"On the Changes in SAP Consulting, What Individuals and SAP Services Firms Need to do to Stay Relevant, and the Issues SAP Customers Face After Go-Live"
Podcast Interview Date: December 7, 2009
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What is the future of SAP consulting? Why do SAP customers struggle with SAP after go live? Where are the gaps in service that traditional Systems Integrators can't fill? To get to the bottom of these questions, I asked Greg Tomb, founder and CEO of Vivido Labs and former CEO of SAP North America, to join our podcast series and give us his take on how SAP consulting is changing.

During this thirty minute podcast, Greg also explains why he started a new company (Vivido Labs) in a recession and how companies like Vivido can impact SAP consulting and also knowledge on demand via knowledge marketplaces (in Vivido's case, the Knowledge Exchange). We also get Greg's advice on how SAP consultants should adapt to these changing circumstances.

"On How to Give Jon a Hard Time, See How He Handles Questions on his Feet, and a Meeting of the Minds on SAP Technical Career Success"
Podcast Interview Date: October 16, 2009
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At SAP TechEd, I was involved with numerous video shoots and podcast tapings. But my favorite from the conference stands out clearly: this live SAP tech skills chat with the Enterprise Geeks. What stood out about this taping? It was live, without a net, talking without any script or planning on the future of SAP technical careers - with a live audience asking us questions and watching to see if our material and views were credible.

To me, this 24 minute podcast really captures the spirit of TechEd and also gives a gut-level view of SAP technical skills at a crossroads - with unwanted "skills commotization" on one hand, and new opportunities with Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) and BPM/SOA-inspired approaches on the other. My partner in crime for the podcast is Enterprise Geek radio jockey Eddie Herrmann. It's a half hour of whatever sticks to the wall - and one of the best podcasts I've ever been a part of.

"On the Experience of Being a Demo Jam Finalist and How to Stay Marketable as an SAP Developer"
Podcast Interview Date: October 15, 2009
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Too often, realizing SAP career dreams is seen as a process of seniority: until you have paid your dues for many years, you won't see the payback. While hard work is never a bad thing, Brian Dennett of Colgate-Palmolive has a different story: just two years into his SAP career, he was a Demo Jam finalist at SAP TechEd Phoenix 2009 (link to full SAP DemoJam replay). This was a powerful reminder that SAP career success in today's market has as much to do with late night bursts of content creation as it does with cubicle-based dues paying. To find out more about Brian's great story and get a view into his own career path, I had the opportunity to tape a live podcast with him at SAP TechEd 2009.  

During the 12 minute podcast, Brian talks about his Demo Jam experience and one thing that was unique about his performance: he is planning to give the code from his presentation away on EnterpriseGeeks.com. Speaking of Enterprise Geeks, I also asked Brian about his experience working for Enterprise Geeks podcast jockey Eddie Herrmann. Humor aside, Brian and I also talked about the serious topic of how to contend with outsourcing as a technical person by keeping your skills on the cutting edge. Brian had some important career insights as a result of his TechEd experience, and he shares those with us during this podcast.  

Reminder: JonERP.com podcasts are self-rated PG-13.

During TechEd, I was able to sit down with Greg Chase, who is the Director of Platform Marketing with SAP, covering BPM and CE (Composition Environment). We were joined by his colleague Patrik Fiegl, who is with SAP's Business Transformation Consulting Services Organization, driving BPM growth with customers. During this 19 minute podcast, we were able to examine the relevance of SAP BPM to today's project environments, and take a closer look at some of the skills that are needed as BPM intersects with IT. The discussion points to new skills that can be added to existing roles, as well as an overall convergence of business and IT that is creating the need for new modeling tools experience and new scrum-inspired methodologies.

Note: we also debriefed on the Process Design Slam in Phoenix and why it charted new waters, and we talked about the SAP BPM curriculum that is part of SAP's BPX certification.

"On SAP customer attitudes on Enterprise Support, the value/hype of SaaS for SAP users, and SAP skills advice"
Podcast Interview Date: September 25, 2009
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One of the most controversial issues in the SAP community today is the question of SAP Enterprise Support and whether the support justifies the cost. In the flurry of blog posts on this topic, an important viewpoint can get overlooked: the day-to-day experience of SAP customers. Recently, Panaya, an SAP third party solutions provider, released their 2009 SAP Support Costs Survey. This survey put some meat on the bone of the hot topics in SAP support, such as the cost of support per user, the attitudes towards Enterprise Support, and the key support challenges that SAP users face.

