A Software Insider's Point of View

High Cost Of Ownership And Changing Requirements Drive SAP Users To Seek Optimization Solutions

As users await SAP to regain its mojo (see Dennis Howlett’s post) and implement it’s “Voice of the Customer” strategy in 2010, users must continue to reduce their cost of ownership and complexity. In addition, rapidly changing business requirements require some users to seek SaaS alternatives, additional point solutions, and extensions.
Consequently, vendors providing SAP optimization and extension solutions represent one of the fastest growing parts of the $78.7B (2009 Altimeter Group estimate), 850,000 SAP service partner and developer ecosystem. SAP users already embrace many of the solutions from vendors on this inaugural SAP Optimization List as part of their business value oriented apps strategy. The living list covers seven areas including:

1. application extension and usability;
2. application life cycle management;
3. archiving, storage, and test data management;
4. license management and optimization;
5. Microsoft Office integration;
6. third party maintenance; and
7. virtualization

DSAG project team and project leader departure could signal disagreement with methodology not SUGEN
SAP embarked on an ambitious program to prove value in its Enterprise Support fee hike last year.   As planned, SAP should announce the results for the first set of SUGEN KPI’s in early December.  However, two key SUGEN KPI project sponsors [...]

Rapid SaaS Adoption Will Lead To A Repeat Of 1990’s Best Of Breed Integration Challenges

The proliferation and rapid adoption of SaaS solutions stems from 7 key benefits: richer user experience, rapid implementation, frequent cycles of innovation, minimal upgrade hassles, always on deployment, subscription pricing, and scalability (see Figure 1). Despite these benefits, organizations head full [...]

Organization’s face significant prioritization challenges as they plan their 2010 apps strategies.  Faced with shrinking budgets, competing priorities, increased management scrutiny, outdated legacy apps, and uncertain economic conditions, organizations must answer key questions such as:

How do I determine which business requirements carry more weight?
Where do regulatory requirements fit when compared to other priorities?
What’s a good [...]

Labor Day (US Holiday) traditionally marks the end of summer BBQ’s, the beginning of the fall conference season, and yes, the time to begin a review of your software maintenance contacts that expire end of year.   As clients prepare for this seasonal ritual, a few trends in 2009 should set the stage for negotiations:

Continued [...]

Many user groups currently meet the basic requirements…
Today’s independent and vendor sponsored user groups serve a key role in building community among a common interest group.  Typical mission and objectives often include:

Creating an environment to share information and best practices
Exposing issues and limitations with a vendor’s product and partner solutions
Soliciting member feedback and concerns about [...]

Declining demand and diminishing output increase the pressure for enterprises to reduce their software license maintenance costs.  As part of a larger enterprise apps strategy, shelfware reduction provides an area for significant cost savings.   However, shelfware reduction is often hard to achieve because many vendors impose:

Enterprise wide agreements. These “all you can eat” agreements incentivize [...]

In the past 2 weeks, emails from 31 software insider readers highlight a growing and concerning trend with support and maintenance contracts.  Vendors concerns about support and maintenance contract retentions has led to new initiatives to consolidate contracts.  At first glance, this may appear to be proactive and beneficial to customers.  In fact, common rationale [...]

(Photo: Rimini Street movable billboard outside SAPPHIRE 09.   Courtesy of Rimini Street.  All rights reserved)
Almost one year after Rimini Street announced its intention to provide third party maintenance, on May 11th, 2009, the ground breaking support services provider announced that it had signed its first SAP clients and launched immediate availability of its support [...]

FORWARD AND COMMENTARY
“Shape Your Apps Strategy To Reflect New SaaS Licensing and Pricing Trends” represent the seventh report in an on-going series to provide clients with insight on how to better align their packaged apps strategies.  As more and more clients seek SaaS solutions as options to pipe in innovation and potentially control costs, clients [...]

ZDNet Japan Business Applications Conference
Bellesalle Yaesu, Tokyo, Japan
June 10, 2008  13:00-18:00
R “Ray” Wang
Keynote Speech: Insights Into Building A Recession Proof Apps Strategy

ZDNet Japan ビジネス・アプリケーション カンファレンス

不況だからって、アプリケーションを止められますか？

いうまでもなく、不況です。不況はITコストの削減を生みます。しかし、いまや、ITは止められないばかりか、進化を続けなければなりません。
企業は情報システムへの投資をこれまで通り続けられない状況にあります。こうした状況においてこそ、情報システムを真剣に考え直すべきです。本イベントでは、そのなかでも、最もビジネスに近い層であるビジネスアプリケーションについて議論します。
小さく導入したアプリケーションを統制・連携するためのアーキテクチャーとしてはSOA、ビジネスの効率化をITに実装するためのBPM、所有から使用への新たな選択肢として脚光を浴びるSaaS…… 不況下でも企業が情報システムにできることはたくさんあるのです。

» 来場事前登録はこちら

開催概要

名称
ZDNet Japan ビジネス・アプリケーション カンファレンス
開催日時
2009年6月10日（水）  12:30開場  13:00開演
場所
ベルサール八重洲 [会場について]
参加費
無料（事前登録制）
定員
300人
対象
CIO（情報に関する資源の統括、戦略立案、実行する責任者の方）／IT部門のマネージャ／業務でERP、CRM等アプリケーションに携わる方
特典
「来場者アンケート」にご回答いただいた方にQuoカードをプレゼントいたします。
また、抽選で200名の方に「日経コンピュータ」を6ヶ月分プレゼントいたします。

