Windows 8: Made for Business
Last year, Gotthard Tischner claimed that Windows 8 would oust Android. A member of the executive board of cundus, a BI consulting company and SAP partner, he still stands behind Microsoft’s mobile strategy.
Gotthard Tischner, Cundus (Photo: Cundus)
SAP.info: Mr. Tischner, six months ago, you said you were convinced that Windows 8 would outstrip other mobile operating systems. Has your opinion changed at all?
Gotthard Tischner: My impression is that this prediction is coming true. Admittedly, you can see that Microsoft Surface is not…
U.S. Prepares Counterstrike Against Cyber-Attacks
Move over, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. High-tech asymmetric warfare – cyber-attacks – are the biggest threat to the United States.
United States Cyber Command Logo
“Cyber-attacks and cyber-espionage pose a greater potential danger to U.S. national security than al Qaeda,” Los Angeles Times stated Tuesday. “For the first time, the growing risk of computer-launched foreign assaults on U.S. infrastructure, including the power grid, transportation hubs and financial networks, was ranked higher…
Is Cost Management Out Of Step With The Needs of Global Manufacturing?
Manufacturing has changed dramatically over the last 50 years with the de-industrialization of the west and a significant shift in production towards countries such as China and India. These were once the world’s source of low-cost manufacturing capacity but are now rapidly evolving into the world’s best growth markets with McKinsey forecasting that they could account for nearly 70% of global demand for manufactured goods by 2025. (see “The $30 Trillion Decathlon”).
If western brands are going to be part of that they need to penetrate these markets fast, but with local companies such as ThaiBev quickly developing…
New Force Against IP Theft Launched
Recently the National Alliance for Jobs and Innovation (NAJI) has launched a new line of defense in the battle to protect the intellectual property and information technology developed here in the U.S. The NAM is a leading member of this 100-plus member coalition developed to fight IP and IT theft around the world.
According to the NAJI, IP and IT innovation directly accounts for more than 27 million jobs in the U.S. Theft of IP and IT is hurting…
Software Campus: Training IT Managers of Tomorrow
Yong Ding is one of the first students to join Software Campus, an initiative of German universities and companies to tackle the shortage of talent in the IT sector. He shares his experience in the first year of the ambitious program.
Photo: Private
One of those 14 students is 29-year-old Yong Ding. SAP is helping the Chinese student, who completed his degree in electrical engineering in 2008 at the University of Karlsruhe, and worked on his doctorate in 2010 at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), by providing…
How User-Friendly Is Microsoft Surface?
Six months ago, Gotthard Tischner from SAP partner cundus claimed, “Windows 8 is ousting Android.” His statement was based largely on the assumption that Microsoft Surface offers a higher level of security than both the iPad and comparable Android devices – such as Samsung Galaxy Note.
Now available for purchase, Surface is Microsoft’s first foray into the tablet market, and its competitors are keeping a watchful eye on its progress.
Professor Jan Borchers of RWTH Aachen University (RWTH) developed a concept for testing three tablets…
The RFP: Less Is More
In my last blog, I highlighted the importance of the request for proposal (RFP) in securing internal agreement on a new core banking system (CBS).
Sending the RFP to potential vendors appears more straightforward but there is confusion about how to do this effectively.
You can start by using the Gartner Magic Quadrant of global suppliers and your local knowledge to get down to a shortlist.
You should then send a short, clearly defined set of questions on functionality.
Too…
A World Beyond Cash: Near Field Communication
In this interview Jorn Lambert, MasterCard’s Group Executive Digital Convergence, talks about the impact of Near Field Communication (NFC) for retailers and how Digital Convergence will blend on-line, mobile and in-store experiences in a way that creates opportunity and could reshape the payment value chain.
SAP: What impact do you think that Near Field Communication is going to have on retail payment?
JL: NFC dip-to-pay cards have now been broadly adopted, however, the chips and protocols mean that there’s limited potential to develop NFC use cases beyond high speed payment.
In contrast,…
Agile Development: Soft Skills Are Key For Business Analysts
True or false? With agile development methods beginning to permeate many organizations, the role of the business analyst, who gathers requirements in traditional waterfall development approaches, is no longer relevant.
Not necessarily, according to Forrester researcher Alissa Anderson, who took on the question in her recent research, “The Role of the Business Analyst in the Age of Agile Development.”
While agile development continues to take a foothold in many companies, there are few that will transition to a pure agile approach, Anderson…
Professional Services for Software Companies: People, Organization, and Processes
In an earlier blog post, I discussed a common challenge with business software companies as they enter the expansion stage: establishing and growing a professional services team that can help them address the particular and stringent services demands of enterprise customers.
