SAPPHIRE NOW Answers the Top Questions Human Resources and IT have about Cloud
The buzz about cloud-based human resource (HR) software continues unabated, but the real news this year is how this technology changes the relationship between HR and IT while enabling business transformation. In crafting my agenda for the annual SAPPHIRE NOW + ASUG Conference, being held May 5-7, in Orlando, Florida, I talked with David Ludlow, Group Vice President of HR Line of Business at SAP/SuccessFactors. Ludlow was only too happy to preview a few of the exclusive insights this event has in store for HR professionals.
According to Ludlow, simplification is at the heart of transformation through cloud-based software, allowing both HR and IT to remove years of complexity, and become more strategic to the business.
“The breaking news this year is that IT is now seeing the substantial benefits of cloud, and it’s profoundly changed the relationship with HR,” he said. “With cloud, the need for IT does not go away. In fact, cloud frees up IT to worry less about security, which is handled by the vendor, and instead manage HR software implementations for business transformation.”
Ludlow will share insights like these and much more during a panel discussion he’s moderating, entitled, “Transform Your Organization with Cloud-Based HR Solutions.” Joining him on stage will be Luke Marson, Chief Cloud HCM Architect at Hula Partners, whose sessions I also covered at the SAP Insider HR event in Las Vegas last month, along with Ken Pearson, global head of HR Industry Value Engineering at SAP/SuccessFactors. Drawing from real-world customer examples, these experts will share how to build a business case for investing in cloud-based technology. HR professionals will learn how to take concrete steps forward using cloud technology for greatest business advantage.
I don’t have space to detail all the valuable insights in the 150+ HR-related sessions at SAPPHIRE NOW, but here are two other noteworthy highlights sponsored by the Americas’ SAP Users’ Group:
The HR theme kicks off Monday with “Paving the Road for Workforce 2020”. This day-long event features a brilliant line-up of thought leaders discussing how HR professionals can meet the challenges of the workforce of the future using the next generation of SAP/SuccessFactors innovations.
On Tuesday, Mike Ettling, President of HR Line of Business at SAP/SuccessFactors, keynotes at a special session, entitled “How are SAP and SuccessFactors designing the SAP HCM Suite to simplify and streamline your business?” A panel discussion follows, including HR Community volunteer leaders Patricia Meo from American Airlines and Jeff Wible from the PA State System of Higher Education. The conversation will showcase how customers are using SAP/SuccessFactors to engage, motivate and retain employees for increased business efficiency, productivity and profitability.
There’s also a complete line-up of sessions covering the impact the Future of Work is having on organizations.
We hear a lot about the journey to cloud. Yet it’s actually a journey about business transformation. HR and IT will no doubt continue to evolve, but change is inevitable and a good thing in every healthy relationship. Expect to hear much more #SAPPHIRENOW in a few short weeks.
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Argggg!!! Yet more reason why I am kicking myself for not going this year! Hopefully some of this will be available online (stream?).
One thing though that leaped out at me...."cloud frees up IT to worry less about security,"...I don't think this can ever, EVER be true. You might feel more confident in your network/system/application security, but you can never let down your guard and "worry less". A company should always continue their own penetration testing, vector attacks, social engineering scenarios, etc. regardless of "where" their system "lives" now. Just my $0.02 (from an old "gray hat" hacker from years of old. haha)