During this twenty minute podcast, Jon Reed of JonERP.com interviews Amit Bendov, Chief Marketing Officer of Panaya, about what they learned from their recent Survey on SAP Support. Since Panaya's tools are all delivered via Software as a Service (SaaS), Jon wanted to get Amit's take on how much value there is in SaaS right now for SAP users based on what Panaya has learned. The podcast also covers the release of Panaya's new Big Book of SAP Upgrades and Panaya's presence at SAP TechEd Phoenix, including the Phoenix/Sedona bike trip Amit is organizing the Saturday after TechEd. (Find Amit on Twitter for more details on the bike trip). Editor's note: for more details on the challenges of installing SAP support packs and the specifics of Panaya's SAP support package automation solution, check out the additional podcast Jon and Amit taped with a focus on SAP support pack installation.

"On the 'Driven to Perform' Book, How it Translates into EPM and GRC skills needs, and how SAP will fare in an SaaS Economy"
Podcast Interview Date: September 25, 2009
Podcast: Listen Now!
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SAP is at a serious crossroads. The ERP market is in a state of significant disruption. The down economy has not only slowed sales; it's created a fertile ground for Software as a Service business models. As I say in the podcast, how SAP responds to these market challenges is going to have a lot to say about its future. Those of us who work in the SAP community have a lot at stake as well. On the consulting side, the commoditization of basic ERP skills is challenging consultants to find a "higher skills ground."

There is no one better to talk about these issues than Nenshad Bardoliwalla. A former executive from the SAP ranks, Nenshad is now heavily involved in SaaS technologies. He is also the co-author of the recently published book Driven to Perform: Risk-Aware Performance Management From Strategy Through Execution. In this in-depth, 50 minute podcast, which I consider to be amongst the best I have ever released, I talk with Nenshad about the book's approach to linking strategy to execution and how this can be leveraged in SAP environments.

The first half of the podcast is focused on breaking down how linking strategy to execution is driving skills demand in the SAP BusinessObjects EPM (Enterprise Performance Management) and GRC (Governance, Risk and Compliance) suites. The second half of the podcast moves into the impact of Software as a Service on the ERP market and how Nenshad thinks SAP should respond. We also get into how SAP professionals should approach SaaS from a skills perspective.

"SAP Mentor Abesh Bhattacharjee of SAP Labs on His New Book from SAP Press on SAP MII, Keys to Success as an SAP Developer, and BPX Skills Trends"
Podcast Interview Date: August 02, 2009
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What are the keys to becoming a successful SAP developer? Why is SAP MII becoming such an important piece of functionality? And what do technical SAP folks need to learn from functional specialists and vice versa? In this podcast, Jon Reed of JonERP.com gets the answers to these questions with SAP Mentor Abesh Bhattacharjee of SAP Labs. In the debut of a podcast Jon and Abesh have been plotting since last December, Abesh shares the good news of the release of his new book on Implementing and Configuring SAP MII from SAP Press (co-authored by fellow SAP Mentor Dipankar Saha) and gives his insight on the importance of SAP MII and shop floor visibility to SAP users.

"Kevin Wilson of ERPGenie.com Explains Why SAP Event Management is the Best Kept Secret in SAP - and the Keys to Becoming a Visible Expert in the SAP Community"
Podcast Interview Date: August 21, 2009
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A handful of people in the SAP industry are distinguished by their truly outstanding contributions to the SAP community. Kevin Wilson, co-founder of ERPGenie.com and partner with Qdata USA, Inc, is one of those people. ERPGenie.com has supported the skills growth of thousands of SAP professionals. So what is the philosophy behind ERPGenie's success? And how has Kevin Wilson used those same principles to build his own SAP consulting career? What are his keys to finding a marketable niche in the SAP market and becoming a thought leader? 

Kevin remains a hands-on consultant with QData Consulting, and in recent years, he has become an expert in SAP Event Management (EM) implementations. Kevin has come to believe that SAP EM is one of the best kept secrets in SAP. But due to its powerful functionality and relevance to the "manage by exception" process philosophy, EM is not going to remain a secret for much longer. During this in-depth, 43 minute podcast, Kevin tells Jon about the opportunities in SAP EM consulting and how a range of technical and functional SAP professionals can potentially move into SAP EM work. 

