I covered a good range of topics on Tuesday at #ASUG09 and #SAPPHIRE09. First up was the morning keynote with Leo Apotheker. He spoke on themes of getting clarity in today's challenging times. I was pleased to hear his comments on the importance of business leaders maintaining trust with key stakeholders including employees as well as customers and shareholders. His emphasis on the importance of making the right IT investments during the tough times also resonated with me.
Another portion of the morning keynote that I really enjoyed was Ian Kimbal's demo of the wide range of mobile services possible using the example of an auto insurance business. Seeing the possibilities of the functionality from the multiple viewpoints of the insurance customer, the employee, and the business was interesting and instructive to me.
The first customer presentation I attended today was on Simplifying SAP Security with Access Enforcer and Compliance Calibrator. I enjoyed hearing about the new functionality in the BusinessObjects Access Control Suite, as well as the lessons learned from the customer's deployment. It sounds like they are getting their SAP deployment off to a good start by getting a good handle on segregation of duties early on and establishing processes for role ownership. I really liked the idea of risk owners reviewing the risks annually for materiality changes. The session was well attended, which the Security SIG Program Chair Greg Capps and I were very glad to see.
After lunch I rejoined the security track for another customer case study presentation, Tips and Tricks for SAP Security Architecture Design including Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), also well attended. One key caveat from the presenters: Security failure at go-live can tarnish new users' view of what may be a well configured SAP implementation. This session gave a good entry-level overview for those involved in new SAP implementations of the security design process, highlighting not only the possible pitfalls, but also suggesting some ways to avoid them.
My last session of the day was SAP NetWeaver Identity Management: Live Demo and Lessons Learned, given by Bettina Schaeumer, SAP NetWeaver Product Manager at SAP Labs. The demo of the Identity Management (IdM) system helped attendees see the scenarios that Bettina had described.
After the day's educational sessions and keynotes, there are many opportunities for networking with conference attendees. ASUG Volunteers, SAP Mentors, and a host of SAP Partners are all holding events this evening. If only I could be three places at once!
