As we have moved to virtual briefings, I have increasingly been excerpting short video segments (with permission) as part of my Analyst Cam series.
This time it is Karyl Fowler, Co-Founder and CEO at Transmute. It offers a verifiable platform which “transforms data from every stage of digitization and paper into secure, interoperable, machine readable, and context rich data.”
I met her as part of SAP.iO Foundry’s Digital Supply Chain startup demo day.
While the platform can be used for other supply chain flows, she focused in her presentation on import and export data flows especially for that for trade into the US. It is a shockingly analog set of flows – “a single shipment on average involves about 50 documents exchanged by up to 30 different partners, and is generally costing companies on average up to 3% of their annual revenues just spent on paper alone.” And “less than 1% of trade. documents are fully digitized today and even there they rely on piecemeal solutions like PDF formats, EDI data formats and Excel. It's no wonder that effectively the same data silos that existed in the paper world are still in existence today in digital world” So, even digitized data is susceptible to fraud – hence the need for verifiable data – “a technology that solves for data provenance in a machine readable way that allows original data to be transmitted across the supply chain in real time.”
They offer “over 80, different supply chain credential templates for commercial invoices, bills of lading etc. so you can use their API with your existing S/4HANA or other enterprise solution with ease". And with the digitized flows, “trade facilitation representatives can focus more on the violative goods or anomaly shipments”
We discuss how global trade continues to rapidly evolve with tariffs, sanctions, sustainability, anti-forced labor and other requirements. We also discuss how even between just two countries there are unique needs like those for goods produced in maquiladora factories
She goes through the product architecture, contributions to standards which are used by regulators and industries and a lot more in this crisp 20 minute presentation
As we have moved to virtual briefings, I have increasingly been excerpting short video segments (with permission) as part of my Analyst Cam series.
This time it is Sukumar Rajagopal, founder and CEO of Tiny Magiq, whose aim is “to help organizations, anywhere in the globe, achieve their most ambitious outcomes through digital transformation, all by themselves, frugally.” I had come to know Sukumar during his stint as Global CIO and Chief Innovation Officer at Cognizant during their hypergrowth phase.
You have read and heard me talk about using automation – AI, robotics, drones etc. - to create high performing “superworkers” in every industry. Here, Sukumar talks about humans turbocharging themselves. By changing our habits – through tiny but disciplined improvement and instrumentation - we can dramatically improve many aspects of our life, work and play.
He talks about internal “demons” which encourage procrastination and stop us from achieving our fullest potential and shows how he has won his battle against them. There is talk of neuroscience, consistency thresholds and other discipline he brings to bear in a large spectrum of physical, mental, spiritual, social and other activities.
One of my favorite segments is around 30.23 where he talks about how it has helped relationships with his family. He describes how they practice a “gratitude habit” every evening. He emphasizes this nuance “Instead of doing a general purpose, gratitude to God, you name specific human beings that helped you on that day.”
I guarantee you will improve in one or more area if you apply his methodologies. Especially after the feasting this week for Thanksgiving, I know of at least one aspect of life which will benefit😊
Best place to connect with Sukumar is via LinkedIn. Here's his LI page.
As we’ve moved to virtual briefings, I have increasingly been excerpting short video segments (with permission) as part of my Analyst Cam series.
I attended Dreamforce last month fully expecting to be inundated with AI messaging–and I was, with Salesforce taking a sensible “trust-first” approach. I also wanted to get an in-person perspective on progress within Salesforce Industries and its Revenue Lifecycle Management offerings. While there, I watched several Industry Cloud presentations (Salesforce is now up to 13-plus Industry Clouds and solutions) and also spent time with many industry-focused customers and partners, in addition to walking the show floor which offered plenty of industry-specific product demos.
Jujhar Singh, EVP and GM, Industries & Revenue Lifecycle Management for Salesforce, generously followed up with me in a post-Dreamforce video interview to share the latest on Salesforce’s Industry Strategy. See below for links to each of the eight segments, including an annotated description of each.
For more information about Salesforce Industry Clouds, click here; watch on-demand Dreamforce Industries sessions on Salesforce+ here.
Jujhar sets the stage and explains the meaning of its five Product Pillars. He also emphasizes the importance of Salesforce bringing together all its core clouds based on one common metadata, stating “that’s our special sauce.” Finally, he stresses the company’s focus on AI, saying “the AI revolution is a data revolution more than anything else.”
Jujhar says the goal is to make sure that AI is a continuum from predictive to generative, not segmented in different boxes. The key to that is a solid data foundation. Salesforce was one of the first enterprise vendors to bring predictive AI to customers. Via Einstein, it claims to have made a trillion predictions. Now around vertical scenarios, it is packaging 31 industry AI applications out-of-the-box and looking at industry-focused LLMs and other verticalization. This segment includes examples of AI use cases.
