Future Of Business With Game Changers, Presented By Sap

The buzz: Knowledge. Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson’s 2008 “The End of Theory: The Data Deluge Makes the Scientific Method Obsolete” chartered a revolution in how businesses are run and humans create knowledge. Today, Big Data is an uber-hyped business and IT buzzword, IoT is accelerating data creation, and Artificial Intelligence, such as Machine Learning and Deep Learning, is back in fashion. Are we at the start of the most radical transformation of thoughts and knowledge, with computers, not humans, leading the way? The experts speak. Vishal Dhanuka, Hortonworks: “Given enough data, everything is statistically significant (Douglas Merrill). Jay Thoden van Velzen, SAP: “Imagine a box with 500 million knobs, 1,000 light bulbs, and 10 million images to train it with. That’s what a typical Deep Learning system is” (Yann LeCun). Francesco Mari, SAP: “Causal explanations of chance events are inevitably wrong (Daniel Kahneman). Join us for Big Data: Future of Creating Knowledge

The buzz: Cloud. IT professionals are wondering if the end of the “on premise hard drive” is in sight as in-memory computing, especially in the Cloud, has made major inroads to the IT landscape. Early adopters are quickly progressing from use case experimentation to large-scale deployment, completely re-vamping their IT landscapes and long-term IT strategies. But like any journey, this one requires a comprehensive roadmap organized into realistic, ‘bite size’ workstreams that align with an organization’s goals. How ready are the Cloud and individual companies to move to ever-fresh, ultra-fast, off-premise environments? The experts speak. Jay Foard, SAP: “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time” (Abraham Lincoln). Allen Krans, TBR: “In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes o.” (Robert Frost). Joffy Matthew, SAP: Nothing is impossible” (Napoleon Bonaparte). Join us for In-memory and Cloud Computing: There Yet?

News headlines report major corporate data security attacks almost daily. Yet despite this broad awareness, too many companies are still vulnerable to hackers who find inroads to exploit. Are you among them? Reality check! Even if you’ve already figured out how to plug holes in your networks, hackers may be finding inroads through your applications and solutions. Are you proactively securing your “Application Layer” from vulnerabilities? brbr The experts speak.brbr Jason Schmitt, Fortify – HP Software: “Who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakes.” (Carl Jung) brbr Rik Turner, Ovum: “…you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone … For the times they are a-changin'…” (Bob Dylan) brbr Andreas Gloege, SAP: “Security is like adding brakes to cars. The purpose of brakes is not to stop you: it's to enable you to go fast!” (Eugene Spafford)brbr Join us for Final Security Frontier: Application Layer.

Breaking-down internal complexity to achieve simplification is top-of-mind for business leaders as we enter 2015. Why? Boston Consulting Group reports that effectively managing complexity can help a company grow profit margins by 25 percent or more. To achieve this level of transformation, your organization needs radically-thinking, agile leaders who can change employee mindsets and behaviors, and reduce business complexity. Are you ready? The experts speak. Neil Neveras, Deloitte: “Leadership is action, not position.” (Donald McGannon). Hans-Henrik (H.H.) Jørgensen, IBM: “Six years ago I wrote that constant change would become the new normal. This has become reality... and disruption has become every organization’s constant companion.” Holly Benson, Infosys: “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be. (Rosalynn Carter). Join us for Leaders 2020: Leading Simplification within Your Business.

The buzz: The X’s have it. Will consumers’ demands for simple daily user experiences (UX) drive them to insist on comparable worker experience (WX) simplicity from the companies they work for? Heads-up to employers: If your company is focusing on creating a great external customer experience but ignoring the needs of your “workers of the future”, you may be in for a shock. The experts speak. Paul Kurchina, SAP ASUG: “Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again.” (Andre Gide). Duke Daehling, IBM: Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. (Tina Fey, A Mother's Prayer for her Child, Bossypants). Kerry Brown, SAP: “Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself” (Murphy's Law). Join us for User Experience vs Worker Expectations.

