With SAP Sapphire and the ASUG Annual Conference right around the corner, Jon Reed reconvened with analyst Josh Greenbaum and ASUG CEO Geoff Scott for a two part podcast. Part one: a review of SAP's ambitious Business Data Cloud announcement, what we've learned since the launch news, and the open questions heading into Orlando. Then we shift into a discussion of why so many customers have brought up the need for cloud/modernization business cases - and ways to bridge that vexing/persistent IT/business gap. We discuss the customer feedback we've received so far, and Greenbaum and Reed share their plans for an ASUG workshop on this topic in May, and why we think this issue is gaining momentum. Listeners are encouraged to chime in on how this lines up with their SAP migration plans/questions/concerns, and what other resources and discussions they want to see on this topic.

Yes, it's time to revisit my take on AI and human creativity, with trusted foil Thomas Wieberneit, who has plenty of insights and an ability to push my arguments. I'll have some fresh slides and fresh thinking on this topic, hot takes, and make a case for why enterprises are drastically underestimating the need for human creativity, and where AI does fit in - including pros and cons of various enterprise use cases. Bring your sharpest ideas... And note: the slides are not necessary to enjoy this audio content, but if you want to see the slides, you can catch the video replay at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eEcZ-6Ksbw.

Active Inference AI is not necessarily in conflict with LLMs, but Active Inference is definitely a different approach - one that challenges AI assumptions and opens up new thinking. It's been almost six months since Denise Holt shook up Constellation's Connected Enterprise event with a keynote on how Active Inference AI is changing the field. Since then, much has happened. In this audio-only podcast, Jon Reed gets the latest from Denise Holt, including upcoming Active Inference and Spatial Web milestones, and why the latter may prove crucial for grounding AI in world models. We also cover the educational coursework Holt has launched, and how listeners can learn more.

Yep, it's time - Brian Sommer and Jon Reed are back with the high and lows of the enterprise month, and your own salty commentary. Let's do this! Note - this is the first show of the year so there is a lot to cover, including a research dive into the flaws of LLMs and RAG/agent evaluation, and the status of the AI copyright situation. We attempt to give a new take on the return-to-office debate - and the online audience manages to get both of us to blow gaskets at different points. Note: the slide visuals aren't necessary to enjoy the discussion, but if you want to catch them, you can check them out on the video replay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVwQYWcSr1I&t=2403s

Eric Kimberling wrote a must-read post on the pros and cons of customization - and the debate is joined. In this special "blogs that matter" edition, we'll drill into Eric's analysis, and then take up some critical points customers should be aware of. As always, bring your sharpest and snarkiest viewpoints, your live comments are part of this show. If you appreciate unfiltered enterprise content without any attempts at monetization that is intentionally ad free and unsponsored, please consider giving me a nice rating to help other listeners find this content. Note: here is the link to Kimberling's blog post that we discuss, with strong feedback from our live audience: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/the-evolution-of-custom-development-is-it-really-overrated/

On the final afternoon of a whirlwind ZohoDay 2025 analyst event, I finally got a live sit down with Brian Sommer after a couple of near misses. The topics on deck: did Zoho make its enterprise case? And how different/effective is its AI strategy? We took a bit of extra time to delve into Zoho's interesting-and-provocative AI messaging in the aftermath of DeepSeek. (Zoho's Sridhar Vembu considered these disruptions of "big AI" significant enough to refer to this phase of AI as "After DeepSeek.") Though some of the ZohoDay content is confidential, ZohoDay includes enough open conversations to let us bring you many of the issues we debated. And: this includes a much higher than average integration of customers into the sessions, which inform our podcast review.

At ASUG Tech Connect 2024, for the first time, I hosted a joint podcast collaboration with the ASUG Talks team - to be issued on both of our platforms. Joining me in for a live podcast taping were familiar suspects: ASUG CEO Geoff Scott and analyst Josh Greenbaum. But this time around, we had a live audience - and pulled them into the conversation. The audience had a choice of an Enterprise Architect or AI focus. They chose Enterprise Architects - and, I think, for good reason. Effective AI is probably not possible for enterprises without the right data platform and Enterprise Architect approach. I think you'll agree that hearing so many articulate real world questions from the audience made this podcast a standout, and I'll look to do that again this year where possible. And, of course, we covered AI also - that topic always finds its way in. EDITING NOTE: This podcast was recorded and produced by the ASUG Talks team, and initially released on the ASUG Talks platform. The podcast was (very) lightly edited by ASUG Talks for listening clarity. The only difference between this version and the ASUG Talks version are the differences in musical intro (which I don't do) and my outro.

Acumatica has been a influential vendor in the cloud ERP midmarket - but does AI change the equation? Were there surprises on the ground in Vegas? Time to make sense of an important Acumatica Summit, but with a plot twist: Jon Reed is home in his bat cave, slugging down Vitamin C, while Brian Sommer grabbed an outdoor chair prior to his takeoff from Vegas. Jon gets into why Acumatica matters and asks Brian: what stood out this year? Was the AI narrative convincing? What did Brian hear that we didn't pick up on via the news announcement? Brian reveals the pesky questions he asked Acumatica execs, and we discuss how Acumatica is contending with its growth - a good problem to have, but nonetheless something to be tackled.

I was unable to get Josh Greenbaum and Brian Dennett together for an on-the-ground podcast at ASUG Tech Connect in November, but the show provoked important talks on RISE, clean core, and why SAP projects need enterprise architects. Those topics aren't going away, so we got together virtually to make sense of what we learned - and what's next. With looming ERP deadlines on the one hand, and modernization/AI on the other, it's a crucial year for SAP. The role of the S/4HANA public cloud edition is in the middle of this also. That's plenty for this discussion, which starts out on a humorous note as the cities and shows blurred together for your host. Note: there are more podcasts from this show, including an ASUG collaboration on Enterprise Architects coming soon - and my on the ground taping with Jelena Perfiljeva of the Boring Enterprise Nerds on SAP developer issues, clean core debates and more: https://jonerp.podbean.com/e/asug-tech-connect-review-jelena-perfiljeva-of-boring-enterprise-nerds/

AUDIO ECHO NOTE: the echo is addressed after the first three minutes. How effective are we at visually engaging enterprise content? I'd say - not very. But Heather Willems of Two Line Studios is doing something about that. Can we revive stale events with visual storytelling? How does AI hurt and/or help our cause here? As always, you can expect a jugular and interactive convo - and Heather will share illustrations from some of her favorite past events, including Constellation's Connected Enterprise, which is how I first learned of her team's work.... Note: to see the visuals on this, check out the YouTube replay at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruqcx29swRQ.

In the final section of my informal audiobook reading of Reaching the B2B Informed Buyer, we wrap up the strategies in the book - and the pitfalls to avoid. I also revisit the impact of AI on content generation and strategy; where it fits, where it doesn't. Where do we go from here? A combination of outstanding/expert content, savvy use of AI and personalization tools, but always in a context of making customers' lives better and earning trust piece by piece. Where trust is earned, opt-in data follows.