Here, Jujhar highlights 10 industry-specific GenAI use cases. He also drills into Education Cloud, which is being built to support lifelong learning. Jujhar explains that as an institution designs courses, GenAI can recommend skills needed as a baseline for each course. As individuals complete different courses, they can see the aggregation of skills they’re building.
Jujhar discusses three solutions: Enterprise Product Catalog, Pricing, and Contracts. This segment includes Generative AI to generate contract language and collaborative redlining among other features.
Here, we talk about two of Salesforce’s most successful verticals: Financial Services Cloud and Health Cloud, with the latter being complemented by the company’s latest industry offering: Life Sciences Cloud. He explains that Life Sciences Cloud isn’t just about the Pharma sector, but also includes MedTech. Jujhar also shares what’s going up-market with Group Insurance, expanding into compliance with more Know Your Customer (KYC) integrations for banks, and other new functionality for the Financial sector.
Jujhar covers four pillars in what the company calls its “Impact Portfolio.” For ESG, he talks about how the “E” is covered by the company’s Net Zero Cloud. He shares that Nonprofit Cloud provides a lifecycle approach, from fundraising, to program execution, and to a scorecard on outcomes. For Education Cloud, he says the company is starting to focus on lifelong learning, emphasizing that “You cannot be in a model of ‘one and done.’” And for Public Sector, he says “It’s one of our fastest-growing Industry Clouds. We’re getting traction across the board, really, whether it’s state and local, or the whole domain of federal, and across functions from benefits management to social, as well as licensing permits and inspections.”
Here, Jujhar talks about other recent investments, and they span across sectors. He says “the next set of innovation is going to come through the focus on clean energy.” For industrial sectors, he talks about a focus on assets and their maintenance, warranty management, and the concept of connected costs. He also explains how the company is investing in loyalty programs by vertical, and a referral marketing module for Education, Nonprofit, and Financial Services.
For the 105th episode of Burning Platform we host Malcolm Frank, who is now CEO of TalentGenius and is active on several boards. I got to know Malcolm in strategy and marketing leadership roles and as President of Digital Business at Cognizant. He was part of the executive team that grew the company from 10,000 to over 300,000 employees. He is definitely one of the “Big Thinkers” of our industry and here we discuss his new AI startup and the massive changes he sees coming to IT Services providers, Digital Agencies and many other sectors.
We start with TalentGenius which he calls a “virtual talent agent”. “If you show us your resume, we can show you your entire future.” They promise to catalog your skills and show you exposure to likely AI impact on those skills. Their deliverables – What are the best jobs for you? What AI tools could help you in your journey? Who are peers who can help you in your journey? “There are hundreds, if not thousands, of doppelgangers who look a lot like you that are on the same path as you are”
Starting around 9.30 we discuss our respective perspectives on how AI is reshaping enterprise technology. He says the F500 are figuring out how to create their “AI core” and we will start to see “killer apps” from them in the next year or so. He has a fascinating observation – he thinks vendors are too focused on SG&A use cases when we should be looking at the much bigger COGS landscape. “The F500 collectively spends about $2 trillion on IT. But they spend $22 trillion in cost of goods sold.” He makes the points I have been making but much more eloquently - the AI value is less in the back office and exponentially greater in vertical operational areas and in unique data monetization.
Around 22.00, we discuss the IT services sector and how it has fundamentally not evolved over the decades but now faces massive disruption. He uses historical analogies – how the development of refrigeration affected ice breaker traffic, how farming got so automated that from employing 40% of the US workforce it went down to 1% in a century, how trucking has done similar to horse-driven transport. In each case, we ended up with societal changes but a new generation of opportunities and jobs. He thinks IT services are similarly poised to see repetitive, low-level tasks get automated and commoditized and clients will spend the savings on a new set of projects. He expresses admiration for Accenture which continues to thrive as what he calls a “curve jumper” . There are plenty of “one-trick ponies” that do not navigate transitions well. He expects a new generation of AI-savvy firms like we saw with firms like Sapient, Cambridge Technology Partners, EPAM, Globant and others in previous tech transitions.
Around 29.00, we switch gears to discuss impact on the marketing function and on digital agencies. He talks about the recent screenwriter strike in Hollywood and the impact of AI on creative talent. He says a lot of basic stuff that drives CMOs nuts today and takes time and money with agencies will get optimized.
Finally around 33.00 we touch on the “future of work” and globalization. Hyperscalers have standardized DevOps around much of the world. He says he saw a trend which started during COVID, but has accelerated. Teams are becoming like recombinant DNA – being formed and dissolved all the time, many across borders. He also talks about the on-going impact on commercial real estate and traditional ways of working in offices.