The buzz: Driver’s ed. The “Connected Car” is not a new concept, with online diagnostics, monitoring, GPS, entertainment and communications making vehicles “connected” for several years. What awaits us on the road ahead? The convergence of the Internet of Things and the Connected Car will soon impact us – as drivers, passengers, dealers, manufacturers and parts suppliers – in very interesting ways. The experts speak. brbr Josh Greenbaum, Enterprise Applications Consulting: “Baby you can drive my car, yes, I’m gonna be a star.” (The Beatles, 1965) brbr Joe Barkai, Industry Analyst: “Don't mistake activity with achievement. (John Wooden) brbr Thomas K. Wright, SAP: “For, we must never forget that if there was not one thing that was not on top of another thing our society would be nothing more than a meaningless body of men that had gathered together for no good purpose….” (Sir William Graham Chapman) brbr Join us for Future of The Connected Car: Vrrroom.

The buzz: Simplicity. No one asks for a more complicated life. But here we are, leading busier, more complex lives than ever, by many measures. Take heart. You and everyone in your organization can help by participating actively in shaping simplicity in design, regardless of your roles and functions. How? Make simplicity a quality measure. Stop adding product features. Listen to and understand what your customers really need. Business benefits? Knowing what to make and why to make it will help you bridge the innovation gap and drive return on investment. Ready? The experts speak. Sana Salam, Sodales Solutions: “If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself.” (Albert Einstein) Tom Lamar, THINK Interactive: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” (Leonardo Da Vinci) Martin Wezowski, SAP: “Design is too important to be left only to designers.” (Tim Brown) Join us for Importance of Simple Design: Participate.

News headlines report major corporate data security attacks almost daily. Yet despite this broad awareness, too many companies are still vulnerable to hackers who find inroads to exploit. Are you among them? Reality check! Even if you’ve already figured out how to plug holes in your networks, hackers may be finding inroads through your applications and solutions. Are you proactively securing your “Application Layer” from vulnerabilities? brbr The experts speak.brbr Jason Schmitt, Fortify – HP Software: “Who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakes.” (Carl Jung) brbr Rik Turner, Ovum: “…you better start swimmin' Or you'll sink like a stone … For the times they are a-changin'…” (Bob Dylan) brbr Andreas Gloege, SAP: “Security is like adding brakes to cars. The purpose of brakes is not to stop you: it's to enable you to go fast!” (Eugene Spafford)brbr Join us for Final Security Frontier: Application Layer.

Enterprise software is undergoing a revolution – and an evolution, as IT vendors hear a powerful message from business software users who expect more than just features and functions. Today’s empowered users expect to be at the center of all interactions across the enterprise and beyond, with simple solutions for desktop, tablet and smartphone that help get their job done efficiently and effectively. Why? Our personal consumer experiences on Google, Amazon, and Facebook are raising the bar for software at work. Will humanizing business software result in more productive, successful workers? brbr The experts speak.brbr Shaun Syvertsen, Convergent IS: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. (Leonardo da Vinci)brbr Scott Liewehr, Digital Clarity Group: “Experience is the new black.”brbr Andreas Hauser, SAP: “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” (Jon Kabat-Zinn)brbr Join us for Great Expectations: User Experience in the Enterprise.

Breaking-down internal complexity to achieve simplification is top-of-mind for business leaders as we enter 2015. Why? Boston Consulting Group reports that effectively managing complexity can help a company grow profit margins by 25 percent or more. To achieve this level of transformation, your organization needs radically-thinking, agile leaders who can change employee mindsets and behaviors, and reduce business complexity. Are you ready? The experts speak. Neil Neveras, Deloitte: “Leadership is action, not position.” (Donald McGannon). Hans-Henrik (H.H.) Jørgensen, IBM: “Six years ago I wrote that constant change would become the new normal. This has become reality... and disruption has become every organization’s constant companion.” Holly Benson, Infosys: “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be. (Rosalynn Carter). Join us for Leaders 2020: Leading Simplification within Your Business.

