Asked Dennis Howlett after SapphireNow ended last week. It was quite a show. Superb logistics, great SAP hospitality, nice visits with several Mentors, bloggers, folks I seem to see each year at Sapphire.
Honestly, though, reality was all around the show:
- Rimini Street had a suite in a hotel nearby to remind us maintenance is way overpriced for a number of mature SAP customers
- NetSuite ran a truck around the event with an ad – a reminder they have been doing SaaS much longer and with 6,500 more customers than ByD
- On Tuesday, Microsoft helpfully brought salesforce.com into conversations with their frivolous lawsuit. Yes, the salesforce which has almost 70,000 more customers than ByD
- Even if you missed the 3 above, the large number of outsourcers on the floor were a frequent reminder of the SAP TCO. My alma mater, PwC which sold its SAP (the bulk of its consulting ) practice to IBM in 2002, was back in force with a large booth. The good times are tough to keep away from.
That was the reality before Sapphire started. It still is reality we have to live with when it comes to discussing SAP. Particularly now the drugs from the show have worn off.
Dennis's own post-hangover assessment