He summarizes “It is going to be a really fun time. This is a Renaissance and, mid to long term, I think it's going to create entirely new markets. I think it's going to be a huge driver of productivity, which is going to be good for the economy. But where I get a little bit pessimistic is the impact on labor. Those who are able to think abstractly and think systemically will be rewarded. But those who don't have those abilities may be locked out of this new economy. So the faster that we can get out of our own way in terms of education, policy and funding the better. Because this is really taking off, and we're just at its dawn.”
You may not agree with everything Malcolm or I say, but there is plenty to chew on in this 40 minute episode.
As we have moved to virtual briefings, I have increasingly been excerpting short video segments (with permission) as part of my Analyst Cam series.
For all the noise around Generative AI, I have not seen many use cases which would deserve the premiums the industry is expecting as I wrote here. I am looking forward to Dreamforce and Workday Rising over the next couple of weeks for more inspirational use cases and creative. “premium” applications for enterprise AI
In the meantime, I reached out to Matt Laukaitis who heads Consumer Industries for SAP to get his AI perspective. Their definition of CI is really broad to include consumer products, retail, wholesale distribution, life sciences, health care, and agribusiness. He is a great story teller and is always full of tales of innovation at his customers. Sure enough, he presented across a wide range of processes across the enterprise and discussed predictive AND generative AI applications.
He used examples from around the world – Arla with Dairy products from Denmark, Agrobit with farming in Argentina, Kaufland, a grocer in several E. European countries, Villeroy & Boch in ceramics and other household products in Germany and others.
We also cover ethical and other issues we are seeing with GenAI. As he explained “We've enacted and are living by a global AI ethics policy that is focused on four key principles of ethical AI. We believe it's focused on human agency and oversight, addressing bias and discrimination and application of the models with transparency and explainability. And also, what is their impact on society. We are a core member of the European Commission's high level expert group on AI, and providing input on forthcoming legislation.”
As we have moved to virtual briefings, I have increasingly been excerpting short video segments (with permission) as part of my Analyst Cam series.
Most vendors have software demos as part of their events. SAP has taken that up a notch by blending the digital with the physical world. They showcase robotics, sensors and other physical world technologies in the many experience centers Sven Denecken had described in this episode.
Last year at Sapphire, the show floor had the Trilogy fashion/apparel demo company on the show floor which showcased next-gen tech for product innovation, sustainability, robotic manufacturing and retail experiences.
This year they went much further and actually served 25,000 helpings of (real) ice cream to attendees while showing off the Farm to Consume process flow.
I invited Andre Bechtold architect of the setting and other similar experiences to present. He has a 4 minute video of the show floor in Orlando then double clicks into the Farm-Source-Make-Deliver-Consume flow across agribusiness, CPG, logistics, retail and other industries.
Andre also talks about a similar setting he is working on which simulates the energy-mobility sector convergence around EV charging. He also discusses the investment and logistics of repeating the experience in 3 consecutive weeks of Sapphire in Orlando, Barcelona and Sao Paolo.
Very nicely done in about 30 minutes - he makes the setting look so easy - took lots of coordination across partners, technologies and locations. Brings to life the art of the possible to re-imagine business processes in the midst of industry convergence.
As we have moved to virtual briefings, I have increasingly been excerpting short video segments (with permission) as part of my Analyst Cam series.
This time it is Sven Denecken, Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer for SAP Industries and Customer Experience. I had enjoyed his session on Industry Convergence at Sapphire last month and invited him to present an adapted version for this series. My write up from Sapphire is linked here
He discusses some of their research around industries creeping into each other’s turf including an extensive analysis of the SEC database for shifting industry density. He drills into the Farm to Consume process flow which was brought to life at the Sapphire show floor – bringing out SAP’s strong agribusiness, commodity trading, CPG, sustainability, traceability and supply chain credentials. He also describes the convergence of utilities and oil and gas sectors and the growing influence of retail and entertainment as EV charging opens up opportunities for new consumer experiences.
He describes four new Industry Networks – industrial manufacturing, life sciences, consumer products and high-tech - which plan to leverage progress over last couple of years in the automotive Catena-X network. These take SAP beyond networks of indirect materials like Ariba and Concur into tiers of direct suppliers.
Sven covers much more – Business AI around vertical operational data, two-tier ERP to transfer industry configurations from western markets to emerging economies, sustainability applications across industries including the Green Ledger announced at Sapphire, and Experience Centers across the world which increasingly bringing to life “the art of the possible” with SAP and partner applications, robotics and sensors
All that in around 25 minutes. I have invited Andre Bechtold from his team to present more on the Farm to Consume show floor and invited Sven back to drill down into many of the topics he quickly presented.
