A live performance by Sting will be the highlight of SAPPHIRE NOW 2011 (collage: grasundsterne)
When it comes to new software releases, SAP’s biggest company event has a history of giving customers a glimpse of what’s ahead. At SAPPHIRE 2009, for instance, Hasso Plattner spoke of column-based data storage and real-time analysis, thus offering a preview of the software that would come to be known as SAP In-Memory Appliance (SAP HANA). A year later, Jim Hagemann Snabe revealed the first screenshots of the solution SAP Sales OnDemand, which is set to hit the market this year.
SAPPHIRE NOW 2011 will once again be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, and SAP.info will be on hand on May 15-18 to bring you the latest on the new products presented.
The rest of this article covers the following:
- Topics of focus at SAPPHIRE NOW 2011
- What SAP partners will be showing at their exhibition stands
Further information on the exhibitors, keynotes, and demo sessions is also available at www.sapandasug.com.
A look ahead at SAP’s products
Since SAPPHIRE NOW will be taking place at the same time as the annual meeting of the Americas SAP Users’ Group (ASUG), the former event will begin on Sunday. The next day will be all about ASUG, with board chairman Anthony J. Bosco and CEO Bridgette Chambers scheduled to make an appearance. On Tuesday, May 17, SAP’s co-CEOs Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe will deliver their keynotes on the company’s strategy. SAP cofounder Hasso Plattner will continue his tradition of addressing the attendees on the final day of SAPPHIRE NOW, which is also when CTO Vishal Sikka will give his keynote speech.
Those planning to attend can also look forward to a very special culmination of the event: a live performance by Sting. Click here to secure your tickets.
Feature pack 3.0 for SAP Business ByDesign ready for demonstration
Along with the scheduled keynotes, this year’s SAPPHIRE NOW will offer a number of demo areas and sessions. In these areas, attendees will be able to view presentations of numerous products, such as SAP’s mobile applications. There will also be a demo of the new feature pack 3.0 for SAP Business ByDesign, which SAP has scheduled for a mid-2011 release.
The demo sessions, meanwhile, will address the following topics:
- Smart metering and smart grids
- Mobile software and applications
- E-mobility
- iPhone and iPad in the world of business
- Social CRM and social media for companies
- Real-time analysis with SAP HANA (including a road map)
- SAP’s cloud strategy and SAP Business ByDesign
- SAP NetWeaver Business Warehouse 7.3
- Use of Android in business
- Rapid-deployment solutions for HR
- SAP Solution Manager 7.1
- The future of SAP Business All-in-One solutions
SAP partners set to appear at SAPPHIRE NOW 2011
There will also be plenty to see at the stands of SAP’s partners. Implico, for example, develops route-planning software that enables users to plan shipments in real time – from order receipt to dispatching and data collation. It can also factor in customer-, product-, and vehicle-specific restrictions in the process. Those who stop by Implico’s stand will have the chance to view a live demo of the software on an iPad, including route optimization and communication with a driver.
ECM and mobile software
OpenText will also be on hand at SAPPHIRE NOW to present its ECM Suite for SAP Solutions. OpenText Officer Bill Morton, meanwhile, will be introducing his book Managing Content in the Cloud at the partner center from 12:30 to 1:10 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18.
At the customer pavilion, attendees will be able to listen to customer presentations on using OpenText solutions in real-world scenarios:
- Deloitte: SAP Extended ECM by OpenText; Tuesday, May 17, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
- Insight: SAP Document Access by OpenText; Tuesday, May 17, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
- CareFusion: SAP Customer Relationship Management, SAP Document Access by OpenText, and SAP Archiving by OpenText; Monday, May 16, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
- Celanese: SAP Employee File Management by OpenText; Wednesday, May 18, 12:30-2:00 p.m.
Realtech’s stand, meanwhile, will be focusing on database migration, application life-cycle management, and change management. Its software theGuard! helps administer changes within IT infrastructures, test developments, conduct monitoring, set priorities, and control various factors when going live.
Finally, Ciber will be focusing its full attention on the subject of mobile software. At its partner stand, attendees will have the opportunity to observe a demo of Practical Manufacturing Execution (PME), the latest manufacturing integration software that combines SAP Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence (SAP MII) and Ciber Services. On Wednesday, May 18, there will also be a presentation on “Achieving Practical Manufacturing Execution (PME) Using SAP Solutions” on the partner campus.