In part five of my informal audiobook reading of Reaching the B2B Informed Buyer, we get into my favorite content strategy debates, including: AI for context, content experiences and entertainment value, and AI versus opt-in communities. The goal, however, isn't just to flesh out the debate but to advance the conversation, so we can get the most out of the right content and better serve our audiences. Hopefully as we do that, buyer trust and momentum is achieved.

In this shorter section of my informal, self-recorded reading of Reaching the B2B Informed Buyer, I take a break from the content strategy methods and debates to ask - who has put this into practice? I use a cross-section of examples, from diginomica and beyond - some more visionary, some more provocative, some more practical. I kept this section short to keep the examples easily consumed, before we move into the concluding chapters and AI content debates.

In part three of my informal, self-recorded reading of Reaching the B2B Informed Buyer, I get into the importance of earning topic authority: earn attention with industry expertise. This is where B2B marketers often stumble. Marketing is still about attention. Digital marketing didn't change that. And the new era of what vendors call ‘AI-powered content experiences’ doesn’t change that either. So what do we do about it - and how can we serve buyers better, and earn their trust? Note: the full dbook is available on diginomica, and also as an ebook on virtually all ebook platforms.

Time for part two of my informal-but-hopefully-entertaining reading of reaching the informed B2B buyer. In this edition, I get into an important debate I've had with Gartner's Hank Barnes: just how informed is today's B2B buyer? And: why is reaching B2B buyers so different now? Then we move on to chapter 3, where we examine the challenge of content marketing ROI - while today's B2B buyer "ruins the content party." 'Brandware', email blasts and chasing social virality has minimal impact on today's B2B buyers. So what to about it? Let's dig in. Note: the full d·book is available on diginomica, and also as an ebook on virtually all ebook platforms.

To kick off this informal audio book reading of his Reaching the B2B Informed Buyer d·book, Jon Reed gets right into the executive summary: why the sales funnel is broken, why marketers get B2B buyers wrong - and why the right content strategy still has a huge impact, even in the so-called age of AI. Note: you can get the full d·book on diginomica in the d·book section. It's also available now on Kindle and most ebook platforms, and a printed version and full audiobook version is coming soon. For now, you can get these chapters which will be issued in order on my main podcast feeds. Reader views impacted so much of this content, so let me know where you want to take this next...

I recently crashed the CRM Convos AI agents video show. Some of you may have seen me on there before - I have come on periodically in their AI debate series. So this time, they they had an interesting AI expert in the enterprise space, Andreas Welsch, to talk about the future of AI agents. At around the 27 minute mark, I crashed the podcast and start pressing some questions, and blowing a gasket of two. Here's the full conversation. Via the CRM Konvos team, following is the official text preview: Join us for CRMKonvo #234 with Andreas Welsch: AI Agents—Where are WE headed? And where will WE be? Get ready for an insightful discussion with Andreas Welsch, Founder & Chief AI Strategist at Intelligence Briefing. Andreas is an internationally recognized AI leader, advisor, and speaker known for helping the world’s leading enterprises turn technology hype into business outcomes. In this session, we’ll explore the future of AI agents, ethical considerations, and the impact on businesses and employees. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to gain valuable insights from one of the top voices in AI! Reposted to Jon Reed's podcast feeds by permission of CRM Konvos - see the original video replay at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuHdXtU-zh4.

CIOs are in the pressure cooker. But advice is often cookie cutter. No cookie cutters with my next guest, Tim Crawford. We'll count down top CIO mistakes and Tim's top/overlooked CIO moves for being business-relevant, AI-savvy etc. I've wanted to get Tim on the show for a while, this is going to be a dandy - bring your sharpest and snarkest questions as usual.... Note: part two of this discussion, on next-gen analyst relations, has already been released as a separate podcast on my channel.

Is great/human-generated enterprise content still relevant? And how does today's content strategy and AI content hype stack up with my views on reaching B2B audiences? Can I tie this back into the hype (and potential) of AI for content distribution and hyper-personalization? To sort this out, it took a live/opinionated audience, and a special guest appearance by CRM analyst Thomas Wieberneit of CRM Konvos and more. Wieberneit is an excellent foil and sounding board, and I think we actually got somewhere on all of this.

Yep, it's that time again. Join Brian and Jon for their rollicking review of the highs and lows of the enterprise event circuit - along with their article picks and pans. Speaking of article picks, special guest Hyoun Park will join the show to talk about his notable blog post on the state of IT FinOps. We'll also revisit Hyoun Park's landmark post on the "instant mediocrity" of generative AI and what's changed since then. As always, bring your smartest and savviest commentary... Note: to check the slides, catch the video replay as always at https://www.youtube.com/@jonreedofdiginomica

In the end, shouldn't analyst relations service customers better? Shouldn't enterprise analysts advocate for customer concerns? After discussing CIO pitfalls/opportunities with Tim Crawford of AVOA, we pick up in this podcast with a spirited discussion of the future of analyst relations - with a vigorous chat of experts keeping us on track. This was not always an easy talk, getting into issues of independence and disclosure, but these are important topics in the analyst industry. Note 1: Crawford's response to this was sparked by Jon's post on next-gen analyst relations: https://diginomica.com/what-does-next-gen-analyst-relations-look-and-why-should-customers-care. Note 2: The CIO section of this conversation is not yet released as an audio podcast. You can see the entire show on video replay at https://www.youtube.com/@jonreedofdiginomica.

On the final day of ASUG Tech Connect, Jon gets a strong (overdue) podcast debut from Jelena Perfiljeva of the Boring Enterprise Nerds. During this taping, Perfiljeva was fresh off her interactive session on the state of SAP developers - where clean core turned into the topic that stirred up the room. Perfiljeva explains why, which leads to a different discussion of clean core than Jon was expecting. The two also discuss the impact of AI on SAP developers, and why the sessions at Tech Connect brought customer concerns to the fore. They also trace back to Jelena's emergence in the SAP community, and why strong/outspoken voices matter to customers. Audiophile note: to remove static from the recording Jon's audio had to be adjusted, but this was still the best of the two recordings and hopefully is a good level of listenability for you.

At the end of a vigorous session with Unit4's leadership team, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer camped out in an unused conference room to break down what they learned. While successfully dodging interruptions from the hotel staff, Brian and Jon hash out Unit4's "self-driving" cloud ERP approach, the service industries they are targeting, and why this vendor brings the right cloud ERP issues to a head. The talk shifts to Unit4's potentially problematic end-of-maintenance deadline, and why they are handling this differently than we might expect. The pros and cons of Unit4's approach to AI are also covered - and Unit4 gets kudos for one of the few analyst days without any NDA material of note, which makes it easy to share an open podcast discussion with all.