What factors should you consider when building out your consulting services organization for the first time? As with building any organization, there are always three critical aspects to consider: People,…
Reinventing The Phone Company: The M2M Revolution Has Arrived
The telecommunications industry has come a long way since Lily Tomlin’s iconic skit of telephone operator Ernestine accurately captured the frustrating experience of most customers.
Savvy communications service providers (CSPs) have long known they need to move past their core competency (i.e., the network) to embrace business model that will delight customers in the digital age.
‘Over-the-top’ vendors like Google, Amazon, and Apple have been quick to use their digital platforms to…
Trust Issue For Banks – Can They Win Customers Back?
Watching TV recently, I heard a German lawyer giving advice to any customer offered an investment or loan product by their bank: reject it. Banks, he argued, sold products not in the interests of customers but to build their own profits. No wonder there is a trust issue for banks.
He is not alone. The financial crisis left many people disenchanted with the banking system – especially those who lost out financially. Bankers, it…
Idea For A Disruptive Biz-Model Innovation For Banking
There is a lot of discussion and activity around the revival of the good old banking standby, the ATM.
Some are trying to make these machines more Customer-centric like Wells Fargo.
Some are trying to improve the overall user experience of the ATM like Diebold.
However, the true question should be the following:
“Do we even need an ATM? Is there a better, easier, faster way to manage cash than via an ATM?“
The first bank to figure out the answer to this question has the potential to truly disrupt the banking industry…
Obama’s Five-Point Plan to Fight Cyber-Attacks
Continued cyber-attacks on the United States may soon be met with trade or diplomatic punishment against the nations of origin. The Obama administration last week listed more than a dozen instances of international assaults against U.S. businesses, resulting in stolen trade secrets, blunted competitive edge and lost American jobs.
“There are only two categories of companies affected by trade-secret theft: those that know they’ve been compromised and those that don’t know it yet,” U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday during a conference at the White House. “A hacker…
What Is The Internet of Things?
We are beginning to hear a lot on the Internet of Things and machine to machine technology.
As defined by Techopedia, the Internet of Things (IoT) is “a computing concept that describes a future where every day physical objects will be connected to the internet and will be able to identify themselves to other devices.”
It was birthed out of the idea of interconnected machines, or machine to machine technology.
But what is The Internet of Things exactly?
A white paper from TechRepublic and ZDNet,
CeBIT, Here We Come
CeBIT is the largest and most international trade fair in the IT industry. How does it stay relevant to the times? We asked CIOs, analysts, and technology providers what they expect to see and hear in Hanover, Germany this year.
CeBIT never fails to fascinate. It has wowed its visitors with many premieres over the years, such as Vocaltech’s demo of voice-over IP in free telephone calls to Africa in 1994 and the newest UMTS mobile telephones in 2003, to name but a few. This year will be no…
To Boldly Bank Where No One Has Banked Before – With Mobile Banking
Mobile Banking in South Africa
More than half a million new customers joined South Africa’s biggest bank in less than a year thanks to SAP Mobile Platform, helping unbanked populations meet their banking needs. Almost half of South Africa’s 51 million people earn less than R3,000 ZAR (about $340 USD) per month, and about 15 million of them do not have bank accounts.
Mobile technology is critical to…
The Massive M2M Business Opportunity for Telcos
By Jens Amail, SVP for Service Industries, SAP
Telcos are sitting on a gold mine of core capabilities and assets, critical for M2M success. In addition to just network connectivity, they have outstanding expertise in large scale service delivery with high reliability and global reach, plus an arsenal of partners for content, apps, specialized solutions and services, integration, as well as terminal and module vendors.
Where do I see the most opportunities in the M2M space for communication service providers…
Revenge Of The Bricks-And-Mortar
Remember a decade or so ago when it was all over for bricks-and-mortar retailers? When companies that weren’t dot-coms had no hope of hiring talented employees? When the world of business was forever changed?
Bricks-And-Mortar Comeback
Not so fast. True, giant retailers like Best Buy are struggling with the showrooming trend, but in the past decade Apple has rocked the retail world with its stores, Microsoft is trying to follow suit, and now Amazon and Google are getting into the game.
Amazon is battling both petty…
The Moving Target of Mobile Banking Service
When my colleagues and I talk about mobile banking, we are struck by how many banks operating in mature markets could learn from Africa. Despite the infrastructure challenges – and in some ways because of them – many African banks display a real commitment to innovation in service.
Standard Bank of South Africa, for example, is working to provide “inclusive banking” – banking services for the previously unbanked. These customers may not own smartphones, but they can now deposit money and pay for utilities using the…
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