SHORT BIO Ray's a Vice President and Principal Analyst for enterprise applications and strategy at Forrester Research. His client facing research focuses on business processes such as project oriented businesses, the perfect order and continuous customer management. Topics range from Project Based Solutions, ERP, vendor selection, and software licensing and pricing for the global Enterprise and SMB market. His vendor facing research focuses on ecosystem development, partner channels, and product marketing. Prior to Forrester, Ray served roles in product management, management consulting, and corporate marketing roles for Oracle, PeopleSoft, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Deloitte Consulting, Detroit Medical Center, and the Johns Hopkins Hospital. LONG BIO: R "Ray" Wang R "Ray" Wang is a Vice President and Principal Analyst with Forrester research. In his research he focuses on helping end user clients with vendor selection, contract negotiations, and apps strategy for topics such as MDM, ERP, and Project Based Solutions. Ray provides strategic guidance in software licensing and pricing, evaluates software partner ecosystems, researches business processes such as the order management cycle and continuous customer management, and assesses functional areas such as customer data integration and the impact of service-oriented architecture (SOA) on packaged applications. With this understanding of the overall ecosystem of solutions, technology, and system integrators, Ray provides strategy and guidance for many clients navigating through the vendor selection process. In 2008 Ray was recognized by the Institute Of Industry Analyst Relations (IIAR) as Analyst of the Year. Ray brings enterprise software experience honed from more than a decade of product management, management consulting, and marketing roles. Prior to joining Forrester, he headed up the customer relationship management (CRM) analyst relations program for PeopleSoft. At Oracle, Ray served senior product management roles for both the ERP and CRM product lines. And while at Personify, he was the marketing chief for a Web analytics startup valued at $500 million. Before working for packaged application vendors, Ray developed his management consulting and strategy experience at Capgemini, Ernst & Young, Deloitte Consulting, Detroit Medical Center, and the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He specialized in SAP implementations, general strategy, program management, change management, mergers and acquisitions, and healthcare operations. Event Title: Why You Need A Long Term Apps Strategy and How To Assess Your Readiness R "Ray" Wang Theme: "Without a long-term apps strategy, organizations run the risk of forever fighting an endless inferno of IT fires resulting in a business that's stymied by its own technology" Abstract: Amid a consolidating vendor landscape, business process and applications professionals face an onslaught of packaged apps initiatives focused on strategic planning for service-oriented architecture (SOA), next-generation apps, upgrades, instance consolidation, and licensing and pricing. Most existing efforts are chaotic - or reactive at best - resulting in excessive overspending, missed project deadlines, and overtaxed staff. The solution is proper planning and the development of a long-term packaged apps strategy to mitigate unnecessary fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Forrester developed a framework of more than 150 applications strategy elements organized around the four pillars of a successful long-term packaged apps strategy: people, process, technology, and ecosystem. To breathe new life into your long-term packaged apps strategy - or generate a strategy if your organization lacks one - business process and applications professionals should use this framework and self-assessment designed to assess your current strategy, identify areas for improvement, and provide a baseline to track ongoing progress. Sample Presentation Agenda: • Learn why piecemeal enterprise application efforts often open a can of worms • Understand how a shift to dynamic applications creates strategic opportunities • Improve IT relevance by tying strategies to business drivers • Build long-term apps strategies that tie individual projects to overall strategies • Apply assessment tools to provide ongoing value • Recommendations • Q&A Sample Event Agenda: 8:00 to 8:30 Breakfast and Networking 8:30 to 8:40 Introduction by Hosts 8:40 to 9:30 Long term apps strategy presentation by R "Ray" Wang 9:30 to 9:45 Caffeine Break 9:45 to 10:45 Customer case study or panel or Optional Self Assessment Workshop 10:45 to 11:30 Solution offering overview 11:30 to 12:30 Networking Lunch and 1:1 Meetings Title: Why You Need A Long Term Apps Strategy- New!! Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: Business Process & Applications professionals face a barrage of requests to deploy new functionality, reduce IT costs, and meet vendor imposed upgrade deadlines. Typical projects include instance consolidation, software upgrades, business process outsourcing (BPO), and third-party maintenance migration. But these projects often occur in piecemeal, leading to organizational fatigue, expensive rework, and lost Total Economic ImpactTM (TEI). As the industry moves to service-oriented architecture (SOA) and the beginning of the next upgrade cycle, business process and applications professionals should take advantage of this unique opportunity to plan strategically and initiate a long-term applications strategy. