Strout: Absolutely. Years ago, when I first started implementing ERP systems in companies, we put in a product from IBM, and one of the things that I found the most beneficial to me was knowing people because I'm not going to know it all, and I'm not going to find it all in a book - mainly because documentation is what programmers hate to do. So it's finding people that know the answers that becomes the critical success point.

Reed: Well I haven't been able to trip you up yet. It seems like you guys are really on top of what SAP customers are going through. I'm going to try one more curve ball for you, Steve, and see if you can get it. The curve ball is SAP Business by Design, and by extension a different type and size of company, perhaps, with a different type of concern when it comes to support and user networking. Is that going to be a challenge for ASUG to support that type of member, or are you guys on top of that as well?

Strout: To be totally honest with you, we are in the middle of implementing Business by Design as we speak. We're going to use Business by Design for our financial system, our CRM, and our Business Intelligence. So come January, we're going to have first-hand experience and knowledge on the product.

We are ASUG, and we want to represent all of the SAP users. We are working diligently with SAP on how to address the market, and we've been working to determine if any of our current assets are leverage-able, and if not, what things we still need to add to the arsenal.

I think many people expect the offerings to be virtual. One of the things that is kind of cool about Business by Design is that they've built in communities and a lot of online training and education pieces with it, so I think there's an expectation that the ASUG component of it will also be virtual, and we will make sure that we're connected into that in a very deep way.

We're building that community and that networking piece directly into the product line, but I'm also assuming we're going to want to do some face-to-face events. I think the human nature is to still want to see eyeballs to eyeballs when you want to have a conversation with people, and you really do want to meet them and understand what makes them tick. As your business starts to rely on them - because a lot of these businesses are relatively small businesses - I think they want to make sure that they can trust the person at the other end of it.

It's not an example like using Facebook or MySpace where those are consumer-based and you're not betting your entire business on them. On Business by Design, you're absolutely betting your business on it, so I think that we'll do face-to-face events as well.

Reed: Fair enough. We've covered a lot of different themes pertaining to ASUG and the SAP community. Are there any other goals for ASUG heading into 2008 that we haven't touched on that you'd like to mention today?

Strout: Oh, man, I'm telling you, I'm very excited about 2008. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, no doubt, but the expectation is the results are just going to be terrific. Some of the things that I'm working on right now is to make sure that we have the right systems in place, the right programs and processes, and obviously the right people in the position to position the organization for growth.

SAP is moving from 41,000 customers to 100,000 customers between now and 2010, and we want our share of that, point blank. I want to make sure that we're able to scale to that, percentage wise: to be able to support that marketplace as well.

We've got a bunch of new products coming into play next year, but as the year goes on we'll be able to talk about them. And some of these will be in conjunction with other partners.

And then one of the things that I think would benefit the community is to integrate our associate members, our vendors, partners, and suppliers, a little more fully into the community. As we continue to take that journey into becoming the center of the community, the ecosystem around SAP, there's a lot of knowledge there that's untapped, and there's a lot of opportunity to integrate that group of people deeper in our members.

Reed: And for those folks who want to get their hand on the best practices and HCM report that's coming out, will they find out about that through the web site or member channels?

Strout: ASUG.com.

Reed: And, of course, any SAP companies looking into ASUG membership are also going to find what they need at that same web address.

Strout: Absolutely. In 2007 we did accomplish a whole bunch, but there were a few things that didn't quite get completed. One of those things was the technology side of ASUG.com, so we'll be making some changes and we'll get into the habit of doing releases multiple times a year. And our next one is at the end of Q1; we're redesigning it to make it a little more functional and easier to navigate. All of our material is on ASUG.com.

Reed: Well I certainly think that ASUG is an encouraging organization for those SAP customers who are a little confused about the transitions, and I've also been impressed with this goal of inserting yourself in the center of this ecosystem.

One of the fascinating things about SAP in this day and age is that there are so many more options for getting the help and support you need on your project than there were in the past, so I look forward to seeing ASUG play a central role in that from here on out.

Strout: Absolutely.

Reed: Steve, best of luck with ASUG in 2008, and maybe we'll check in with you down the line to see how your progress is going with these ambitious goals you've undertaken. We'll also look forward to seeing you at SAPPHIRE/ASUG 2008 in Orlando.

Strout: Absolutely, and I certainly appreciate the conversation.

Reed: Thanks a lot for taking the time today. With that, I'd like to thank our listeners for joining us for this podcast interview. This podcast was a joint venture between B2B Workforce, ERPGenie.com, and my site, JonERP.com, bringing you career answers for SAP professionals. Thanks for listening in, and check back soon for another podcast from JonERP.com.

Editor's Note: This interview is not a verbatim transcription of the podcast. It was edited for clarity and readability; however, no content from the podcast conversation was removed.