User Group News
User Group News - April 2010

CHAIRMANS NOTE

The next month brings Sapphire – a simultaneous event this time in the USA and Germany. For the German event I have been asked by SAP to be one of the judges of their annual quality awards which were reinstated this year after an absence last year. The request by SAP I think reflects the recognition of the UK User group as a focal point for its customers. More information about the judges’ panel can be found here.

Over the past 12 months there has been a lot of talk about cloud computing. Vendors have been hyping up how they will deliver their services from the cloud, while organisations have been gushing about the potential cost savings and productivity benefits they’ll reap. While companies that need speed to market, or SMEs with smaller IT budgets, may see cloud computing as a Godsend, like any technology adoption it is essential to look before you leap.

You’re only as strong as your provider’s servers
Businesses using cloud computing are completely dependent on Internet connections in order to access their applications. In particular, they are at the mercy of cloud computing providers in terms of application uptime as applications are hosted on the provider’s servers. It is therefore important to establish a service level agreement (SLA), backed up with meaningful penalty clauses. Your path to the clouds suddenly becomes one of the most critical components of your IT delivery, and as such needs multiple levels of resilience and redundancy to keep your business processes safe. We’ve all heard of Escrow agreements to safeguard us if there are issues with a software supplier, but what is your equivalent course of action for a software-as-a-service provider?

Customisation conundrum
Many larger businesses use applications which have been customised to meet their specific needs. However, when the same application is delivered through cloud computing it may be more difficult, or even impossible, for the same application to be customised. If the application can be customised, this is likely to be expensive, and there is a question of ownership of this work should you need to exit the service provider.

Compliance concerns
Cloud computing also has ramifications when it comes to compliance regulations. For example, the UK has data protection laws which don’t really take into account vendors using server environments based outside the EU. However, the cloud computing model means businesses don’t have the same visibility of which server their data is stored on, or where the server is located compared to if they hosted their own servers. This makes it impossible for a proper risk assessment to be carried out. If businesses using cloud computing don’t know where their data resides, it will be impossible for them to comply.

The issues outlined above mean that larger organisations are still wary of cloud computing and are choosing a watching brief for now. However, this does mean that they will be missing out on the benefits that it can bring. One way of getting the best of both worlds is to implement a hybrid model. This model has been introduced by some vendors including SAP, which has been criticised for being slow to adapt its solutions to the cloud. Yet by taking their time, these vendors have come up with an innovative approach which sees businesses have some of their processes in the cloud and others within the business. This approach means that organisations don’t have to put their business critical processes in the cloud if they feel it is too risky. However, by putting less critical processes in the cloud they can still reap the benefits that this approach can bring.

While cloud computing offers some exciting possibilities and allows businesses to run applications without a large initial outlay, clearly businesses must do their due diligence to endure that it is suitable for their organisation.

Here at the User Group we are currently surveying our membership regards their thoughts on cloud computing and we will be sharing the results over the next couple of months – so watch this space!

Finally – I should point out that many of your colleagues have already taken advantage of the early bird rate for our conference in November. I know it’s still over 6 months away but this early bird rate isn’t there forever, so if you want the discounted rate get it booked soon.

BusinessObjects Special Interest Group Meeting, 6th May.

In previous BI SIGs we have focused on exploring the closer integration between SAP Business Warehouse and SAP BusinessObjects. The focus of the May BI SIG will be more specifically on the capabilities of a selection of the SAP BusinessObjects products.

Learn more about SAP BusinessObjects through presentations that demonstrate the practical application of some of the product portfolio such as Xcelsuis, Business Planning and Consolidation and BusinessObjects reporting. In order to understand the future direction of this product set SAP will also provide an update on the roadmap of their latest products.

Kevin Hardawar and Stephen Horrocks from Atos Origin will present Clarity: A Technical Overview. An implementation of SAP BusinessObjects and SAP Business Planning and Consolidation has transformed the financial processes at Atos Origin. Consolidation has transformed the financial processes at Atos Origin. Learn how Dashboards (Xclesius), Reporting (BusinessObjects), Forecasting (SAP BPC) and Data Warehousing (SAP BW7) have been used to establish a best in class management information system that will be rolled out globally within the organisation.

Mathew Shaw from SAP will deliver a BI Roadmap Update. This session will give an overivew of the Business Intelligence Roadmap incorporating the current, mid-term and long-term plans.

There will also be a session on Sustainability, further details to follow. Please follow the link to view more details and book for the event http://www.sapusers.org/event_view.php?event_id=443.