"Thomas Wailgum on the Pros and Cons of SAP, the Impact of SaaS, and the Search for the Owner of the ERP License Plate"
Podcast Interview Date: August 1, 2009
Podcast: Listen Now!
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Thomas Wailgum, Senior Editor of CIO.com and the man behind the "Enterprise Software Unplugged" blog, is a self-described "wiseass." Those who follow his blog know that he isn't afraid to mix it up a little bit and poke a little fun at ERP heavyeights. What you might not know is that Thomas has been at CIO.com for 13 years - an amazingly long time given the ups and downs of dotcoms and online media. I wanted to get Thomas on a podcast and ask him how the ERP market has changed over his years at CIO.com, what he has learned from his interviews with CIOs, and get his take on the pros and cons of SAP in today's market. Thomas is also a fun ERP presence on Twitter, so you may want to follow him there.

"On SAP Project Success and Failure, The Fun (and Value) of Twitter for ERP Pros, and What Panorama's Research Says about the SAP Market"
Podcast Interview Date: July 27, 2009
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What's the best way to overcome inaccurate perceptions? By gathering comprehensive data. And what's the best way to put a vendor in context? Study the broader market. Eric Kimberling, President of Panorama Consulting, does both of these things in the ERP space. To get a better handle on keys to SAP project success (and how to avoid failure), as well as the impact of SaaS and the key skills ERP users should be cultivating, I invited Eric to join me and to share Panorama's findings with JonERP listeners. I also put him on the JonERP hot seat and asked him to make his own recommendations for SAP's future direction. 

During this twenty-five minute podcast, we also talk about the value of Twitter for ERP users and why Eric's experience as a popular ERP "Tweeter" has showed him that Twitter is for more than sharing classic rock music playlists. Eric also shares the keys behind Panorama's business model that includes plenty of information sharing with the ERP community (such as their well-attended ERP webcast series). 

"What Motivates Jon to be an SAP Mentor, and His Skills Recommendations for SAP Professionals"
Podcast Interview Date: July 7, 2009
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Usually I am the one doing the podcast interviews. But this time around, Muhammad Shaamel, podcaster, blogger, and SAP ERP consultant, turned the tables on me. During this twenty-six minute interview, Muhammad asks me for my take on what's hot and what's not from an SAP skills perspective. He had some excellent questions for me, including the value of certification and whether or not BPM skills can help an SAP consultant.

"Why SAP TechEd is Relevant to BPXers, and How to Build a Business Case to Attend"
Podcast Interview Date: July 3, 2009
Podcast: Listen Now!

In this impromptu podcast, inspired by a Twitter conversation thread, Jon Reed interviews Marco ten Vaanholt, VP of the SAP Community Network and the Global Head of the SAP BPX and Business Objects Communities, on how individuals (and project teams) can make a "BPX business case" for SAP TechEd. (Follow Marco on Twitter, and follow SAP TechEd on Twitter. 

"Reactions to ASUG-Sapphire 2009, The Pros and Cons of Co-Location, and SAP Security Trends"
Podcast Interview Date: June 11, 2009
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Sometimes in the glitz of Sapphire announcements, the ASUG part of ASUG/Sapphire gets less attention. To learn more about why the ASUG part of the conference matters - not only to SAP users, but to industry analysts - I invited Gretchen Lindquist, SAP Mentor and stalwart ASUG volunteer, to share her views on ASUG/Sapphire 2009 and the pros and cons of co-location. I also had the opportunity to ask Gretchen about trends in SAP Security from the vantage point of her work as chair of the SAP Security Interest Group (SIG) for ASUG.

Since Total Cost of Ownership (TOC) is such an important talking point for both SAP and its customers, I was very interested to hear Gretchen's take on how security and authorizations often form a "hidden" expense in ERP TCO that needs to be reckoned with during implementations and assessments of new products like SAP Business Objects.

In the first installment of his "Sapphire in Review" podcast series, Jon Reed of JonERP.com welcomes special guest Michael Krigsman, President of Asuret and popular ZDNet blogger and Tweeter. Michael's focus is evaluating the keys to IT project success and failure, so during this twenty-eight minute podcast, Jon gets Michael's take on how project failure applies to ERP vendors and SAP specifically. Jon also gets the skinny on Michael's investigations of Business ByDesign at Sapphire, and why he sees SAP's focus on UI improvements and BI enhancements as important to ERP project success. In closing, Michael shares an inside view on what it's like to be part of SAP's Blogger Relations Program, mixing it up with SAP executives.

