The Cost Drivers for SAP11/04/2010 by Dieter Steiger
SAP optimization harbors great potential for lowering costs over the long term. Implementing and operating SAP applications ends up being more expensive than necessary in most cases. Interests within the SAP community ensure that the operating costs for SAP remain high. Meanwhile, many SAP customers have lost a general overview of their SAP systems, rendering [...]
SAP – costs too high by up to 30%!11/02/2010 by Dieter Steiger
Experience shows that implementing and operating SAP applications typically costs 10-30% more than it should. SAP cleverly positions new systems on a regular basis that offer questionable benefits to customers within the overall context, and do not really contribute to an SAP optimization. Examples include Accelerated SAP (ASAP), SAP Netweaver and of course the Run [...]
SAP Template – basic rules for successful rollout06/21/2010 by Dieter Steiger
The motivation for SAP consolidation projects from SAP R/2 to SAP R/3 is to reduce costs for SAP operations. Unfortunately, we have seen that SAP has scarcely learned from experience. Already after going live with the first corporate subsidiary, the company is facing a dilemma of whether to go live with additional corporate subsidiaries and operate the first live launch as a competitor.
This competitive situation for SAP projects can only be brought under control with SAP Application Lifecycle Management (SAP ALM).
SAP Cloud Computing06/11/2010 by Dieter Steiger
SAP Technology is based on a 20-year-old concept. Can the associated system environment handle the demands of modern cloud computing? Cloud computing-supported virtualization and scalability as well as data management for transactional processing of business data based on individual settings is probably not feasible with a reasonable amount of complexity. Is SAP really in a position – beyond marketing messages – to deliver such a product at an affordable price?
SAP Enhancement Packages not a “Panacea” after All02/23/2009 by Dieter Steiger
The new concept of the Enhancement Packages (EhPs) from SAP is ingenious from a technical perspective. It’s actually too bad that SAP, the supplier par excellence for business software, has taken so long to create this software logistics concept. Based on the time and effort they’ve put in, any SAP CIO can tell you what [...]
SAP Consolidation – a Challenge to Further Development?01/09/2009 by Dieter Steiger
In a highly interesting and descriptive blog posting on the SAP Community Network, Tao Zhang, who works for Benteler Group, discusses the SAP consolidation process. His article focuses on the challenges and potential benefits, approaching the issue from the company’s perspective.
New Challenges
As I see it, the biggest challenges facing SAP system environment consolidation projects in [...]
Transport Management – SAP CTS+ will hardly straighten it out11/24/2008 by Dieter Steiger
In my article on SAP Change and Transport Management, I discuss the topic of “measures that ensure horizontal and vertical consistency.” After attending the TechEd Berlin 2008, it appears that SAP and its Enhanced Change and Transport System CTS+ remain unwilling to accept this challenge but instead prefer to leave it up to customers and [...]
SAP Business Process Change Analyzer – Does It Analyze Business Processes?11/18/2008 by Dieter Steiger
Accompanied by considerable fanfare, SAP co-CEO Leo Apotheker introduced an SAP Solution Manager module called the SAP Business Process Change Analyzer (SAP BPCA) at this year’s TechEd in Berlin. So, what’s behind it? Can the Business Process Change Analyzer fulfill the expectations that its name suggests?
The fact that SAP has even introduced the BPCA seems [...]
SAP Solution Manager – Does It Manage SAP Solutions?11/17/2008 by Dieter Steiger
I was fortunate to attend various presentations on the topic of SAP’s solution management at SAP TechEd 2008 Berlin.
My expectations regarding SAP solution management would be that SAP could finally take on the task of solution management for specific customer implementation scenarios, and that it would do so in a comprehensive manner. Sadly, this has [...]
How not to Disclose a Secret – HP´s ERP4IT08/11/2008 by Dieter Steiger
Whereas ERP is a synonym for software-supported Enterprise Planning and Controlling, ERP4IT stands for software-supported IT Planning and Controlling (ITPC).
Those who are looking for solutions will without much doubt check out the ERP4IT offerings of the leading ERP system manufacturer SAP. SAP seems to be the only ERP software vendor for managing one´s own customer [...]