The motto of this year’s DSAG Annual Congress in Leipzig, October 11-13, was “On the search for… success” and saw many discussions centered around flexibility, sovereignty, sustainability, transformation, and cooperation. Over the three days, the event attracted SAP users and customers from the German-speaking region, all looking for ways in which their companies can get the most out of their SAP solution, innovate, and accelerate their digital and business transformation. After being held virtually for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, DMI was delighted to attend DSAG 2022 as both a sponsor and exhibitor. Unsurprisingly, the event delivered some interesting insights into the current mood among SAP customers and partners during these present turbulent times.
DSAG 2022 offered a jam-packed agenda including expert sessions, keynotes, and presentations from partners covering a vast range of topics from SAP Lifecycle Management and SAP Customer Experience (CX) to S/4HANA Conversion with Selective Data Transfer vs. the Greenfield Approach, as well as the Geopolitical Impacts on Global SAP Landscapes. DMI’s team of data migration specialists at the event – Tobias Eberle, Ralf Mattes, Gerd Klask, Eva Heinze, and Benjamin Kaulich – welcomed existing and potential customers and partners to the booth. Besides looking at the latest functions and features of the JiVS information management platform, visitors also took part in DMI’s racing car simulation competition. The winner was fast but missed out on the record speed by one-tenth of a second!
The Need for Speed and Skills
Many insightful discussions highlighted some of the major concerns within the IT industry at the moment. Within the SAP community, there is a real sense of urgency to convert to SAP S/4HANA before the 2027 deadline, but considering current global events, there is also a great deal of hesitancy. Everyone agrees with the need to speed up the conversion process, but justifying the investment is a different matter, when we’re seeing stock markets and economies suffer the devastating effects of war and rising energy prices. The shortage of SAP consultants available to help manage the conversion was also highlighted through the various conversations. Some implementation partners are unable to take on larger conversion projects as they cannot pool together the extensive resources and skills that are needed to drive such projects forward and meet the deadline. A lot of the people we spoke to were surprised and pleased to learn how JiVS helps tackle both of these pressing issues by massively speeding up and simplifying the data migration process for S/4HANA, while reducing operating costs and manpower.
A Busy Diary of Events
At DMI we’re delighted that live events are now back in full swing. This year’s edition of DSAG was a special 25th anniversary event, and we look forward to being there for its 50th anniversary! After being held virtually online for the last two years, we were pleased to finally be there again in person. Even though our business is all about technology, nothing quite beats meeting people face to face. You can catch up with us at more upcoming events:
Connect 2022: SAP Partner Summit, Hamburg, October 21-22
SAPinsider EMA, Vienna, November 15-17 – get your JiVS discount code here
IG SAP Customer Meeting, Andelfingen-Zürich, November 17
CIO Roundtable, Hamburg, November 23
DigitalLounge@HCDavos, dates to be confirmed
Author: Tom Pfister, Chief Marketing Officer