the climb. Highlighting its commitment to empowering every role and every line of business, ensuring customers are prepared to scale any mountain that lies ahead. The aim is to future-proof businesses and drive success in the face of constant change.
SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando – Top 5 Announcements
SAP’s vision for future-proofed business in the age of AI was shared with these top 5 Announcements!
Generative AI – What is SAP Building with it?
Generative AI has attracted a lot of attention this year, and rightfully so, if we understand what SAP is building with generative AI. Before delving in, let us understand that generative AI, is a type of AI, that has the ability to generate diverse forms of content such as text and images using the knowledge gained from its training data.
At SAP, they are leveraging this technology by incorporating it into their SAP applications, utilizing industry-specific data and deep process knowledge. As a result, this integration would enable SAP to develop innovative AI capabilities that are both built-in and relevant to business needs. Furthermore, this approach would also ensure that these AI solutions are designed responsibly and align with ethical standards.
SAP has unveiled its Generative AI Roadmap, outlining a range of forthcoming advancements within the SAP AI ecosystem. These innovations are set to revolutionize various processes and operations, including but not limited to:
- Freight verification and documentation.
- Streamlining goods receipts and delivery notes.
- Introducing ready-to-use process models and KPI recommendations.
- Augmenting employee and customer experience through the integration of the SAP Digital Assistant.
- Accelerating analytics with the aid of SAP Analytics Cloud’s Just Ask feature.
- Generating personalized interview questions utilizing SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting.
This roadmap showcases SAP’s commitment to harnessing the power of Generative AI to enhance efficiency, productivity, and user satisfaction across diverse domains.
SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando – SAP and Microsoft Collaboration | Generative AI
SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando has seen one of the most exciting announcements of all time, and that is, SAP and Microsoft’s collaboration on joint generative AI offerings to help their users address the talent gap.
They are collaborating to integrate SAP SuccessFactors solutions with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot in Viva Learning. By leveraging Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service, they can access advanced language models that analyze and generate natural language. This integration aims to revolutionize how organizations attract, retain, and develop their workforce, offering new and improved experiences for talent management.
SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando – SAP and Google Partnership Expansion
Another thrilling announcement was made during SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando about SAP and Google Cloud’s partnership expansion!
In today’s landscape data plays a pivotal role in driving digital transformation and advancing AI development. Organizations are investing a substantial number of resources in constructing intricate data integrations, customized analytics engines, and generative AI and natural language processing (NLP) models. These efforts are undertaken to unlock the value of their data investments and derive meaningful insights. As explained by Jan Bungert, Sr VP of Business Technology Platform Middle & Eastern Europe, that the extended partnership between SAP and Google is the recipe for the perfect “data smoothie” that combines the power of SAP and Google technology.
SAP and Google Cloud have expanded their partnership to introduce a comprehensive open data offering. This collaboration aims to simplify data landscapes and unlock the full potential of business data. By combining SAP with Google Cloud’s data and analytics technology, customers can create an end-to-end data cloud that provides real-time visibility into their entire data estates. This empowers organizations to maximize the value of their investments in Google Cloud and SAP software, streamlining data integration and accelerating the development of AI models and analytics engines.
SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando – Day 1
The Day 1 of SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando brought together a vast number of customers and partners, all focused on the common goal of future-proofing their businesses, mainly fostering discussions around AI, sustainability, and the crucial role of the partner ecosystem in driving future innovation. The spotlight has been on ERP as the system of record for carbon accounting with Julia White and Christian Klein emphasizing the importance of moving from estimates to actuals in the sustainability journey.
Discussions on topics like boosting productivity through AI utilization, the launch of SAP Business Network for Industries, and a strong emphasis on climate protection with the presence of John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for climate, has also been on the foreground. Followed by exciting announcements regarding SAP Sustainability Data Exchange, Sustainability Footprint Management, and the introduction of Green Ledger for every Cloud ERP customer were also made.
3 Big Takeaways and Diversity and Inclusion Panel | Julia White
As addressed by Julia White, Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer and Executive Board Member at SAP, here are three key takeaways from the event:
- AI Dominance: AI emerged as a prominent topic, with SAP’s Business AI playing a pivotal role. SAP is collaborating with a network of general-purpose AI providers to leverage business context data, enabling remarkable outcomes in business processes.
- Sustainability Prioritization: The significance of sustainability was emphasized, with a 20-fold increase in sustainability policies and regulations since the Kyoto Protocols. CFOs worldwide are now keen on tracking, measuring, monitoring, and reporting on this crucial aspect. SAP aims to revolutionize carbon accounting by introducing financial-level accounting, empowering the use of actual data instead of averages.
- Thriving Partner Ecosystem: SAP places great importance on its partner ecosystem, working closely with partners to deliver industry-specific solutions. Customers rely on these partnerships to facilitate their transition to the cloud with ERP, and streamline customizations by moving them onto the Business Technology Platform (BTP). This collaboration is poised to unlock the next wave of innovation.