In this 15 minute companion podcast, Jon Reed asks Esteban Kolksy about the highlights of his "Beyond Gen AI" panel - and why active inference AI shook up the AI conversation this week. Active inference AI still has a lot to prove, but because it is *not* from the deep learning area of AI, its promise lies in moving beyond probabilistic AI (correlations) into a causal form of AI with a world model. In turn, the contrast highlights the shortcomings of LLMs, and gives Kolsky an AI to consider that he hasn't skewered on LinkedIn. For more on active interference AI, check out the work of Denise Holt, who appeared on the panel and keynoted at CCE. Also check out the work of Dr. Karl Friston of active inference AI vendor Verses. One Holt blog post: https://deniseholt.us/active-inference-ai-the-future-of-enterprise-operations-and-industry-innovation/

For part one of this on-site podcast from Constellation Connected Enterprise 2024, we have the triumphant return of Jon's sparring partner and occasional enterprise muse Esteban Kolsky, who has launched a new customer intelligence venture with Alan Berkson. Why? And how has this re-inspired Kolsky? We get into the context of the stale and/or noisy approach to enterprise advisory, and how Kolsky found a way out of his LinkedIn AI vinegar posts, without backing down from his AI criticism. Note: the AI part of this conversation, including how active inference AI shook up CCE 2024, is in the shorter companion podcast. Note: if you believe in unscripted, unsponsored unfiltered enterprise convos like these, consider a rating or share, it matters.

On the final media/analyst day of UiPath Forward, Jon sat down with diginomica's own Alyx Macqueen, who makes their podcast series debut. Macqueen has been tracking UiPath closely, but given the AI agents fanfare and CEO Daniel Dines proclaiming an "act two" for the company, much has changed. What does this mean for customers, and what did we learn on the show floor? Macqueen shares their take, and we compare notes on our interviews and what we found pressing into the change from RPA to agentic AI - and where customers are coming from. We also explain why UiPath's keynotes were a cut above what we've heard this event season. Note: we had a bit of background noise to contend with here, some of that has been edited in post production.

Analyst Josh Greenbaum has been doing deep dives into the SAP Spend portfolio for years. Now it's time to assess the progress, via SAP Spend Connect 2024. After two days on the ground in Vegas, Josh and Jon grab a surprise quiet location and tape this rundown, looking at issues such as: can SAP Promote finally bring smaller suppliers needed network visibility? What were the highs and lows of the show, and what did we learn from customers and show floor demos? How does Josh view the growth of SAP Business Network - and what does SAP need to do from here? Can SAP Business Network provide a welcome and different way into SAP innovation than GROW and RISE? Let's hash it out...

Many events have passed since our post-Sapphire clean core review. Time to hash out AI, clean core and more - in the context of ASUG's fall events, and fresh research data. Analyst Josh Greenbaum, ASUG CEO Geoff Scott and your host Jon Reed rejoin for another unscripted review of event lessons learned - from SAP shows and beyond.

Along with Geoff's new ASUG data, Jon shares his top event gripes and learnings; Josh shares his clean core/BTP findings. Then we look ahead to what we want to learn from ASUG Tech Connect, and why Enterprise Architects are central to the changes afoot.

Show notes: 1 - 31:00 - fall event reviews, ASUG research findings, clean core, and AI hype vs customer reality

31:00 - SAP TechEd news review

51:00 - ASUG Tech Connect preview, why Enterprise Architects matter, and community as a learning framework

Jon recommends listeners look at SAP's Knowledge Graph pursuits, a notable TechEd topic not covered in this podcast.

We're halfway through the fall event season, and it's time for Brian Sommer and Jon Reed to reveal the overrated, underrated, and most overhyped topics of the season to date. As always, bring your savviest/snarkiest commentary and we'll work that right into the live mix. We'll also share our most important article reads of the month.... Note: if you want to catch the slides, you can see the full video replay on YouTube at https://youtube.com/live/XQg2YcSDwB8.

In the final hours of Workday Rising 2024, Jon sat down with analyst Pete Tiliakos for an unscripted show review. Tiliakos has a focus on HCM, payroll and the future of work, so the podcast leaned towards those themes - and, of course, the unavoidable reckoning with AI-related news as well. Topics include: why payroll modernization matters, Workday's Extend strategy and whether that pattern will repeat with AI, why AI in HR is a potent issue, and what we learned on the show floor - and in conversation with Workday execs. Jon also discusses his Rising post on "should you rip out your ERP/HCM for AI."

After Jon Reed and Brian Sommer taped their Oracle CloudWorld and SuiteWorld review, they stuck around for a ten minute podcast on the dark side of HR tech, a preview of Brian Sommer's upcoming HR tech presentations.

Is it possible to manage two combined show reviews for Oracle CloudWorld and NetSuite SuiteWorld - without any help from AI agents or digital avatars. On the final evening of the final day, Jon Reed and podcast partner in tarmac crime Brian Sommer give it their best. With a tasty dinner awaiting them, Jon and Brian consulted their notes - and very different conference schedules - to give you a combined view of the hot issues and themes. There was a lot more show than we could handle in 30 minutes, but this should get you started. Note: after this we taped a short ten minute companion podcast on the dark side of HR tech.

AI is purported to have an outsized impact on application areas like ERP - but is that true in practice? And what about the overall view of digital transformation? Bring your best and/or snarkiest questions for Eric Kimberling of Third Stage Consulting. Eric is fielding these topics firsthand from customers; let's find out what he's learned so far, and see if we can de-hype the tech a bit - and find the viable use cases. Note: if you like uncensored, unscripted enterprise content without ads or sponsors, consider giving me a strong rating on your favorite podcast service, thanks!

Yep, it's time! Bring your top picks and savviest/snarkest commentary to our Enterprise Month in Review show on Friday. I'll be joined as always by co-host Brian "Brain" Sommer - special guest Bonnie Duncan Tinder will join us also, where we will discuss upcoming presentations and data on "The dark side of HR" and "The dark side of HR services." Brian and I will also share our picks and underrated stories of the month, as well as a fail or two. Should be a good one, with major cloud HR events right around the corner. Update: Meg Bear also crashed the show at the 45:00 mark to give her take on the state of enterprise HR, as Brian regaled us with his ill-fated attempt to re-apply for a job at a company where he once held a major role. Note: to see the slides, check the video replay on my YouTube channel at youtube.com/jonathanwreed.

Before everyone gets into trouble at fall events, it's time to bear down on enterprise video and media, and look at where brands are getting it wrong - and right. Paul Greenberg and Brent Leary of PPN/CRM Playaz, the recipients of my informal enterprise video award, have lived the highs and lows of audience engagement with video - time to put them in the chair with your questions. This blowout edition will also include surprise mystery guests! (Thomas Wieberneit of CRMKonvos, another enterprise video finalist, will join for the post-game analysis and podcast wrap at the 30:00 mark). Note: by the time we finished this video, I think we had boiled down a bunch of key takeaways for getting enterprise media right.

This one started as a soloflight, but the timing was good for Constellation's Liz Miller to crash the show as only she can do, and take a Google-cookie-backtrack victory lap, and make sense of the gen AI creativity debate from a CMO/marketing angle. There is a bit of a without-a-net vibe here until Liz shows up at the 11:00, but I recommend tracking this from the beginning to hear the context of the article on AI, creativity and job impact we will discuss. The podcast starts with the introduction of an important piece on gen AI and impact on creative jobs by journalism Brian Merchant. As I originally pitched the show: "One more notable article on gen AI creativity came out that we need to break down. I may get a couple guests to crash this session. Feel free to join and have your cam ready, maybe you'll be one of them." Stay to the end and get a cameo from Brent Leary as well, he goes off on Google's moves before heading into his own broadcast...