The buzz: Retail. ‘Tis the time for seasonal hiring, especially in retail. But as 82% of retailers increasingly hire contingent, intermittent, and consultant employees, they need to engage and understand this part-time workforce to ensure an optimal shopping experience all year. Any lessons here for non-retailers? The experts speak. Brian Kilcourse, RSR Research: “In the age of the omni-channel shopper, consumers expect retail employees to be at least as well-informed about products and services as they are.” Mukesh Nakra, Infosys: “The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined efforts of each individual.” (Vince Lombardi) Jerry Hoberman, Deloitte: “In the world of the ‘new normal’, workforces are expected to be as flexible as the demands of customers they serve.” David Swanson, SAP: “Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” (Stephen R. Covey) Join us for ‘Tis the Season for Retailers: Managing A Contingent Workforce.

The buzz: Gamification. Gamification is a trendy buzzword in businesses today because of its significant benefits. How does it work? By putting the customer, prospect or employee at the center of a well-designed, game-based experience, you can improve and capture data on their motivation, productivity, and engagement. Not on board yet? It’s time to learn about the new science of relationship building through big data and gamification, and the gurus’ secrets to designing gamification that really works. The experts speak. Rajat Paharia, Bunchball: “All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again.” (J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan 1953, and new Battlestar Galactica) Mario Herger, Enterprise Gamification Consultancy: “Gamification is Big Data on employees and will transform the way companies select, evaluate, and promote employees.” Janaki Kumar, SAP: “The opposite of play is not work. It’s depression.” (Brian Sutton-Smith) Join us for Game-On with Gamification!

The buzz: Design. In a world where everyone is expected to focus on execution, there’s a critical need to innovate everything from cars and shoes to enterprise software. The answer to this dilemma? The notion of design is not just for designated “designers”. By leveraging design thinking methodology, we can solve the problems we know, and discover new problems and their solutions. Wouldn’t your company benefit from the best practices of successful innovation teams, and scaling design thinking globally to enrich the ways we work and live? The experts speak. Jayson Mayden, MarkOne: “I am not a Designer. I am simply and humbly a bridge between the generations long past and the generations that have yet to come.” George Kembel, Stanford D.School: “For innovation, prioritize learning over expertise, experimentation over planning, and collaboration over individual excellence.” Sam Yen, SAP: “Beauty is only skin deep.” Join us for Why Design Matters in a Complex World.

The buzz: Cloud. The Cloud isn’t just “IT on demand”, but rather “innovation on demand”. Why? Cloud technologies offer a platform for experimentation, creativity, rapid deployment, and the flexibility to link your past and new tech investments to create new processes. They also can help your business leaders become more nimble to drive better, faster outcomes and enhance customer relationships. Would your organization benefit from all of this? The experts speak. Laurent Lachal, Ovum: “Enterprises need to control control to balance governance and innovation.” Shad Adair, Hula Partners: “Cloud computing is upending the business and technology relationship from centralized and difficult-to-deploy to radically decentralized with expectations of instant access. The big so what?” Jay Foard, SAP: “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” (Carl Sagan) Join us for The Future of Innovation in the Cloud.

The buzz: Mobility. The convergence of mobility and the workplace is not new. Many “remote location” workers are as enabled in the field as at the office, with technology bringing computing power to the “situation” instead vice versa. ROI for field service mobility includes cost savings, simplification and customer satisfaction. Is this the tip of the iceberg? Will the office desk be obsolete soon? The experts speak.Marc Brandenburg, Samsung: “The same technology that simplifies life by providing more functions in each device also complicates life by making the device harder to learn, harder to use – this is the paradox of technology” (Donald A. Norman). Dan Cui, Vuzix: “The value of an idea lies in the using of it” (T. Edison). Jeff Shaner, Esri: “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things we can think of if only you try” (Dr. Seuss). Jonathan Zufi, SAP: “It’s better to be a few minutes late, then dead on time.” Join us for The Future of Mobile Workers.

