All Eyes on BOBJ User Conference
By Rory Doherty, Editorial Director, Optimal SAP Advisor
Adapt or die. Do more with less. Get more from what you’ve got. Innovate or eat dust. Invest or perish. Despite their obvious contradictions, these business truisms all apply in today’s turbulent markets and uncertain economy. The pressure on technology decision makers has never been greater. No one wants to be on the wrong side of a make-or-break technology purchase decision. Just as no one wants to get caught sitting on the fence as a competitor leverages technology for an insurmountable competitive gain.
Today, in the world of enterprise technology, BI and mobility (the two can no longer be considered separately) command center stage. Businesses with the best strategy for intelligently connecting past, present and future BI and mobility investments will protect margins, grow market share and emerge as leaders -- which is why all eyes are on this year’s ASUG SAP BusinessObjects User Conference next week in Orlando.
More than a few recent developments make this year’s SBOUC conference of paramount importance.
First, the heightened importance of BI and mobility cannot be denied. BI’s mettle is proven, SAP’s leadership in BI is well established, and adoption of enterprise mobility is raging and unstoppable. Business leaders know they must excel in the BI/mobility race to remain relevant and viable.
While no company is immune to unstable or deteriorating economic conditions -- a lesson learned only too well during the past recession -- organizations with the enterprise-wide visibility and accurate real-time reporting needed to make fast operational adjustments and strategic business-process innovations fared markedly better than those that sat idle, hoarding cash and charting strategy based on dated, disjointed legacy systems.
Second, SAP’s accelerated pace of innovation on the BI/mobility front is nothing short of dizzying. And while SAP should be commended for stepping up their game in bringing high-value, innovative solutions to market more rapidly, SAP’s success on this front has left many customers feeling a bit overwhelmed.
To be sure, from SAP’s breakthroughs with in-memory technology (HANA) to the Sybase acquisition to the release of SAP BusinessObjects 4.0 to SAPs increased on-demand offerings, there is much important information for SAP customers to process.
Third, and this point could arguably be first, the presence of ASUG News at SBOUC is sure to bring added focus, clarity and value to the conference.
ASUG should be commended for launching ASUG News in January. More pointedly, ASUG wins big kudos for tapping industry watchdogs Courtney Bjorlin and Thomas Wailgum to spearhead ASUG News.
Bjorlin and Wailgum are seasoned journalists with genuine understanding of enterprise technology issues -- from the perspective of both customers and vendors. They’ve seen it all -- the good, the bad and the ugly -- during their respective tenures with SearchSAP and CIO and are uniquely qualified to frame, provide insight and give voice to all matters impacting the SAP ecosystem.
During the SBOUC conference Bjorlin and Wailgum will interview numerous key SAP executives, partners and customers -- greatly complementing the educational value of the conference’s many keynotes, panel discussions, tracks and sessions.
ASUG News brings significant gravitas and power to ASUG’s mission of providing the SAP ecosystem with the resources, tools, information and connections they need to maximize the return on their SAP investment, and Optimal Solutions is proud to sponsor the ASUG News Studio at SBOUC.
Interviews will be broadcast live on monitors throughout the SBOUG conference and will be available for viewing after the event on ASUGonline, ASUG’s virtual exhibit space. Conference attendees are encouraged to sit in on interviews when schedules permit.
(The ASUG News Studio will be located on the First Level of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort hotel in the Partner Showcase/Show Floor main room.)
SAP BOBJ customers with questions about their organization’s next-best BI and mobility move against the backdrop of HANA, BOBJ 4.0, and their existing BOBJ and SAP BW investments should not miss Thomas Wailgum’s one-on-one interview with Optimal Solutions SVP Elliott Garofalo on Tuesday, October 11, at 1:00 pm (EST).
Looking for some plane reading for your trip to SBOUC that will bring you up to speed on SAP Analytics, SAP BI & SAP Mobility?
Download Optimal SAP Advisor Report: Why SAP Enterprise Mobility Now?
Download Optimal SAP Advisor Report: Why SAP Analytics & BI Now?
Of course, all are welcome to visit with Optimal during SBOUC at booth 609.