Vinnie Vertical is always energized after such industry focused sessions!
As we have moved to virtual briefings, I have increasingly been excerpting short video segments (with permission) as part of my Analyst Cam series.
This time it is Chip Rodgers, Chief Partner Officer at WorkSpan. He describes how enterprise technology has evolved over the last couple of decades especially as we have moved to a cloud, API first world and a co-selling model.
Chip provides an example of the complexity of today’s deals.
"Think of an example like SAP, working with Accenture or Wipro. And deploying it all in the cloud on Google or in Azure. Maybe there's some technology in there, or there's a specific industry solution. Most deals have three, four or sometimes six or seven partners working together. And by the way, each of those partners has their own technology, their own solution, their own deal, and likely some subcontractors. Everybody's got their own CRM so how do you coordinate that co- selling effort and leverage the best of each of the players that are participating?”
Their solution covers collaboration across various marketing, sales, and other activities across partner cohorts.
WorkSpan has grown nicely in the last few years and claims $50 billion in joint pipeline value across vendor ecosystems
Chip explains all that and more in about 20 minutes – very nicely done.
As we have moved to virtual briefings, I have increasingly been excerpting short video segments (with permission) as part of my Analyst Cam series.
This time it is Ulrike Kleifeld, VP Strategy, Global Public Services and Chris Atkins, VP Global Digital Transformation at SAP.
Ulrike starts off with some of the challenges government bodies face in nearly every country. The COVID pandemic accelerated digitalization in every industry but also exposed how much the public sector lags. This was followed by the Ukraine war and other geopolitical crises. We have economic burdens from the pandemic, and the energy crisis has only added to that. Disruptions have been coming in waves and governments are struggling to adjust to that “new normal”
They also address the loss of trust in government. I ask if it is lack of trust in politicians v government agencies. They say there is a view that government is not agile or farsighted. Ulrike says “on the one hand we want governments to be cautious and risk-averse with tax payer funds, but we also need to help them accelerate their execution capabilities.”
Chris walks through the functional scope of their solutions across the value chain from policy and planning to public finance to supporting programs and services – the citizen facing part. He shares several customer examples. About the State of Arkansas he describes the amazing outcomes the project delivered: “they were able to achieve a 95% reduction in accounting processes, from a time perspective, going from four weeks to one click for many of their processes, a 91% reduction in cost allocation process from six months to 10 days. And, yes, you heard this right, a 1,150% improvement in creating their budget reports, what used to take days now take them minutes. And for the first time ever, they were able to submit their federal quarterly reports on time.”
I like that he represented multiple countries and the “end to end value business model for how they deliver value to their citizens”
Talking of different countries, they all have their own demands around data sovereignty, security clearances etc. Ulrike mentions one “In the US, we have the NS2 cloud, which is on US soil run by US personnel in a special secured environment that is FedRAMP certified.”
They do a really nice job covering a lot of ground about this complex but vital sector in about 20 minutes.
As we have moved to virtual briefings, I have increasingly been excerpting short video segments (with permission) as part of my Analyst Cam series.
This time it is Torsten Welte, Global VP and Head of Industrial Business Unit for Aerospace & Defense at SAP.
As you see in the image (and much more in the video ) below, the coverage is mammoth but as he says it's only the "guys that make the toys, not play with the toys". SAP's Travel and Transportation Group covers the airline operators, the Public Sector group covers space agencies like NASA and ESA, SAP's SuccessFactors and other units cover the human side of these large customers.
I tell him I am envious he gets to go to Paris, Farnborough and other airshows. The technology in modern spacecraft, avionics, eVTOLs and naval equipment he covers is drool-inducing and the design, manufacturing, monitoring, maintenance, earned value calculations, contract management have all evolved to keep up. Torsten talks about smart factories, digital twins, augmented reality, robotics, ML-enabled inspections and more as part of the solutions SAP and its ecosystem is delivering.
When we recorded the session, he was getting ready for the industry Innovation Day SAP hosts every year. This year it was in Huntington Beach, CA.
Torsten told me later they had “over 250 experts from the industry. During the innovation days, the community comes together to network and exchange their best practices and learnings. Our host company provides insights into their operations and innovations. This year, Northrop Grumman was our host. Besides touring their facility, we got insights on the James Webb (telescope) project. Truly an amazing innovation in technology and how it was launched in space.”
“Presenters showcased projects which tackled supply chain planning and manufacturing constraints. It was all about visibility and operational improvements through digital. They showcased solutions to manage data to make the right decision to improve throughput, cost, optimize constraints, and stay flexible.
Very exciting to see SAP solutions helping the industry to not fly blind.”
Torsten does a really nice job covering all of that in half an hour.
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