Yep, it's time. Join me and Brian Sommer for this month's highs and lows of the enterprise. Our special guest will be Lawson Abinanti, who has some tough love for BI vendors on how their messaging falls short. We'll probably push into some FP&A and AI talk as well. What do customers really need from their BI and data vendors? As always bring your savviest comments and sharp wit. Note: you can see the slide deck on the YouTube replay at: https://www.youtube.com/live/AEvI7vnsCTk.

SAP's "clean core" mantra raises enough questions to earn its own podcast. So, in the aftermath of SAP Sapphire and ASUG's Annual Conference, Josh Greenbaum and ASUG CEO Geoff Scott join Jon Reed again. We start with the open questions each of us are pursuing after the show. Then we shift into the SAP clean core discussion: is clean core marketing/sales hype, or a way of achieving deeper customer value from SAP? Scott reveals fresh data from ASUG on customer views, and Reed asks the guys to react to recent blog posts from SAP, as well as the clean core partner certification. We wrap with the question: where should SAP customers take this from here?

In the final segment (for now) of our Workshopping Generative AI creativity series, Barb Mosher Zinck joins the show to reveal what she sees as a practioner - and as diginomica's lead digital marketing writer. This is Zinck's first time appearing on Jon's show, but the two have debated content strategy for years, resulting in Jon's longer dbook on informed B2B buyers (which Zinck edited). Today, Zinck joins the live show to elaborate on her notable blog post, "Is content creation the best use for generative AI in marketing?" After discovering that Twitter/X borked the live stream, Jon breaks down what he's learned on gen AI and creativity to date, and a discussion of the lessons behind Barb's blog post ensues. You can see the post at: https://diginomica.com/content-creation-best-use-generative-ai-marketing.

After taping a Sage analyst event podcast review in Atlanta, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer jumped right into a shorter companion podcast on a hot event topic: CFO dilemmas. Are CFOs able to own business growth? Are they truly moving past admin, or is this is the same admin versus strategy dilemma that has plagued finance leaders for decades? Can AI make a dent here? Are there any relevant AI for finance use cases?

Jon Reed and Brian Sommer crashed an empty conference room to hash out what they learned at a whirlwind Sage analyst day event. Sage has ambitious plans for AI and automation in finance and beyond. "Eliminating the close" is one way of framing these goals - but is it realistic? Jon gets into Brian's pesky questions from the show, and what he learned. The two also hash out some of Sage's AI pursuits such at the digital fingerprint. It's been years since Sage acquired cloud finance vendor Intacct - now the entire product line is changing, but what does this mean for customers? Note: check out the second shorter companion podcast on the dilemmas facing CFOs and finance leaders.

Note: Barb wasn't able to make this session due to tech issues, but Brent Leary of Playaz Production Network hopped on, and he had some terrific content on what he has seen on gen AI and creativity this event season... On the heels of part one, Barb Mosher Zinck published a notable blog post on this topic, so our work isn't finished here. Let's see what Barb has to say, and I have a couple more debunkings to share. Bring your smartest/snarkiest stuff as usual and let's try to advance this convo. (We did discuss Barb's post a bit on this show; I'll have her back on in July to delve further).

I've had my fill of gen AI "creativity" BS for the enterprise. And yet, there are some pros and cons to discuss - and use cases to consider. What does Thomas Wieberneit think? I know he will come with strong views and we'll hash this one out - want to join us and provide your views as well? I will also outline some of my theories of attention and B2B buyer engagement, and how I see AI helping - and not. Note: this video also contains a vigorous debate on the impact of gen AI on enterprise job loss, thanks to some savvy commenters. Note: if you enjoy these ad-free, unscripted, uncensored enterprise convos, do consider leaving a strong rating on your fave podcast channel. This podcast will always be free and unsponsored. If you want to follow along with the slides, check the replay at https://www.youtube.com/@jonreedofdiginomica.

On the final afternoon of SAP Sapphire, Jon sat down with Brian Dennett for a sleep deprivation show review. Brian's SAP adventures have landed him with a partner that is expert on RISE and BTP, so it was the perfect time to dig into the pros and cons of RISE, where the value lies, and whether "clean core" is a crucial concept for SAP customers - or a marketing/commercial catch phrase. Also: what is the "BTP economy," and why should customers cast a wide net when it comes to their implementation partner moving forward? Jon also shares some of his customer feedback and surprises: including customer advocacy of the S/4HANA public cloud edition. We wrap with a brief chat about cynicism versus open-minded curiosity in the role of market analysis.

In this special edition of the Enterprise month in review, Brian Sommer and Jon Reed will also be joined by special guest Thomas Otter of Acadian Ventures... Otter will answer: where are the big ideas in HR? Will AI count? Join us and give us your snarky wisdom and input. Brian and Jon will also do our picks of the month. Editor's note: this audio edition restores the first 7:30 minutes of the broadcast that did not go out to the live stream and the video version. You may hear the splice and a shift in audio sound after the splice - but it was worth it for the extra material!

In this ten minute update, Jon Reed asks Brian Sommer for the latest on why ESG is disrupting finance - and touching just about every corporate cost center. This podcast took place in advance of Brian's session at Planful Perform 2024 on ESG for finance professionals. Jon also asks Brian to weigh in on why ESG is perceived as too political, and what the stakes are to sidelining this conversation for that reason. Note: this is the final section of a longer Planful Perform review that's also been released, so check the feed for that one.

In this on-site podcast taping in San Diego, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer review the hot topics at Planful Perform 2024. Obviously the potential and perils of AI for finance gets attention, but there is more - including the financial planning market, and what finance customers need to achieve better project results. Note: the final section of this podcast, on the impact of ESG for finance, is being released separately, so check the feed for that.

In our prior podcasts on SAP's innovation direction, we debated everything from AI to RISE - with the goal of providing actions and context for customers. This time, we wade into deeper waters by looking at the role of SAP partners. Join us as Josh Greenbaum, ASUG CEO Geoff Scott and Jon Reed look at how SAP services partners are responding to disruptions inside and outside the SAP "ecosystem." How should partners address clean core/BTP versus customizations? How should customers evaluate partners? Are customers missing out on partners that are not on their radar screen? And what is the role of ASUG (and other SAP user groups) in helping customers engage and assess partners? What has ASUG learned from recent surveys on this topic? We cover all that and more in this lead up to SAP Sapphire and the ASUG Annual Conference.

Join Brian Sommer and Jon Reed for another spicy, fun-filled edition of the Enterprise Month in Review. Our special guest feature is Maureen Blandford of Serendipitus, who will reveal her field lessons on the data pitfalls enterprises are falling into, and why slathering AI on questionable data is a fail. And: Blandford will tell us what the heck to do about it! Note: you can follow along with the slides via the video replay at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTlDLOdTRcM.

Hyperpersonalization has been recognized as one of the seven defining patterns of AI. Why? Is it deserving? Useful? Buzzword mischief? Time for an enterprise BS detector dissection... Join me and CRM analyst and buzzword detoxifier Thomas Wieberneit as we pick apart hyperpsersonalization in this informal discussion. Where does hyperpersonalization work? Where does it fall short? Is the collateral damage of bad personalization worth the risk? As usual bring your sharpest insights and a bit of snark as well, we're going to need it. By the end, we even get around to the problem of music personalization - and Pink Floyd.