A Diversity & Inclusion panel was also led by Julia White that addressed the challenges and opportunities for the LGBTIAQ+ community. Andy Rubinson was recognized for his co-leadership and impactful presence in driving the Pride at SAP community, while Ritu Bhargava’s courage in highlighting the need for further workplace changes was highly valued. Their contributions shed light on the ongoing efforts to promote inclusivity and raise awareness.
In line with SAP’s commitment to Diversity and Inclusion, Julia White emphasized the publication of the annual Diversity and Inclusion Report, which emphasizes transparency, accountability, and inspiration. Notably, the report revealed that 40,000 SAP employees from 50 countries actively participate in SAP Employee Network Groups, supporting communities such as women, Black employees, and LGBTQ+. This represents a 14% increase from the previous year, showcasing the progress made in fostering allyship. SAP remains dedicated to upholding its D&I commitments and cultivating a culture where individuals can genuinely express themselves. While more work lies ahead, SAP takes pride in the achievements accomplished throughout 2022.
The event also included a lineup of sessions and keynotes, ranging from Extended Planning and Analysis to SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP’s New UX, the integration of S/4HANA Cloud with Microsoft Teams, and SAP Build and Integration Suite. To know more in detail, click the link here.
SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando – Day 2
Day 2 at SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando was equally successful with filled with valuable insights. Scott Russell, Executive Board Member, Customer Success at SAP, says, “Our customers are the ones that are truly driving the change. Because as good as our technology has been, is today, and will be in the future, our customer stories are the real reason that you will change.”
During his keynote, he perfectly encapsulated what customers desire in three key points, that is speedy business transformation, user-friendly innovation, and trusted partnerships. The underlying was to pursue future-proof solutions that embody sustainability and are cloud-based, ensuring a resilient path forward.
SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando – ERP Clean Core Strategy
Discussions on ERP Clean Core Strategy have also gained momentum. It has been established that implementing an ERP clean core strategy would enable organizations to leverage the most up-to-date release, reduce or eliminate modifications, and operate with cloud-compliant extensions and customizations.
The focus is on simplifying, streamlining, and optimizing cloud ERP operations. SAP Signavio offers valuable insights and benchmarks based on data and best practices from a vast customer base of over 30,000. This empowers users to standardize and analyze their business processes, as well as quickly introduce industry-specific business models. With seamless integration into SAP’s portfolio, this solution enables businesses to achieve these transformations in a matter of hours instead of weeks. Additionally, SAP provides dedicated technical experts to assist RISE customers in achieving the desired outcomes and aligning with standardized processes.
SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando – Q&A Session
SAP’s vision, despite being futuristic, has raised some insightful questions among partners, for instance during the Q&A sessions with Scott Russell and Christian Klein, Abhishek Singh, from Partner at Everest Group posed two very relevant questions. The first question addressed the challenge of partners keeping up with SAP’s rapid ecosystem growth and the launch of industry-specific cloud solutions. The concern raised was that if partners lag behind, customers may also fall behind in their understanding, resulting in missed opportunities. The solution discussed involved embracing the ecosystem, utilizing use-case-specific components, and enhancing joint dissemination and enablement.
The second question highlighted the interest of key clients in the life sciences and RCPG sectors in building their own composable platforms. The focus was on how SAP is tapping into this opportunity and positioning itself as the core foundation for composability. The answers emphasized increased investment in joint dissemination and enablement, elevating partnership models, and refining the commercial model.
However, looking ahead, despite recessionary trends, 2023 is seen as a potential game-changing year for SAP. With CFOs playing a crucial role in SAP’s outreach, their decision-making authority presents a significant opportunity. The key is to accelerate the pipeline for both SAP and its partners.
SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando – Closing Notes
At SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando, during the closing keynote for day 1, SAP highlighted key takeaways that centered around innovation, collaboration, and sustainability. It highlighted how, by integrating advanced technologies, businesses can accelerate their digital transformation, leading to enhanced efficiency, productivity, and overall success. Emphasizing the responsible use of AI, organizations can minimize inefficiencies and maximize output, while also prioritizing sustainability for a better future. SAP’s commitment to driving progress in these areas will shape the future of business operations and pave the way for a more sustainable and productive world.
Finally, on the second day of SAP Sapphire 2023 Orlando, the event offered an unforgettable finale that left the attendees filled with inspiration and motivation. On the stage, Julia White conducted a captivating interview with Serena Williams. She encouraged us to adopt this mindset and dedicate ourselves to ongoing improvement. Reminding us that there will always be someone, somewhere, ready to challenge us, and embracing this reality fuels our progress. Together, with fresh perspectives, boundless energy, and collective determination, there are no limits to what we can achieve, both as individuals and as organizations committed to future-proofing ourselves.
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