Editor's note
When COVID-19 travel restrictions forced SAP to rethink its annual conference, the company moved quickly to turn disappointment into an opportunity to show how digital transformation can make businesses more resilient.
SAP Sapphire 2020 was moved online and extended across two months, beginning in April with pandemic-related videos and leading to seven days of events that started with a June 15 keynote by CEO Christian Klein. The intelligent enterprise was Klein's core message as SAP repackages the three-year-old theme as essential in surviving challenging times.
In a pre-conference video, Klein named SAP Cloud Platform as the foundation of this AI-automated integrated system of SAP applications. He promised to triple integration by year's end and hinted at better support for vertical industries. Attendees of Sapphire Now 2020 also got a sense of Klein's leadership style and vision after his recent appointment as sole CEO.
1News from the show
Along with coverage of SAP's industry cloud, sustainability and intelligent enterprise strategies, read about the latest developments as reported by TechTarget editors from the virtual show floor of the Sapphire Now 2020 conference.
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Article
SAP C/4HANA leads discuss future of CX platform
New leaders of SAP's customer experience platform discuss its future direction, with a retrospective look at how CRM's past evolved into customer-centric CX technology. Read Now
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Article
SAP C/4HANA users describe e-commerce pivots amid COVID-19
SAP's customer experience application suite still a priority after a year of senior leadership upheaval at the enterprise cloud vendor, thanks to the COVID-19 economy. Read Now
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Podcast
Sapphire Now 2020 unveiled a new, more forward-looking SAP
Lofty goals to fight climate change and link intelligent enterprises signaled CEO Christian Klein's intention to lead a generational shift at SAP and appeal to younger customers. Listen Now
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Article
SAP Business Technology Platform aims for simplification
SAP's Business Technology Platform groups SAP products into one foundation for developers; the SAP industry cloud initiative is designed to help develop vertical industry applications. Read Now
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Article
SAP's Climate 21 program sets sights on global sustainability
At SAP Sapphire Now, SAP unveiled Climate 21, a program designed to make the intelligent enterprise more sustainable. Read Now
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Article
Despite glitches, SAP shines light on intelligent enterprise at Sapphire
Technical troubles marred the start of SAP Sapphire Now Reimagined, but CEO Christian Klein was largely successful in defining the SAP intelligent enterprise, according to experts. Read Now
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Article
Sapphire 2020: Christian Klein steps back from products to push 'intelligent enterprise' resilience
Christian Klein used his first Sapphire keynote as CEO of SAP to underline the supplier's support for supply chain resiliency and automation against Covid-19 pandemic and climate change backcloths. Read Now
2Pre-conference coverage
Read what industry analysts expect from the virtual SAP Sapphire 2020 conference, and learn how recent changes in the SAP executive suite might affect the vendor's strategies for cloud applications, services and infrastructure; the HANA in-memory database; and experience management technology.
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Article
SAP co-CEO Morgan departs, leaving Klein to fly solo
Jennifer Morgan will step down as SAP co-CEO after six months in the position. Christian Klein will become sole CEO as the ERP vendor continues to face an uncertain time. Read Now
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Article
SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2005 focuses on supply chain
The latest version of S/4HANA Cloud has functions for supply chain, finance and SuccessFactors integration that will likely appeal to companies dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. Read Now
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Article
At Sapphire Now, McDermott targets the experience economy
Experience management was the overriding theme at SAP Sapphire Now 2019, where SAP executives talked Qualtrics, experience data and why feelings matter. Read Now
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Article
Plattner: Cloud is the way forward for S/4HANA systems
In this Q&A, SAP's Hasso Plattner explains why the cloud is the best option for SAP S/4HANA systems and why companies must know their customers' feelings in order to succeed. Read Now