£285.00 - Don’t miss out on this incredible price!

Tickets NOW on Sale for YOUR UK & Ireland SAP User Group Conference 2010 at an incredible Early Bird rate. Register TODAY to save ££'s.

We keep you best informed - with a comprehensive 70 session programme including New Technology, Finance and Payroll; What’s New In HR, Change Management & Training and Business One, in addition to presentations from SAP top Executives from across the UK, Europe and Internationally.

Position yourself on the frontline, to receive firsthand advice and see the latest products and services from over 78 exhibitors. Meet with exhibitors, your peers and top industry experts including SAP UK at this years 2½ day event designed to provide you with increased networking, collaborative and knowledge building opportunities.

Join us at Your UK & Ireland SAP User Group Conference 2010, at Manchester Central, 21st to 23rd November. Helping YOU put the sparkle into your business!

Would you like to contribute and raise the profile of your organisation?
Can YOU Help? Are you holding the information others need?

Have you / your organisation;

Implemented or developed anything within SAP that you feel could benefit other users?
Have you recently completed an upgrade / implementation?
Have you encountered and overcome any difficulties with your SAP system?
Have you developed a work around you think everyone should know about?

Why not submit an abstract for inclusion in the agenda at our User Group Conference in November. As a speaker you will receive a delegate pass to the whole event including accommodation FREE.

You could be holding the information that someone is looking for!

To let us know, please email conference@sapusers.org.

Our next Training and MSM SIG's to be held at Teesside in the North East.

Training SIG - 27th April and MSM SIG - 28th April are to be held at the SAP UK & Ireland User Group Offices, Billingham.

The location provides an excellent opportunity for those members based in the north who may otherwise struggle to attend meetings held at SAP to attend a SIG meeting.

To book and view agenda's for both meetings please follow the links;

Training SIG http://www.sapusers.org/event_view.php?event_id=441
MSM SIG http://www.sapusers.org/event_view.php?event_id=442

SAPPHIRE NOW

Simultaneous events in Frankfurt and Orlando will give you a broader look at what it means to be a best-run business:

Network and learn from the experience of SAP customers, partners, and executives from around the world.
Gather your entire team – from project managers to senior executives – and take a holistic approach to solving key business challenges.
Access our global network of SAP partners and solution providers for the latest on SAP software-supporting technologies.
Discover how innovative industry solutions from SAP support best practices with built-in functionality.

Visit http://www.sapusers.org/events_year.php?year=2010 for further details.

Latest News

Upcoming Events

27/04/2010  -  Training SIG
28/04/2010  -  Maintenance & Service Management SIG
06/05/2010  -  BusinessObjects SIG
06/05/2010  -  Ireland SIG
12/05/2010  -  Implementation & Support SIG
13/05/2010  -  Solman Charm Day
19/05/2010  -  Payroll SIG
20/05/2010  -  MSM Webinar
26/05/2010  -  HR SIG
08/06/2010  -  Project Systems SIG

User Group Information

Mailing List
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Members Discussion Forum

Do you have any issues you would like to resolve?

Why wait for our SIG meetings to speak to other members; get feedback, views and help from your peers through our Discussion Forum.

Please Note: You MUST have Full Membership to access the Discussion Forum and you will need to be logged in to access this area.

There are new posts in the following areas of our Discussion Forum;

Audit Control & Security

* PFUD - clean up of expired roles & profiles

* stop employees deleting past absences

* Employee and contractor security vetting

* ongoing monitoring of 'segregation of duties' requirements

* Critical Transactions

* deletion of roles from positions

Finance

* Electronic Debtor Invoices - Emailing of

* Special Ledgers and/or running SAP for Latin America

Human Resources

* Changing screen layouts for ESS/MSS Enterprise Portal

* Assistance with Om and PA Integration....or not.

* Vetting and Barring

* Benchmarking partners?

* Implementation of ESS/MSS

Implementation & Support

* Anyone on 4.6c?

Payroll

* EE's Pensionable Pay cross tax year

* LSMW rejects

* BACS Pre DME Warning / Error 'R50 No PCL2'

SCM

* Master Data Management

Training

* Implementing LMS

* Business Event Evalutation Forms

IE Payroll

* Payroll data scrambling tools

* Payslip format for a new printer

* SAP update regarding P35 report and Income levy totals

DID YOU KNOW............

SAP now offers a Managed File Transfer Packaged Service (£37 - £50k). This will enable your business to transfer large files or sensitive data internally or externally without the risk of data breaches or incomplete transfers. For more information please contact sarah.wicks@sap.com.