セッション一覧

12:30
開場

13:00
|
14:00
基調講演

■不況に打ち勝つアプリケーション戦略を構築するための秘訣
ア プリケーション担当者は現在、新しいビジネスモデルの台頭、経済危機、労働力の変化、技術の進歩などのさまざまな変化に日々直面しています。特に、今日の 世界的な経済不況下においては、より企業のビジネス戦略に沿ったアプリケーション戦略を構築することが求められています。コンプライアンスや業務の効率化 は常に考えなければならない事項ですが、それだけでなく、企業が持続可能な変化を実現するためには、不況に打ち勝つことができるアプリケーション戦略が必 要です。今こそ、ビジネスプロセスをより効率化する機会を探し、最も効果的なテクノロジー戦略を選択し、ベンダーとの関係を見直す必要があります。今回の 講演では、アプリケーション担当者が今行うべきこと、つまり現在のアプリケーション戦略を最適化するための方策を５つのステップで解説します。それを実施 することにより、経費削減だけでなく、将来利益をもたらすビジネスへの投資を行う資金を生み出すことができるでしょう。
アジェンダ：
・ 企業が克服しなければならない４つのチャレンジ
・ 不況に打ち勝つアプリケーション戦略を構築するための５つのステップ
１．不況下におけるビジネスをサポートするアプリケーション戦略を構築する
２．持続可能な変化を実現できる組織を作る
３．コモディティ化されたプロセスと特殊なプロセスにおいて効率化の機会を探す
４．効果的なテクノロジー戦略（SaaS、SOA、BPM）を選択する
５．ベンダーとの関係を見直す

Ray Wang氏
フォレスターリサーチ バイスプレジデント兼プリンシパル・アナリスト
[プロフィール]
レ イ・ワンはフォレスターリサーチのバイスプレジデント兼プリンシパル・アナリスト。グローバル企業から中小企業に至るまで、企業のビジネスプロセスおよび アプリケーション戦略についてリサーチを行い、実行可能なアドバイスを提供している。2008年には、彼の経験から導かれる深い洞察力とIT知識、中立的 なアドバイス、そしてお客様を常に第一に考える姿勢が評価され、アナリスト・リレーションズをサポートする非営利団体IIAR（Institute of Industry AnalystRelations） が行った調査により、“アナリスト・オブ・ザ・イヤー（Analystof the Year）”　に選ばれた。

14:00
|
14:50
講演

■日本IBM
（出演者調整中）

15:00
|
15:50
講演

■SoftwareAG
（出演者調整中）

15:55
|
16:45
講演

■依頼中

16:50
|
17:50
講演

■依頼中

※プログラムは、予告なしに内容や順番などを変更することがございます。ご了承ください。

参加申込み

本 イベントへのご参加には、CNET_IDの登録が必要です。CNET_IDご登録時にご記入いただきました登録者情報は、シーネットネットワークスジャパ ン個人情報保護方針の下で適切に取り扱われ、当セミナーに関するご連絡、およびシーネットネットワークスジャパンよりご提供するメンバーサービスに利用さ れます。また、本セミナーにお申し込みをされたお客様の情報は協賛企業（ソフトウェアAG、日本IBM、日経BP）に提供され、各社より製品やサービスに [...]

Maintenance costs represent a major part of the software budget and the largest growing source of revenue for software vendors.   In fact, an aggregation of the past four quarters of software vendor financial results definitively demonstrates double digit declines in new license revenue, even more exacerbated by the evils of currency flux from the [...]

A common question asked by readers of this blog is when should vendor contract negotiations be led by a domain expert and when should this be led by a procurement professional?  As the complexity of the technology topology increases, expect a multitude of domain experts in roles such as application specialists, business process experts, enterprise [...]

Now’s The Time To Assert Your Rights
With the market now in favor of the enterprise software licensee, its now time to update the Enterprise Software Licensee’s Bill of Rights to include newer topics such as virtualization, SaaS and subscription pricing, newer usage based pricing models, open source, and vendor lock-in avoidance.  As mentioned in a [...]

In several contract negotiation support calls this month, clients have discovered interesting language in their contracts designed to prevent them from choosing a third party maintenance option.  The language is often buried deep into the legalese and many unsuspecting clients may sign without understanding the future implications in the software ownership life cycle and the [...]

FORWARD AND COMMENTARY
The five steps to building a recession proof packaged apps strategy represent the sixth report in an on-going series to provide clients with insight on how to better align their packaged apps strategies.  Aligned with operational efficiency and regulatory compliance business drivers, these best practices provide a road map for more efficient investment.
Other [...]

With a few days left in the year, it’s hard to believe that 2008 is almost over.  Just like our paltry .401K’s and lowered gas prices, it’s like we reverted to the Dot Com bust.  Extreme contrasts in positions and tremendous change made 2008 both exciting, suspenseful, and frankly sobering like 2002.  In fact, it [...]

Software Ownership Remains Unusual, Onerous, and Restrictive
Software licenses are truly unique.  Licensee’s can not resell, reuse, or share their licenses with others. For example, enterprises easily reuse, resell, or share tangible assets such as hardware, telecom equipment, and storage. From both a replacement and life-cycle perspective, leases for assets such as telecom equipment incorporate a [...]

Yep, it’s true, sometimes we all need a flashback refresher. These past few weeks I’ve been with clients who are looking to either quickly implement a new ERP system or rapidly complete an upgrade. As many of you know, that’s not that easy. But what’s been so unsettling is how little [...]