SAP TechEd – Well…that was AWESOME..!!

[TusharP]

Wow, isn’t this fun and invigorating? This is probably 8^th TechEd that I am attending having also presented at Tech Ed in year 2008 and every year that I come for this conference, the more I am amazed by what and how we, SAP are positioned and helping our customers to do what they do BEST…even BETTER and FASTER.

So what are the benefits for customers…

If there is any indication of how successful and beneficial TechEd is for customers, the chatter around the coffee and water booths or in the sprawling hallways of the convention center was to be heard. This is usually a better barometer of indication. The discussions in this year’s Tech Ed were all around Cloud, HANA and Mobility. The Tuesday morning kick off session of Dr. Vishal Sikka (Member of the Executive Board, Products and Innovation) was completely full and gave everyone a very good understanding of how HANA along with other solutions will help customers.

We all know technology is changing faster than speed of light and keeping up with these changes is challenging. By understanding, getting to try hands on with the products, meeting, collaborating with other attendees and subject matter experts from SAP, gave customer a very good opportunity to embrace these challenges and be at forefront of these next generation services like Cloud, Mobility and HANA to name a few.

Demo Jam – which is the ultimate developer competition – was electrifying demo of our technologies and applications and showcased what can be done with our products and solutions. 

The pre-conference event – SAP InnoJam - was a great opportunity for customers to Jam like never before. Within short time of 30 hours, participants were able to Mingle within diverse groups and "design-think" solutions to real problems, Learn and explore SAP's coolest and newest technologies with on–site SAP domain experts, Huddle with new teammates and do a prototype of a solution and present it to panel of judges.

Last but not least, the Networking Reception and other activities in vibrant Las Vegas, gave opportunity for everyone to wind down and absorb and share all events of the day.

What are best part of Tech Ed..

Wednesday morning, after a hectic but satisfying kick off to Tech Ed, getting up in morning and going to the 5K Fun Run/Walk was experience in itself. Running/Walking alongside peers and customers and sharing lighter moment and getting to know each other outside the walls of convention center was something which had to be experienced.

The fact that we were able to meet many of our colleagues &customers at this event and were able to share, collaborat, learning, and networkis amazing in itself. Listening to customers and understanding their business problems and thinking of ways to help them is what gives utmost satisfaction. The fact that there are so many SME’s (Subject Matter Experts) allows customers to get to a solution very quickly and effectively.

Informal evening events of networking, team dinners were very effective and gave everyone a good opportunity to catch up and get ready for transformation and for 2014.

My Top Sessions

Being a Practice Lead within Mobility, my idea was to attend and take advantage of sessions not just within my area of expertise but to understand and know more about other areas such as HANA and Cloud. With that in mind, the top sessions I attended were

1. Build SAP HANA Cloud Applications Which Integrate with On-Premise Systems
2. Mobilizing SAP HANA with SAP Mobile Platform
3. ABAP development tool for Eclipse
4. SAP Screen Personas
5. ABAP on SAP HANA
6. Mobile Application Development with SAP HANA Cloud Platform
7. Build a Cloud App for SAP Business ByDesign and Other Cloud Objects
8. Build SAP HANA Cloud Applications Which Integrate with On-Premise Systems
9. Rapid Application and Service Development with SAP Mobile Platform 3.0
10. Manage and Secure Mobility in the Cloud
11. Using SAPUI5 in Mobile Application Development
12. Rapid Mobile Deployment with SAP NetWeaver Gateway and Adobe PhoneGap

Customer Story

During Tech Ed, I got to meet and interact with many of my previous customers as well as prospective new customers. One customer meeting which really stands out was a pharmaceutical company. They have been SAP customers for past several years and have great in house expertise. They want to now start mobilizing their business processes and wanted to start with a small pilot to see its success and adaption. We mobilized their Travel Expense business process which was a huge success with great adaption. With tremendous success of this, now they would like to mobilize many of their other business process and that is a really what mobility is all about. The greatest reward that we seek as consultants and being SAP is having a hand in success of our customers with our SAP products and solutions.

Another customer who is energy manufacturing and logistics company is connecting its employees through mobile technology to empower its workforce and gain competitive advantage. The company recently unleashed more than 2,000 iPhones equipped with business productivity apps for employees

Talking and listening to so many customers, one thing is sure, Mobility is “wild” and “exciting” journey and it is not always easy but the end result of this journey is truly rewarding and enriching and using SAP’s Mobility Platform has enabled many customers to innovate safely, securely and successfully.

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