"Reactions to Sapphire 2009, Twittering Live Events, and the Impact of SAP BPX Skills"
Podcast Interview Date: May 14, 2009
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In the second of two live Sapphire podcast recordings, Jon Reed of JonERP.com interviews fellow SAP Mentor Dick Hirsch to get his impressions of Sapphire 2009. Listen in as two self-described "BPX geeks" discuss the themes of Sapphire from a BPX perspective. Jon gets Dick's reactions to the Sapphire keynotes, and also gets his view on how Twitter is changing the experience of live events, both for virtual attendees and the actual participants. Dick also offers tips for how SAP professionals can move their skills into a BPX direction.

"Reactions to Sapphire 2009, SAP BPM, and the Pros and Cons of Solution Manager"
Podcast Interview Date: May 14, 2009
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In the first of two live Sapphire podcast recordings Jon will issue this week, Jon Reed of JonERP.com sits down with Ajay Vonkarey of Alpha Sirius to discuss his views on Sapphire, his impressions of the SAP market, and in particular, his views on Solution Manager - a topic you could not get away from at Sapphire where Ajay has deep expertise. In this 24 minute podcast, taped in a classroom as Sapphire closes out, Jon asks Ajay for his views on the pros and cons of Solution Manager from a customer perspective, how Solution Manager fits into BPM, and how SAP skills needs are evolving in the era of BPM and "end to end process" management.

"SAP Job Market: Building a Future in an SAP Career"
Podcast Interview Date: May 5, 2009
SearchSAP "Building an SAP Career" Podcast

Jon Reed notes: Recently I appeared in a podcast on SearchSAP.com on the future of SAP careers. This podcast, conducted by Courtney Bjorlin, News Editor of SearchSAP.com, featured my comments as well as those of David Foote of Foote Partners. This podcast was actually the second in a two part series. The first part, on the SAP job market in 2009, featured David Foote's latest findings on SAP skills demand. In the second podcast, David and I riff on the future of SAP skills and what lies around the corner. I enjoy doing podcasts with David because his research is grounded in extensive customer surveys. Our views on the market largely coincide, but it's interesting to see how the views I get from inside the SAP Mentor community working with SAP thought leaders contrasts to David's research.

On March 20 of 2009, I spoke with Vijay Vijayasankar, Senior Managing Consultant at IBM and fellow SAP Mentor, and conducted one of the most important podcasts I have done since I started doing them almost two years ago. On my mind during the taping: my theory that SAP consulting is not just being impacted by the economy and will come roaring back later. I believe the changes in SAP consulting that are underway now are permanent in nature, and have implications for all SAP professionals. There was no one better to ask about these shifts than Vijay, who has broad market experience and has seen many of the changes I am talking about. Disclaimer: please keep in mind that the opinions Vijay expresses during this podcast are entirely his, and do not represent the view of his employer, IBM.

Before you listen to the podcast, I want to note that Vijay and I do not intend to make light of the layoffs and shifts in employment globally that most systems integrators (and software vendors) have undertaken. Nor are all these shifts necessarily bad for everyone who is impacted. However, we both believe that the reality of "global labor arbitrage" require a fresh look at what it takes to succeed in SAP and a pro-active approach to SAP skills development. During this forty minute podcast, we go into both the state of the market and some of the skills approaches that Vijay recommends. If you want to learn more about Vijay's takes on SAP, I highly recommend his popular SCN blog. (Recently Vijay was honored as a Top Contributor on SCN for 2008).

In this special SAP community podcast, Jon Reed of JonERP.com speaks with an expert team assembled by SAP's Ecosystem Workforce Group to assess the SAP skills trends that are relevant in today's economy. Joining Jon on the call are: Peter Russo, leader of PAC's SAP Services Research Practice, and Rob Fiddaman and Deepak Jaiswal of K2 Partnering Solutions. Rob is K2's North American Partner and Deepak, who called in from India to participate in our global call, is the CEO of K2.

The purpose of this podcast was to identify the hiring needs of SAP customers during a time of unprecedented economic challenges. As the rules of the economy change, the skills sets needed from SAP consultants have also evolved. But one thing hasn't changed: consultant quality remains a critical part of ERP project success, and SAP has set consultant quality as a top priority for 2009. So how do we define "quality" when it comes to today's SAP consultant? And how has the skills profile of top SAP consultants changed in the era of process-driven ERP, business intelligence, and Business Suite 7? Join us for this 26 minute podcast as we focus on the reality of SAP skills demand, with views from the front lines of SAP consulting.