For this month's Enterprise Month in Review, Jon and Brian will be joined by a surprise special guest. We'll pick our top stories of the month, and then dig with our guest on the ups and downs of AI as a consideration in software selection, how to avoid the gotchas of software evaluation, how HR vendors are approaching AI, and more. As always, bring your smartest (and snarkiest) questions/comments. Note: if you enjoy these audio productions with unfiltered enterprise content, and no sponsors or commercials, consider leaving a good review so I can beat the algorithm...

On the final day of Sage Transform 2024, Jon Reed caught up with old school, returning podcast guest Joni Girardi of DataSelf. Girardi explained why self-service BI has fallen short for business and finance users in the midmarket. Jon gets Joni's take on what Sage Transform's AI announcements mean for customers when it comes to analytics, and the guys take on the impact of AI on analytics from a number of angles, until their room time expires and the podcast wraps.

Join Jon Reed, Brian Sommer and special guest Molly Sands, who heads up Atlassian's Team Anywhere, to hit the highs and lows of the enterprise year so far - with special attention to the impact of Return to Office mandates, and what companies should do differently. As always, bring your smartest and snarkiest commentary to share. Note: the link to Atlassian's Lessons Learned: 1,000 days of distributed at Atlassian can be found at: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/distributed-work/distributed-work-report

Join Josh Greenbaum, ASUG CEO Geoff Scott and Jon Reed for their latest attempt to get to the bottom of SAP's innovation and AI strategy. But unlike their last contentious debate, this one is more of a back-and-forth on the impact of enterprise AI, what SAP's AI strategy means for customers - and how customers should respond. The main SAP news stories since the last podcast are also touched on, as well as another potent question: is RISE with SAP evolving into the transformation as a service tagline it has always been billed as? Is "cALM" (cloud ALM) an SAP buzzword to take seriously - especially when paired with Signavio and Lean IX? If so, why? Let's hash it out - and discuss how customers should respond.

After a hectic week in Vegas, Jon asked returning champ Josh Greenbaum back onto the show to review impressions and takeaways from their time digging into Acumatica with customers, partners, and execs. Josh hadn't been to this show in a few years, so it was a good time to chart Acumatica's progress - and the work still ahead. Acumatica is one of the most differentiated cloud ERP vendors, and most interesting enterprise vendors period. But in the AI/data platform era, all vendors face new challenges. Where does Acumatica land? We discuss.

Time for another "blogs that matter" special edition. Bring your smartest/snarkiest questions as we dig into Josh's recent post, the five horsemen of the business apocalypse. Those of you with AI fatigue will especially enjoy this one, as it turns out there are other pressing business problems to talk about in 2024. Note: if you enjoy unfiltered podcasts without sponsors or a business model, consider giving a lovely review and help me beat the algo. Josh's post: to reference his post, see: https://eaconsult.com/the-five-horsemen-of-the-business-apocalypse-a-quick-guide-to-the-real-issues-that-should-be-keeping-every-ceo-awake-at-night/

Bring your snarkiest snark, enterprise wit, and burning questions for one more enterprise month in review for 2023. Join Jon Reed, Brian "Brain" Sommer and special guest Meg Bear for our picks of enterprise highs and lows. Note: if you believe in the mission of this show: free/uncensored independent enterprise content with no commercial model, then consider giving me a good rating and review. It's the best way to keep the show momentum going. I know it's tedious but help us beat the algorithm... Also, you can see the slides we refer to via the video show replay at youtube.com/jonathanwreed.

Sometimes, discussions go off the rails - in the best way possible. Earlier this fall, independent analyst Josh Greenbaum and ASUG CEO Geoff Scott joined Jon Reed to try to make sense of shift's in SAP's innovation/AI strategy - and the messaging around it. In this in-depth return, things get a bit heated. 

We start off with a catch up from the last talk - and what we learned from events such as ASUG Tech Connect about SAP customer priorities - as SAP tech leaders contend with S/4HANA deadlines, AI confusion/opportunities, economic headwinds and more. 

The conversation shifts to a discussion of the future of SAP tech events, particularly in North America. Should/will SAP TechEd return to Vegas? Where does ASUG Tech Connect fit in? How will SAP tech pros upskill for AI, BTP etc? 

The final phase of the conversation, on SAP's innovation strategy, goes off the rails as Jon and Geoff take very different positions, and Josh finds himself in an unexpected role as mediator of sorts, and calmest voice in the room. Final note: the goal here was to surface a conversation that matters to SAP and its customers. All three of us agree that customers should own/claim their own innovation agenda - the questions center around how SAP should fit into that. No, we didn't resolve anything here, but did we find some common ground? We hope this debate gives customers motivation to press forward on their innovation strategy - and to engage in dialogue with SAP and user groups, be it ASUG or in other regions.

Podcast timeline summary: 
2:00 - ASUG Tech Connect and customer priorities, including AI and clean core
30:00 - The future of SAP tech events
45:00 - The SAP innovation debate II

Prior September podcast discussion: https://jonerp.podbean.com/e/the-sap-innovation-debate-hashing-out-sap-s-rise-and-ai-plans-with-greenbaum-and-scott/

On the last day of the first ASUG Tech Connect in New Orleans, Jon sat down with Josh Greenbaum to make sense of what just happened. What was on the agenda of the SAP tech leaders present? Was the show a success? If so - why? How did the interest in AI compare to the interest in S/4HANA? We discuss our own session with customers, what we learned in our pursuits - including Greenbaum's six week SAP show tour. Jon brings up the issue of the clean core, and Greenbaum shares why our talk with Juergen Mueller wound up in discussing new possibilities for RISE - as a process evaluation and landscape management solution. Would that fly? Greenbaum connects the Signavio and Cloud ALM dots, and we head out.

Join Jon Reed and Brian "Brain" Sommer for this special fall event review, featuring guest star Laurie McCabe from the SMB Group. As usual, your snarky comments and smart ideas are expected. We'll pick the most notable content of the month, and try to make sense of a hype-laden AI event season. Note: if you like uncensored, unsponsored enterprise content like this, help me surface it with a good rating, it's one of the only ways free content like this can beat today's algorithms. Thanks.

"We need a language on what's going wrong with work" - fantastic lead quote from my guest on Friday the 18, Melissa Swift. Bring your sharpest commentary on the problems of work, and what better work futures look like, with and without AI. Swift, the author of "Work Here Now: Think Like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace," will count down the top reasons why work is broken, and skewer a few of her most disliked HCM catch phrases. Then we'll take stock: where do we go from here? What would a smart/savvy/inclusive workplace look like, and what are the building blocks of that? Bring your questions and let's see where this goes.

On the final day of SuccessConnect 2023, Jon sat down with Luke Marson for a wide ranging discussion on what he learned from his customer discussions at SuccessConnect, and how that matches up with what he heard from the keynote stage. Luke shares the questions about onboarding that were one big theme in his customer talks. He also details what the most successful SuccessFactors projects looks like. We compare notes on what constitutes customer success, the value of AI, and why skills is a core opportunity for SuccessFactors going forward.