The buzz: Manufacturing. The Internet of Things (IoT) for manufacturers can be confusing. Some consider IoT a passing fad or the next big wave in manufacturing B2B. Some see traditional M2M manufacturing connectivity as the IoT. Others view IoT as either a new, separate thing, or the continuation of a recent trend. To clear up this tumult, we’ll explore the opportunity IoT holds for tomorrow’s manufacturers in terms of business simplification, merits, benefits, use cases, and roadblocks. The experts speak. Joe Barkai, Manufacturing Analyst: “For there to be an Internet of Things, someone has to put the Internet in those things, and then those things have to be placed on the Internet and connected in a manner that realizes a meaningful and worthwhile business value.” Girish Hedge, Greene Tweed: “The Internet of Things is making manufacturing ‘relevant’ again.” Sam Castro, SAP: “What gets measured gets improved” (Robin S. Sharma). Join us for Manufacturing and The Internet of Things.

The buzz: Simplification. Busy, connected consumers today are demanding simpler, but richer experiences. And since business people are consumers, too, their companies are getting the message loud and clear, that it’s time to simplify B2B interactions as well. How far off is a new paradigm of business simplification and how are today’s thought leaders driving change to get there? What type of change is possible? And what will a simplified business look like in 2020? The experts speak. Richard Edwards, Ovum: “Complexity kills!” Manish P. Nirmal, HP: “The definition of Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result” (Albert Einstein). Michele Weber, SAP: “How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?” (Seth Godin). Join us for Future of Business Simplification: Bye-bye Complexity.

Digital, social, mobile, and cloud technologies are disrupting the way we collaborate, create, and communicate at work. Innovations born from networked interactions between people, business, and things are transforming business models and economic systems worldwide, changing the rules for business and life. Cloud computing has quickly become a driving force for unprecedented change across the IT and business landscape. For 12 weeks, The Future of Business with Game-Changers Radio has explored where business is headed. Today we hear how the Future of Business will be arriving on June 3 at SAPPHIRENOW www.sapandasug.com/index.html as our panelists explore the Future of Work, the Networked Economy, and Cloud 2020. They will discuss the key aspects of innovation and how not to have your company end up ‘under the bus.’ www.sapandasug.com/forums.html. Panelists: Kerry Brown, Dr. Steven Hunt, Vivek Bapat, Dan Wellers, Joe Fuster, Keith Hontz, Shuchi Sharma, and Richard Strattner.

The buzz: Innovation on speed.You’ve heard the adage, “Lead, follow or get out of the way.” If you don’t seize the lead option, one of the other two will be chosen for you. Leading through innovation and the need to innovate have been staples of business for centuries. But today, with the pace of change accelerating and cycles of innovation compressing and often overlapping, successful companies are continually challenged to just keep up. How are they simplifying business to become more agile? What tools and techniques can they leverage to predict the next wave? The experts speak. Josh Linkner, Detroit Venture Partners and Author: “Playing it safe has become the riskiest move of all. Colleen Speer, SAP: “It only seems impossible until it’s done” (Nelson Mandela.) Michel Sérié, SAP: “You‘ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology – not the other way around” (Steve Jobs). Join us for Future of Accelerated Innovation: Lead, Follow or Move Over

The buzz: Change. It’s not the strongest or most intelligent of a species that survives, but the one most adaptable to change.Think of business as a species, too. But today, traditional change management is at risk of creating new-obsolete solutions. Are jumping paradigms, anticipating the next market shift, early tech adoption fast enough? Is yesterday’s best practice today’s antique? The experts speak. Suzanne Passante, Day & Zimmerman: “The assumption is that extensive training is a basic requirement of any new information technology, a process that will need to be repeated as experienced workers are replaced by new workers unfamiliar with the system” (H. Hambrose). Evan Quinn, EMA: “You can’t control what you can’t measure” (T. DeMarco). Michel Sérié, SAP: “There is no problem, only people. If you still think the customer is king, you’re probably falling behind. It’s not too late to become a user-first organization.” Join us for Future of Process Change: Solutions and Landmines.