In this second SAP Inside Track report we have videos on certification, marketing and pace layering. This is not your usual SAP fare but then Inside Track is a great place for people to find a smorgasbord of topics that relate to the SAP environment.
First up is Michael Koch talking about some of the outcomes of the SAP Certification: The Certification 5 Report. This video concentrates on the positives. There was a lively debate abot the value of certification and it is clear to me that 'we' still have some work to do around this topic. There was also some good discussion around the value of MCQs as the basis for Profesisonal level certification.
Under the C5 banner, we are clear on this. Demonstration of practical ability is not something that's easily achieved using MCQs and we do not believe provide an adequate assessment for different learning types. But that one is for another day.
Next up is yours truly talking about how we marketed the C5 story, the techniques we used and the importance of leveraging what you've got. Networks can be your best friend and I think the C5 project is a good example of that.
Next is Martin Gillet, talking about how he is marketing a new community initiaitve in Belgium. Getting attention in the SAP community is tough so being imaginative in pulling together all the resources you can think of can make a huge difference. Unfortunately I only managed to capture the last few minutes of his presentation but hopefully you get a sense of what he is saying.
Finally, we come to Lee Provoost, senior consultant with Headshift/Dachis. As I said on my ZDNet blog:
He talked about the disconnect between the needs of business to be agile while IT wants stability. For Enterprise 2.0, he substituted the term ‘interactive’ and for ERP he used ‘transactional.’ In my mind these provide better representations of what the technology landscape is telling us.He said that for interactive, we could presume that most of the technologies would involve people. I take that to include both E2.0 and some SaaS elements like talent management and surround SaaS strategies for companies opening small subsidiaries and needing agile implementations for systems of record but which can be linked back to the core.
Lee made the point that transactional systems run at a slower pace than interactive - which makes sense - and that is a significant factor in adapting systems architectures and landscapes. His solution is very similar to the pace layering idea where apps are layered but mediated through common services such as identity management and security policies and protocols.
Pace Layering is not a new idea but given the noise we see around social computing and the need to be agile, then maybe this is an idea whose time is right. Enjoy.
The SAP Inside Track Newtown Square - Final Update (June 25th.) I expect it will be a lot of fun. 