Jon reignites his old school SuccessConnect podcast troublemaker series with SuccessFactors community leader and partner Chris Paine. Chris wrote a post prior to SuccessConnect about his predictions and expectations - did the show deliver? What did he learn as of the end of day one? The guys also get into the AI topic, reviewing how SAP can succeed in AI, what customers think, and how AI might impact implementation services in good and bad ways. *** Audio note: the main recording ran into an issue, so this final is a splice between two recordings. I've leveled over the volume but you may notice the splice - the result isn't perfect but I hope it's pretty listenable.*** Chris' pre-event blog post: https://www.wombling.com/hr/successconnect-2023-expectations/ Chris' post-event blog post: https://www.wombling.com/hr/successconnect-2023-expectations-met-and-exceeded/ Jon's 1st show post on gen AI and more: https://diginomica.com/successconnect-23-under-hood-saps-generative-ai-news-and-beyond

On diginomica, I've been pushing back on the generative AI hype machine with vigor, but also digging into its enterprise possibilities. Who better for an enterprise AI gut check than Vijay Vijayasankar? Vijayasankar has a deep interest/passion for AI but also has an reputation for debunking its misconceptions. In his role at IBM managing financial services clients, he can also speak to project realities - and how customers weigh GenAI risks and opportunities. I lay out my generative AI views/research for a gut check from Vijayasankar. We also discuss why he wrote his post on GenAI in the enterprise, and what he thinks customers should prioritize, as they move into GenAI projects. Vijayasankar also shares his own project learnings, and promising use cases. We hit on many issues in this podcast, such as whether bias and hallucations can ever be eliminated from LLM, and whether domain experts, customer data and reinforcement learning can improve the accuracy/effectiveness of GenAI for the enterprise. As Vijayasankar notes in the podcast, the views he expresses here, and in his post, are his views alone, not his employer. Vijay's AI post: https://andvijaysays.com/2023/08/05/genai-in-the-enterprise-nine-themes-that-i-have-seen-so-far/ My AI post: https://diginomica.com/enterprises-will-test-limits-llms-and-chatgpt-just-beginning

In this spontaneous podcast review on the final afternoon of Oracle CloudWorld 2023, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer compare what they learned, culminating in Sommer's quip, "You may have to partner with your enemy, because that's what your customer wants." Customers definitely want more vendor options in their strategic mix - did CloudWorld support that premise? Is Oracle's generative AI messaging differentiated? Does Oracle have an industry applications advantage from their acquisitions, which go well beyond Cerner? And: did Larry Ellison's strong keynote push on healthcare resonate? These are some of the topics we hash out during this 25 minute recap. Production note: Jon's audio was a bit quiet due to a tech glitch, worked on tweaking that as best possible in post production, hopefully it will be solid enough for this time around.

On July 20, 2023, during SAP's Q2 earnings call, SAP CEO Christian Klein made bold statements regarding the future of SAP innovation - in particular RISE, AI, and why SAP's close relationship with customers, including opt-in customer data, give SAP an AI advantage (and premium AI pricing). It is our view that these statements constitute a notable change/evolution in innovation strategy that warrant debate, user group dialogue - and discussion on how customers should track these issues.

Since Klein's earnings call statements, other executives inside of SAP have re-iterated and provided more context to these statements. These points are not necessarily firm policy yet, but are definitely messaging to look hard at. Since that time, along with my podcast guests Geoff Scott, CEO ASUG, and analyst Josh Greenbaum, we've had a chance to clarify these points and press questions. We don't have all the answers, and this is still unfolding, but we now have enough information to have an informed debate with our own views.

Some of the hottest issues, such as AI pricing, reflect a surging market that has not yet gelled around the value of AI and what that will look like for customers. These AI pricing/value issues are not unique to SAP, but warrant scrutiny nonetheless. We taped this podcast as a way of letting listeners know what we've learned so far, and to lay out the questions we can pursue across SAP events this fall, culminating in SAP TechEd India, virtual SAP TechEd, and ASUG TechConnect New Orleans, which occur across the same times in November.

Strong opinions are declared in this podcast but we do want to point out that SAP may yet shift and further clarify the policies we are debating. Those customers with specific questions should not treat this podcast as definitive, but contact SAP with open questions. We would also like to thank DSAG for providing their views, some of which are incorporated here. Also a thank you to our various contacts at SAP, who worked hard to get us the most current information that is publicly available.

They may not agree with our opinions, in fact we are pretty certain they will not, but we are much better informed due to SAP's efforts, and SAP's willingness to engage in an important community dialogue. Any inaccuracies will be corrected in the podcast description, but these topics are too important to wait for perfect information, some of which is likely to be tied to event announcements this fall, yet to be made public.

We expect to regroup with a shorter podcast later this fall to discuss what we learned at those events. Finally, we did cover, in brief, our initial takes on SAP's LeanIX acquisition, though we are out of time for a thorough review. This discussion relies almost entirely on published information in our prior blog posts, and in other news stories and transcripts:

Geoff: https://www.asug.com/insights/asug-ceo-we-will-clarify-and-communicate-saps-cloud-strategy-for-our-community

Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joshuagreenbaum_read-the-full-story-now-activity-7092925003704266754-eN4b/

Jon: https://diginomica.com/generative-ai-disruptions-rise-and-grow-thomas-saueressig-reveals-next-steps-saps-ai-strategy

DSAG: https://dsag.de/presse/on-premise-customers-cut-off-from-innovations/

Okay, bring your popcorn and saltiest commentary - it's the debut of the enterprise month in review with Brian Sommer and yours truly. In this edition, we are joined by Hyoun Park of Amalgam Research to discuss his important post on Zoom's terms of service issues, and the implications for customers considering AI moves in the enterprise. In each edition of this show, we'll each pick our top stories of the month (and why), and the underrated story that got lost in the hype. We'll pick our most loathed tech buzzword of the month - so will you - and our worst PR pitch. A surprise guest may crash the party - perhaps it will be you. We'll send you on your way with a project tip or two. If you like uncensored, unsponsored podcasts like this one, leaving me a strong review on a popular podcast platform makes a world of difference; thanks for listening.

Companies are whiffing on ESG - but why? Regulatory requirements bring added pressure, but the incentive to change goes well beyond that - as a new wave of ESG vendors demonstrate. This is now well beyond reporting. It's tracking/managing ESG in real-time across supply chains. Join Brian Sommer for his ESG research preview/reveal session - and bring your best/toughest questions. Bonus: for the final third of the show, sustainability expert Tom Raftery joins the show to weigh on in how the ESG market is changing - and why. Note: if you like this type of unscripted, uncensored enterprise podcast, reviews on the popular podcast platforms are the best way you can help me.

Returning champ Maureen Blandford is back, but much has changed. Now she's a founder of Serendipitus - and she's got some tough love talk (and data insights) into why digital transformations fail. Join our interactive, no filter discussion as Maureen takes us through the top digital transformation botches, and what we're gonna do about it. No buzzword (or tech event) is safe, as life as a female founder tends to surface a lot of industry BS - and we're gonna call it out on Friday. Let's do this...

