As I listened to the SAP launch in NYC of its S4 product I told a few folks I was struck how high level the presentation was. That they should have field tested and matured the pitch with many customers and presented a more mature version at Sapphire 3 months from now.
I went back and looked at the many customer comments and questions as I interviewed them for SAP Nation last Fall. Those are the burning questions SAP should be addressing with the new product not just talking about “simple”. In aForbes column this week, I highlighted many of the questions. With nearly 10,000 views in three days, the questions have clearly touched a nerve.
Josh Greenbaum has other commentary here and he has promised more in later posts. He says “SAP needs to make sure every customer understands how the versions of SAP they are running today will lead them to S4 HANA, in what time frame and at what cost.”
Brian Sommer has an even longer list of questions at Diginomica and a telling comment “This is a constantly moving target so don’t expect the list to get any shorter!”
After the launch, Dr Hasso Plattner told a journalist
“If this doesn’t work, we’re dead. Flat-out dead.”
While that is a brutally honest statement, I am not sure Hasso or SAP know what “this” should be, let alone whether it will work. Defining the “this” means answering many, many questions customers and analysts have.
Like I said, I think the launch was rushed.
(Cross-posted @ DealArchitect Full)
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