Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Column: SAP's Shai Agassi is gone -- Hurray!
Column: SAP's Shai Agassi is gone -- Hurray!: "What about SAP in America now?
If there are fears, I can tell those in Palo Alto not to worry. SAP will now, no doubt, take a clearer course, focusing again on application development rather than technology. But there is still a lot to be done; the ESA [enterprise services architecture] framework, especially, needs still to become a reality.
I am convinced developer satisfaction will soar from now on -- both SAP's development teams and customers'. CEO Henning Kagermann, whom I see as the true technical visionary, takes responsibility for all development, and Leo Apothéker, deputy CEO, is the man who drove SAP America's growth.
Wasn't Agassi a major proponent of 'globalization,' making SAP compliant with international standards?
That is nonsense, and always has been. SAP did not conquer the North American ERP market because it transformed itself into an American company. To the contrary, SAP had its appeal because it introduced the solid and relaxed European style of innovation to America. Customers were intrigued by German 'Wertarbeit' (quality work), just as they are when they hear Mercedes, BMW or Porsche, and ThyssenKrupp Steel.
I challenge the allegation that there was a customer demand to transform SAP into a more American company. This alleged demand was created by business analysts, who don't buy or extensively use SAP software. "
If there are fears, I can tell those in Palo Alto not to worry. SAP will now, no doubt, take a clearer course, focusing again on application development rather than technology. But there is still a lot to be done; the ESA [enterprise services architecture] framework, especially, needs still to become a reality.
I am convinced developer satisfaction will soar from now on -- both SAP's development teams and customers'. CEO Henning Kagermann, whom I see as the true technical visionary, takes responsibility for all development, and Leo Apothéker, deputy CEO, is the man who drove SAP America's growth.
Wasn't Agassi a major proponent of 'globalization,' making SAP compliant with international standards?
That is nonsense, and always has been. SAP did not conquer the North American ERP market because it transformed itself into an American company. To the contrary, SAP had its appeal because it introduced the solid and relaxed European style of innovation to America. Customers were intrigued by German 'Wertarbeit' (quality work), just as they are when they hear Mercedes, BMW or Porsche, and ThyssenKrupp Steel.
I challenge the allegation that there was a customer demand to transform SAP into a more American company. This alleged demand was created by business analysts, who don't buy or extensively use SAP software. "