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang, Target audience: • CIOS and IT decision-makers. • Vendor selection committees. • Business-unit leaders. • IT team leaders. • Procurement staff. • Internal or external consulting teams Key issues to be answered by the session: • What are the lessons learned from previous projects? • What are the business drivers for a long term apps strategy? • How can I assess my long term apps strategy? • How do I address people, process, technology, and ecosystem? Title: Choosing the Right ERP Solution: Best Practices in Vendor Selection Session Type: Full Day Bootcamp Abstract: Forrester offers a step-by-step approach to demystifying the complexity in ERP vendor selection. Based on best practices, Forrester SmartSelect methodologies prepare the enterprise to not only identify enterprisewide vendors but also address implementation considerations, apply licensing strategies, and identify maintenance and support considerations. Throughout the session, adequate time is provided for questions and answers along with valuable feedback and interactive discussion among participants. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: • CIOS and IT decision-makers. • Vendor selection committees. • Business-unit leaders. • IT team leaders. • Procurement staff. • Internal or external consulting teams Agenda 9:00 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Setting The Stage For Success 9:30 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Behind The Vendor Selection Process 10:15 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Vendor Landscape 10:30 a.m.-10:40 a.m. Break 10:40 a.m.-11:25 a.m. Implementation Considerations 11:25 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Orchestrating Vendor Selection 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Lunch 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Licensing Strategies Around The Software Life Cycle 2:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m. Sugar Break 2:45 p.m.-3:45 p.m. Maintenance And Support Considerations 3:45 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Wrap-Up And Overview Title: Vendor X Negotiation Sesssion- New!! Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: Forrester delivers an interactive working session on negotiation software license deals with Oracle or SAP. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: Target audience: • CIOS and IT decision-makers. • Vendor selection committees. • Business-unit leaders. • IT team leaders. • Procurement staff. • Internal or external consulting teams Agenda: 8:00-8:30 a.m. Breakfast Reception 8:30-8:45 a.m. Welcome And Introductions 8:45-9:45 a.m. Presentation: Understanding Oracle Apps and Middleware Licensing • Background; Oracle User Challenges • Oracle's Basic Licensing Approach • What's new in Oracle Licensing?. • Insights into Oracle's Enterprise License Agreement strategy 9:45-12:00 p.m. Presentation: Licensing in the Context of a Long Term Apps Strategy • Why You Need a Long Term Apps Strategy • Components of the Long Term Apps Strategy 1. Align with a business driver 2. Put in the right governance structure 3. Understand your process requirements 4. Determine technology strategy 5. Build your own ecosystem • Understanding the Total Economic Impact. 12:00-12:30 P.M. Lunch /Bio Break 12:30-2:00 P.M. Preparing To Negotiate • Common Problems/Challenges in Licensing Negotiations • Pricing overview • Getting Concessions; which ones work - and why? • Contract issues: audits, M&A, Disaster/Recovery • What to get out of maintenance and support • Driving value from your Oracle relationship beyond just licensing fees. 2:00-2:15 p.m. Q&A and Wrap-up 2:15-3:15 p.m. Enterprise Software Licensee Bill of Rights • The Software Lifecycle • Components of the Software Licensee Bill of Rights 3:15-3:30 p.m. Q&A and Wrap-up Title: Software and Services Spending, A Business Technographics Look at 2009 - New!! Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: Forrester presents an exclusive look at the latest 2006 North American and European Software and Services suvey. Discover the state of software spending plans for 2008, investments, SaaS, SOA, Infrastructure trends, and outsourcing trends. The session looks at both SME and Enterprise. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: Business Leaders, IT Leaders, and CXO's involved in software marketing, development, and planning. Agenda: • Software Spending Plans for 2008 • State of Software Investments • Preferences in SaaS and SOA • Infrastructure Software • Web 2.0 Title: Understanding the Future of SAP New!! Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: SAP recently made moves to consolidate its product line offerings into a unified suite, Business Suite 7. However, a pricey maintenance hike, failure to deliver on enhancements as promised, and $6B in R&D spent on NetWeaver and mid-market initiatives still leave customers wondering what SAP's future direction will look like. Join Forrester's Vice President and Principal Analyst R "Ray" Wang as he discusses the future of SAP and how to best engage and build a win-win partnership. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: Business Leaders, IT Leaders, and CXO's involved in software procurement and/or the usage of Oracle or SAP products Key issues to be answered by the session: • What is Business Suite 7? • What is SAP"s strategy for mySAP ERP? • What is the UI strategy for SAP? • Should I use NetWeaver or avoid it? • How do I align my upgrade strategy with SAP's product direction? • How can I deal with the pricey maintenance fee hike? • Is there any value in value engineering or enterprise support? • What can I do to reduce my costs of owning SAP? • And any other questions sent to the team 3 days in advance Title: Case studies and models for instance consolidation using Oracle or SAP - New!! Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: The journey towards instance consolidation requires tedious design and careful planning. Enterprises must define the single instance, identify common goals, and adopt critical success factors such as detailed process mapping and change management. While no two instance consolidation projects are alike, Forrester identifies three unique scenarios enterprises apply towards achieving one instance. By designing the instance consolidation with long term IT strategy in mind, enterprises can deftly incorporate these scenarios with consolidation efforts and strategically achieve the greatest return on their enterprise application investments. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: Business Leaders, IT Leaders, and CXO's involved in software planning and instance consolidation Key issues to be answered by the session: When and why should an enterprise consider a single global instance? What are lessons learned? What are models towards a single instance? How can I achieve single instance? How can I learn from case studies? What recommendations have been made? Are there other tangential steps I should take towards single instance? Title: Responding to Tectonic Shifts in the Software Industry Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: SOA, SaaS, Dynamic Applications, and Solutions Centric Ecosystems converge to shape the future of software. Forrester provides an industry overview of the trends and strategies to respond to these shifts in the software industry. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang, Target audience: Business Leaders, IT Leaders, and CXO's involved in software procurement and/or the usage of enterprise software Key issues to be answered by the session: • What are the key client industry trends? • What is the impact of SOA and the upgrade cycle? • What is the impact of SaaS on the market? • Where is the future of software heading? • How do solution centric ecosystems change the landscape of software? • How can clients respond to these 4 key forces? • Title: Avoiding Failure in Technology Partnerships: 21 Questions Every Technology Partnership should Answer (a.k.a. How to partner with IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP) Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: As business technology providers move to expand their solutions-centric ecosystems, strategists must intensely focus on partnerships across the value chain. The sad truth is that few technology partnerships are as successful as their participants wish. Most failures result from poor alignment between parties on key objectives and metrics. Forrester suggests 21 questions to drive that alignment across four core competencies: building technology and product strategy; aligning go-to-market activities; investment in a support ecosystem; and executing the action plan. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Key issues to be answered by the session: • What's a solution centric ecosystem? • What are the three major forces that have caused past failures? • What questions should be addressed in building the product/service strategy? • What questions should be addressed when aligning go to market plans • What questions should be addressed in creating a support community • How should I measure and manage plan execution? • What will the future of partnerships look like? Title: The Future of Oracle vs SAP: Let the battle of the architecture begin! Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: The two titans of enterprise applications, SAP and Oracle, are aggressively pursuing and promoting their next generation of applications, based on service-oriented architectures (SOA). The differences outweigh the similarities. Oracle is building its middleware business and applications portfolio through a massive acquisition strategy, while SAP is relying more on internal development and partnerships. Find out more on the future of Oracle and SAP Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang, John Rymer, or Paul Hamerman Target audience: Business Leaders, IT Leaders, and CXO's involved in software procurement and/or the usage of Oracle or SAP products Key issues to be answered by the session: • What is Oracle's strategy for Fusion Applications • What is SAP"s strategy for mySAP ERP? • How do the 2 strategies compare? • Who is stronger? Who is weaker and why? • What does this mean for customers? • Title: An Enterprise Software Licensee's Bill of Rights - New!! Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: Of all the assets that an enterprise acquires, enterprise software brings with it the most unusual, onerous, and restrictive set of constraints. In most cases, licensees may not resell, reuse, or share their license. Licensees often encounter numerous grievances across the software ownership life cycle from selection, to implementation, utilization, maintenance, and retirement. However, as CIOs and IT procurement managers encounter new deployment options such as software-as-a-service (SaaS) and technology architectures such as SOA, the pendulum slowly shifts in favor of the customer. Forrester outlines a software licensee bill of rights (LBoR) that reflects Forrester's clients' best practices in this new IT environment. Because leverage wanes after the initial selection phase, CIOs and IT procurement professionals should immediately incorporate these best practices into the management of current vendor relationships and the wording of future vendor contracts. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: Business Leaders, IT Leaders, and CXO's involved in software procurement and contract negotiations Key issues to be answered by the session: What are some grievances experienced by customers? Why the market is shifting towards the customer? What rights should I expect from a relationship point of view? What rights should I expect during the selection process? What rights should I expect during the implementation process? What rights should I expect during the utilization period? What rights should I expect during maintenance? What rights should I expect when I retire my software? How do I implement rights based on the software ownership life cycle? Title: Solutions Centric Ecosystems in Software: Partnering with the Big 4, a new world order - New!! Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: The software market is entering a war of ecosystems. Partners are the foot soldiers, and client mindshare is the mission. The software industry is in the midst of consolidation. This is not the last wave consolidation. Waves of consolidation occur and then a period of innovation resumes. The Big 4 (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP) represent the largest mindshare in this software space. As these ecosystems continue to evolve and exert their influence, partners in the form of ISV's, Integrators, and Resellers emerge to not only build complementary products, but also sell, install, and service on these ecosystems. Now, while all 4 have different approaches in amassing their foot soldiers for each type of mission, whether it be new geographies, industries, or markets, they are all engaged in battling for the mindshare and client base in the next theatres of war, the SMB/E market and in delivering SOA tools and solutions for enterprises. Consequently, the Big 4 vendors are vying to create the most inclusive and comprehensive ecosystem . To get there, they need these large armies to deliver the last mile solutions. They need to give these ecosystems the tools to succeed. They need to retain their loyalties. And this is where the battles will occur for IT spending. How will you position yourself for success? Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: Business Leaders, IT Leaders, and CXO's involved in software partnerships, ISV relationships, and ecosystem development. Key issues to be answered by the session: How are software ecosystems changing the landscape? How do the Big Four's portfolios stack up? How do you partner with the Big Four? How have the major systems integrators reacted? Investment study on middleware Competitors snapshot Opportunities in the SMB World Renewed focus on vertical solutions beyond ERP Title: Market Overview: SMB ERP - Competition Heats Up for the SMB Customer Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract Over the next three to five years, the most dynamic and innovative growth area in enterprise applications will be for users in the small and mid-market. With unique requirements that demand full capabilities without complexity, small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) customers seek practical solutions with quick ROI. Vendors, as incumbents and challengers, have responded to these demands with significant product and channel investments. The result is improving industry-specific and last-mile capabilities, usability, rapid implementation, Microsoft Office integration, and mobile solution support. Forrester recommends that users should select a vendor based on business requirements, architectural flexibility, and Total Economic Impact (TEI). Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: IT (Applications), Business Users and Enterprise Applications Vendors Key issues to be answered by the session: What are the key SMB ERP user trends? How are vendors delivering on key benefits? Who are the 25 key players? What will the future look like in this market place? For End User Clients: What are the vendor selection strategies? For Vendors: How should we evaluate a vendor? How do I sell to the SME market? Title: Introducing Project Based Solutions- Software Designed for Project Based Work - New!! Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: Externally focused service or project-based professionals face unique challenges. Although work often focuses around projects, most enterprise applications remain designed for a functional world. Thus, firms in industries such as public sector, AEC, government contracting, business services, and nonprofit continue to seek solutions that consolidate processes and streamline how users deliver on engagements, projects, and programs. Forrester's inaugural coverage of project-based software solutions (PBS) identifies a new category of software designed to manage and support project-based business processes, provides a business justification for PBS, and assesses the key vendors and their solutions. Use of a project-based solution will be one of the key competitive differentiators for successful enterprises competing in a people-centric marketplace. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: • CIOS and IT decision-makers. • Vendor selection committees. • Business-unit leaders. • IT team leaders. • Procurement staff. • Internal or external consulting teams Key issues to be answered by the session: Where's the market demand? What are emerging trends? Who are the key players? How do they key players stack up? How do I choose a solution? Title: Strategies for SaaS in ERP- New!! Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: The greatest opportunity is in the mid-market. SaaS represents one deployment option in the war for IT spending. This session defines SaaS and identifies the key players in the market. A TEI study is also included that shows the benefits of SaaS for both the customer and the vendor. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: Business Leaders, IT Leaders, and CXO's involved in the development and marketing of SaaS solutions Key issues to be answered by the session: What are the basics of SaaS? What are the current SaaS trends? Who are the major ERP SaaS Vendors today? Is SaaS more cost effective than On-Premise software? Title: Total Economic Impact Unplugged - Moving beyond the world of TCO - New!! Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: Historically, choosing a packaged enterprise application, (e.g., enterprise resource planning or ERP, customer relationship management or CRM, or supply chain management or SCM) or assessing the benefits of existing systems began and often ended with analyses of the costs to implement, deploy, and maintain them. However, a pure cost-oriented approach like total cost of ownership (TCO) does not allow an organization to measure the full economic impact of the investment. By measuring not just cost and financial benefits, but also risk or uncertainty as well as future flexibility, enterprises can establish a more inclusive and accurate picture of the return on investment (ROI). This document, the first in a series that examines the Total Economic ImpactTM (TEI) of issues in adopting packaged applications, establishes criteria for a robust ROI analysis that is used to evaluate opportunities in vendor selection, consolidation, upgrade/migration, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) deployment scenarios Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: Business Leaders, IT Leaders, and CXO's involved in the development and marketing of SaaS solutions Key issues to be answered by the session: What are the components of TEI? How do I set up a model? What would a comparison between SaaS vs On-Premise look like? How do I use this in conjunction with Vendor Selection? Title: Strategies for the Three Archetypes of Analysts and How to Build Credibility among product teams? - New!! Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: While analyst relations (AR) professionals may feel as if every analyst is a unique challenge, Forrester provides a model with which analyst relations professionals can classify analysts into three archetypes - the advocate, the product strategist, and the evangelist - to better understand their motivations and typical AR program requests. Forrester believes that win-win strategies focused on archetypes and personal preferences will result in a more targeted and effective AR strategy. In addition, analyst relations (AR) professionals often face challenges in establishing or improving credibility among product teams. Hectic schedules, limited resources, and incessant pressures to "influence" analysts often leave AR professionals with limited opportunities to strategically determine how to improve their credibility among product teams. Hence, AR professionals are often perceived as extensions of public relations or corporate marketing organizations and as lacking the product expertise to accurately convey product strategy or understand the technical underpinnings of the solution. This session focuses on five best practices for earning credibility with product teams. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: Analyst Relations Professionals Key issues to be answered by the session: What are the three archetypes? What are strategies for each archetype? How can I improve my credibility among product teams? What are best practices? Title: Seven Highly Effective Software Licensing Strategies for Enterprise Applications Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: Enterprise application vendors are being challenged to deliver simplified licensing metrics while modeling the complexity of business around usage. In addition, vendors are striving to enforce consistency in licensing policies while accommodating flexibility throughout the software lifecycle. However, enterprises seek two paradigms: simple licensing metrics with flexible licensing policies and sophisticated licensing metrics with flexible licensing policies. Learn about the software lifecycle, apply 7 highly effective strategies, understand key evaluation criteria, and identify future licensing strategies as business process metrics are introduced in Digital Business Architectures. This session will also identify differences in North American versus EMEA licensing strategies among the major vendors. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: Business Leaders, IT Leaders, and CXO's involved in Software Procurement. Key issues to be answered by the session: What are the 5 key components in the software lifecycle? When should I renegotiate my licenses? How do users wish to license software? What are some trends in enterprise licensing? What are 7 highly effective licensing strategies? How will business process metrics affect future licensing strategies? How should I evaluate software licensing among the major vendors? What are major differences in software licensing in EMEA versus North America? Title: Business Process Software: An Evaluation of the Leading Order Management Cycle Solutions Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract: Order Management has come to mean many things to many people. As vendors move towards Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) and web services enablement, enterprises are beginning to demand tighter integration across cross-functional processes that encapsulate the opportunity to cash process. Forrester's common definition for the Order Management Cycle (OMC) provides a framework for evaluation and discussion among vendors and enterprises across 5 key components that include: order channels, presentation framework, business process modules, core application foundation, and data and infrastructure. See how the top vendors fared in the latest Order Management Cycle Wave. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: Business Leaders, IT Leaders involved in the Order Management Cycle. Key issues to be answered by the session: What are the key components of the Order Management Cycle (OMC)? What are key criteria in evaluating existing solutions? How integrated are existing solutions? Who are the leading OMC vendors? Title: The Future of ERP Session Type: Presentation (1.5 hours) (30 SU's minimum) Abstract The application software industry continues to consolidate, with customer retention and support becoming the key to vendor survival. At the same time, a few leading vendors are investing heavily in next generation product strategies that promise greater business flexibility, usability and process support, but also require customers to stay on a potentially costly upgrade path. This presentation analyzes the trends and future prospects of the ERP software market. It will help customers of the leading vendors consider long range enterprise applications strategies. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Theme: Next Generation IT Architecture Target audience: IT (Applications), Business Users and Enterprise Applications Vendors Key issues to be answered by the session: How is the enterprise application market evolving? How are the packaged application products evolving in terms of in terms of technology, usability and business process support? Which application vendors are leading the evolution to service oriented architectures? How do the leading vendors' strategies compare? Should you follow your incumbent vendor's stated direction or should you consider other options? Title: Continuous Customer Management and Customer Data Integration Workshop Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract Customer data integration (CDI) is a category of software infrastructure that operationalizes the acquisition, distribution, and management of customer information. Forrester explains how CDI provides the infrastructure to succeed in Continuous Customer Management. In addition, the session outlines how an enterprise can move forward with a CCM strategy. To assess the state of the CDI market and see how the vendors stack up, Forrester evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of the top nine CDI vendors. Learn how to evaluate the vendors and find out who came out on top in the 2008 Customer hubs Wave Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: IT (Applications), Business Users and Enterprise Applications Vendors Key issues to be answered by the session: What are the fundamentals of CDI? Why go with a packaged solution? What are the different approaches? Who are the key players? Who's the best at customer data integration? What are the market trends? How do I achieve Continuous Customer Management? What are customers asking? How to evaluate a CDI vendor? What levels of MDM maturity are important? How do I choose a CDI vendor? Title: 11 Entry Points To SOA: How To Prepare For Upcoming ERP Trends In A World Of SOA Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract Recent trends in ERP impact the future of next-generation applications. With so much talk about SOAs and Web services, come learn how SOAs and Web services affect ERP applications and enable IT to accommodate business requests for flexibility. More importantly, learn how to identify 11 entry points on the road to SOA and evaluate projects for complexity in change management and business need.. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: IT (Applications), Business Users and Enterprise Applications Vendors, Architects Key issues to be answered by the session: * What are recent ERP trends? * What are the business and technology drivers for SOA. * How to identify 11 entry points to SOA. * What are the trends in SOA adoption for packaged applications? * How do I position myself for investment? Title: Forrester Wave -- State Of Enterprise Applications Software Licensing -- How The Vendors Stack Up Session Type: Presentation/Interactive Session Abstract Enterprise application vendors are being challenged to deliver simplified licensing metrics while modeling the complexity of business around usage. In addition, vendors are striving to enforce consistency in licensing policies while accommodating flexibility in the software life-cycle ownership experience. However, enterprises seek two paradigms: simple licensing metrics with flexible licensing policies and advanced licensing metrics with flexible licensing policies. To assess the state of the enterprise applications software licensing market and see how the vendors stack up against one another, Forrester evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of top ERP vendors across 65 criteria looking at how these vendors address mutually exclusive criteria in simplicity versus complexity, as well as consistency versus flexibility throughout the software life cycle. Analyst / Presenter: R "Ray" Wang Target audience: IT (Applications), Business Users, Enterprise Applications Vendors, and IT Procurement Key issues to be answered by the session: * What is the software life cycle. * How can enterprises seek to optimize the software life cycle. * Which vendors offer simplicity in licensing? * Which vendors accommodate complexity in licensing?