Enterprise video can be effective - or a true yawner. Join special guest Brent Leary as we discuss the highs and lows of enterprise video, and the secrets of his portable video gear and Playaz Production Network adventures with Paul Greenberg. We're also going to hash out the AI for video editing use case, share recent experiments - and the best options out there. As always bring your questions and Friday attitude... Note: the video version, if you want to see the pics of Brent's setup, can be found on youtube.com/jonathanwreed. If you want more unfiltered/unsponsored enterprise content like this, consider giving me a rating on your fave podcast site. thx.

Enterprise spring events were a generative AI carnival - but did we learn anything customers can use now? Forget keynote reviews - what did customers learn that can actually help them compete in a spank tunnel economy? Let's have an informal rehash shall we? There was enough generative AI hype to create a circus, but did we actually learn anything customers can use? Let's hash this out. Jon also hands out letter grades for event achievements, and lack thereof. Also check the itunes channel for the full podcast archives.

We're back, and about to go live - What is MACH-washing? Why is it worse than cloud-washing? No one better than Phil Wainwright to discuss, fresh off a deep dive into headless architectures and the MACH Alliance show. We discuss the hype around the micrservices enterprises, including Amazon's recent decision to retreat from microservices for a Prime Video use case. As part one ends, Brian Sommer challenges Jon and Phil to a wardrobe duel, and we begin our generative AI discussion.

Brian Sommer crashes the show to exhibit his wardrobe versatility and a fresh tie. We dive back into microsservices, this time from an ESG data perspective. Then the audience moves us into a debate/discussion on generative AI for the enterprise. We discuss viable use cases, as well as the limits and shortfalls. Jon shares what he learned when pressing vendors on issues like 1:1 personalization with generative AI. (Note: to see the ties you'll want to check the youtube video replay at youtube.com/jonathanwreed).

To make sense of the barrage of news stories, keynotes and meetings, Jon gets Josh Greenbaum in the podcast chair. Josh hit on a few key storylines he was pursuing at the show: the state of SAP Business Networks, partner ecosystem issues, and whether SAP's sustainability push has progressed. The guys also talk about their discussion with ASUG members at the ASUG Executive Exchange program on the Monday prior to Sapphire's kick off. The discussion closes with Josh and Jon's personal reflections on a memorable Sapphire LGBTQ+ Pride panel, moderated by Julia White.

I haven't caught up with Brian Dennett in a few years. After honing his tech chops in AI startups, Dennett is back in SAP land as an SAP Mentor. I was pleased to learn, during our conversation, he is keeping the tradition of the outspoken/critical/a little grouchy SAP Mentor alive. Dennett has strong views on the SAP Datasphere news, SAP's cloud business model transition challenges, and the future of SAP TechEd. This on-site podcast discussion also weaves in a few of my recent interviews and digging on SAP's hot Sapphire topics.

In this online podcast taping, Jon talks with Tim Rodman, creator of the first independent Acumatica cloud ERP user group, AUGforums.com. We talk about the importance of community and user group voices in the enterprise, and Tim shares what he's learned over the years by starting his own independent user group. He also shares how he has produced so much Acumatica-related content, and how he sustains these efforts.

Time to hash out what HR tech is getting right - and where it's falling short. Join us for an interactive discussion and research reveal. Bonnie Duncan Tinder, Stacey Harris and Brian Sommer will surely bring their A game, so bring your smartest questions. We'll also blow off steam via the most hated buzzwords in HR tech. You can bet ChatGPT is going to come up. Before we wrap, we'll have advice for HR leaders on making their talent goals stick, despite the economic "headwinds" and KPI overdose. If you like no-BS podcasts, consider leaving me a review on your favorite platform - I take no sponsors ever.

In this on-site podcast from Acumatica Summit 2023, Jon Reed talks with Joni Girardi of DataSelf. ERP as a data platform? Extracting more value out of ERP was a big topic at the show. Acumatica customers - like all ERP customers - are looking to get more out of their ERP investment with analytics, planning, and improved reporting. Girardi has spent 20 years on this topic - he shares the pitfalls and potentials of BI projects, as the two hit on topics ranging from the impact of AI to the great dashboard debate - do dashboards lead to better decisions? Some of this discussion is Acumatica-specific, but most is relevant to any enterprise software listener concerned about deriving more customer value from data. Note: if you like unsponsored, ad-free, no BS enterprise podcasts please consider giving me a good rating to help me beat the algorithm. I fund these myself for discerning listeners.

Jon didn't think SAP TechEd put enough emphasis on DevOps and AIOps, so he set about to correct that, via a roundtable with John Appleby and Brenton O'Callahan of Avantra, and Martin Fischer of Neptune Software (Fischer is also the lead for DSAG's DevOps interest group). But is DevOps even relevant in an ERP context? And what about AIOps? How do we move beyond dashboards and observability? What do SAP customers need to move forward with effective automation? Has this issue been overlooked by SAP, and what kind of educational/project content is needed? What is the future of SAP Basis engineers in this context? Do they have one? Is DevSecOps even worth a mention? These are just some of the issues the guys get into during this "alternative SAP TechEd" session.

Show notes: the company mentioned by Martin for the DevOps session at SAP TechEd is Nuve.

Jon is back on the CRMKonvos show to make his case for why hybrid events matter - and to issue a scorching grade to vendors (and yet, the grade is an improvement over the spring). The CRMKonvos gang, Thomas Wieberneit, Ralf Korb and Marshall Lager once again keep the hot seat hot, but making sure that Jon is forced to comment on how the metaverse might play a role in hybrid events (the metaverse is Jon's favorite tech concept - err, not). But it does make for a convo with some surprises. Thanks to the CRMKonvos team for permission to issue this audio version - catch all their video replays on their YouTube channel.

In this special appearance, Jon joins the CRMKonvos gang in the hot seat, to help sort industry cloud BS from reality. Industry clouds matter - but customers should evaluate carefully. What are the true criteria? Jon shares his views, while the smart CRMKonvos gang of Thomas Wieberneit, Ralf Korb and Marshall Lager keep the hot seat hot. This replay is issued with the express permission of the CRMKonvos team - thanks to them. Catch all their replays on the CRMKonvos YouTube channel.

Yep - we're back. Phil Wainewright and Josh Greenbaum both wrote landmark posts on customer success - but do they agree? And what should customers take from all the "customer success" brouhaha? To help me weigh the arguments, Bonnie Tinder of Raven Intel was on hand to share data and find a way forward. As usual, the audience brought their sharpest and smartest questions. Trivia note: this is my diginomica colleague Phil Wainewright's debut on my hits/misses video show, not to be missed.Also check the itunes channel for the full podcast archives.

Here we go - continuing with my "blogs that matter" editions of the hits/misses interactive video show, I'll be diving into the recent milestone blogs Gartner's Hank Barnes has published on enterprise buyers, via his own dialogue with Geoffrey Moore ("Crossing the Chasm"). Barnes and I will also revisit our debate on how informed today's enterprise buyer actually is, and how customers can make better buying decisions (or not). Bring your sharpest questions for the free for all chat, this will be a good 'un.

Yep, on this edition of Enterprise hits/misses radio, Josh Greenbaum and I will settle our differences on customer success. Bonnie Duncan Tinder of Raven Intel will join us to reveal her latest research on the problematic role of professional services partners in customer success initiatives. Join us for this live discussion and yes, your comments will be a big part of this. We'll hash out the problems and shine the light on those getting it done the right way. Reference post: Attention vendors - please stop the customer success hype train, unless you have these six proof points (You can get Josh's post here too). 

