For Nithyanandan S, autumn is the busiest time of year. As a product manager for cloud solutions at SAP, Nithya supports demo systems for pre-sales for the cloud portfolio of products by educating customers and conducting demos. For the second year in a row, he will be attending SAPPHIRE NOW Madrid to staff the test drive demo pod in the cloud campus. The preparation takes months as the team updates or prepares new test drives, aligning with other departments on the story flow for each cloud solution and setting up cloud reference systems. And then there are the logistics: preparing iPads and installing test drive recordings on laptops that get shipped to the SAPPHIRE floor.
Nithya volunteered to work at the show because he likes to discuss and engage with customers and partners. “The CEO of a small company might come to visit. Typically they have specific questions related to their business models or about a specific cloud solution.” But he says they get visits from people with “all levels of expertise” – from cloud beginners to cloud experts. “Most have ERP solutions and have subsidiaries and are looking for an integration model.” Nithya was also delighted by visits from university professors and students who showed interest in implementing cloud solutions for student management systems.
The high point of the event is after the keynotes, when the doors to the keynote theater open and a deluge of visitors floods the showroom floor: “Everyone is curious and wants to see or test drive a live system.”
Eight years ago Nithya began his career as a developer in the SAP Labs India in Bangalore. After four years he transferred to headquarters in Germany and took on a role as a product manager. “Living in Germany has definitely made a significant impact on my career path,” he says.
But for the time being his sights are set on Spain. “Our baggage for Madrid is heavier this fall,” says Nithya, “with more cloud solutions in our SAP portfolio, reference systems for pre-sales demos, and lots of beautiful products for customers and partners to touch on the SAPPHIRE floor.”
I plan to visit Nithya in the cloud campus in Madrid - you too?