In this "blogs that matter" edition of hits/misses video, we'll dig into several of CX gadfly Thomas Wieberneit's notable blog posts. Join this free-for-all as we talk about how NOT to manage your customer journeys, why we DON'T want a 360 degree view of the customer, and why "ecosystems" are not what they appear. Sound like fun? This series is brought to you commercial-free by Jon Reed of http://www.diginomica.com.

This Friday, Constellation's Nicole France and Liz Miller will crash my Enterprise hits/misses video show together. Join this audience participation free-for-all, which will kick off with discussion of Nicole's lightning rod blog post, It’s Time to Set the Record Straight on Customer Data Terminology. Can we get customer data right? Will cookieless life confound marketing teams, or compel organizations to (finally) adopt white hat tactcis to earn trust? Will this dynamic duo take over the show? Will I get a word in? We're about to find out...

This series is brought to you commercial-free by Jon Reed of http://www.diginomica.com. If you like the idea of unfiltered, non-commercial enterprise content, consider giving this a nice rating so Jon can beat the commercialized crud in the search algorithms. Thanks.

Brian Sommer makes his triumphant return to Enterprise hits and misses radio, as we count down overhyped HR tech buzzwords and field audience questions on HR projects and the future of work. Note: you can see the video version of this at youtube.com/jonathanwreed.

As PowerPlex 2019 - the Plex Manufacturing Cloud user conference - kicks off, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer claim a quiet spot for an in-depth talk on why he finally wrote a book - Digital with Impact. After pressing Brian on why he entered the overhyped book area of digital transformation, Jon and Brian turn their attention to the exercises in the book. What has Brian learned by using these these exercises on project sites? How can you use Digital with Impact as a workbook to spur the cultural change needed to make digital stick? Brian also shares his recent chat with Geoffrey Moore as they contrasted their views on digital change. The guys also get into how to balance the challenge of a long term transformation with the quicker wins needed to ensure buy-in. One key theme? Overcoming the quicksand of technical debt. Note: Den Howlett has also authored a book review of digital impact on diginomica.com.   

In the third and final podcast in this special series from SAP TechEd Barcelona 2018, Den Howlett of diginomica talks to cloud expert and diginomica contributor Dick Hirsch review the takeaways from Barcelona, and assess the progress SAP has made with cloud models. The guys discuss how well SAP fleshed out the "intelligent enterprise." SAP's challenges with developer engagement in a more open/cloud model is also covered. Also check for Den's analysis of SAP TechEd Barcelona on diginomica.com. You'll find Jon's prior TechEd Vegas reviews and use cases there as well.

In an SAP TechEd special, Jon Reed is joined by SAP Mentor Graham Robinson in the lost Vegas corridors to hash out what they learned behind the scenes - and how that stacks up with SAP's news announcements. Graham, who is an independent consultant and expert SAP developer, has plenty to say about SAP's ABAP PaaS announcement, and how ABAP on the SAP Cloud Platform impacts developers and customers. The guys also hash out the "serverless ERP" annnouncement, and how ERP functions as a service could play into running the SAP Cloud Platform at scale. The highs and the lows of the show are covered, including the keynote, and a surprise challenge to Jon by SAP CTO Björn Goerke in response to his diginomica show review. The guys reflect on SAP's change in community leadership - and the future of TechEd as SAP attempts to turn community into an edge again, after some down years.

In Jon's annual Sapphire Now event review, he has a new guest, Brian Dennett of Enable AI, who was also part of the SAP blogger program coverage. Jon and Brian hash out the messages of the show, including the "intelligent enterprise" messaging and whether the Leonardo aspects actually made sense this year. They discuss Brian's pick for the sleeper announcement of the show, Master Data Management as a service, and why it matters. The guys share their findings from their often-spirited blogger sessions; Brian explains why has a philosophical difference with SAP on their "AI" approach. The guys wrap by giving their letter grades for the show, and Jon airs a couple of SAP gripes. Note: this recording was made on Jon's backup recording rig due to a microphone failure. 

In this interactive live discussion from Western Mass Podcamp 2018, Jon shares his views on researching the so-called informed buyer, and why marketing and sales must change. Participants from the session share their own challenges, and Jon hits on the dynamics of winning (and sustaining) attention, and why topic authority and opt-in audiences are essential. He explains why social media is useless without content, and why content is useless without a clear business identity. The role of subscription and curation is discussed. (Jon did a related session that continues these themes with a look at the power of immersive creativity; look out for that podcast soon). 

Is customer experience a fantasy, or an achievable goal? At Argyle's Digital Marketing Leadership event in Boston, Jon pushed his skeptical view on customer experience with CX expert Howard Beader of SDL. Jon and Howard kick around the lessons (and poll results) from the marketers/CMOs in attendance, and talk about how data fits into the customer experience challenge. Jon also pushes the issue of the difficult marketing-IT relationship and Beader shares his own view on the role of IT as marketing shifts to cloud

In this 47 minute highlight replay from a live interactive Crowd Chat, hosts Dennis Howlett and Vinnie Mirchandani explore and debate the issues raised by Mirchandani's new book, SAP Nation: A Runaway Economy.

This event replay was prepared for this podcast feed by Den Howlett and Jon Reed, two of the co-founders of diginomica.com. You can review the text-based Crowd Chat discussion here: https://www.crowdchat.net/SAPNation

Note: there are a few minor audio glitches on the file due to international bandwidth, but I think you'll find this discussion is well worth a few blips.

In this audio combo of two diginomica video shoots, Jon first talks with Ray Wang about the future of digital and whether the Chief Digital Officer is a BS idea, or a pressing need. Then, Jon shifts gears to talk to Brain Sommer about the future of selling and why selling is changing profoundly. The guys also kick around the impact of media on selling - "stop putting, and start blogging."

In this "best of" audio from Jon and Den's SAP TechEd and d-code filming collection, Den, Jon, and the always-quotable SAP Mentor Graham Robinson sit down for a review of a hectic and important week for SAP's first "post-Vishal" technology conference. 

In this (very) informal discussion, John Appleby and Jon Reed reflect on their 30 minute blogger conversation with Bill McDermott on the future of SAP and the departure of Vishal Sikka. (Den Howlett blogged about the call, as did John). During the podcast, John and Jon pull out the main themes from the call, and look ahead to the challenges SAP must tackle at ASUG/Sapphire - including cloud, HANA, and the field issues customers are facing, which may not be solved via HANA or cloud talk.

Jon has an in-depth talk with Sina Moutamed on the future of the cloud CIO and the real world impact of cloud. This is connected to a diginomica.com feature already published.

In the first of his "lost podcast" series, Jon talks devops and cloud disruptions on sys admins with Chris Kernaghan, SAP Mentor and outspoken/out-in-front devops dude. This is connected to a diginomica.com interview, and there is also a video version of this talk on jon's youtube channel..

During this non-controversial ByDesign discussion, Leo shares with Jon the insights he has on the ground at SAP TechEd. The focus is on practical considerations, cloud platform and roadmap topics, rather than a deconstruction of the current ByDesign news and how it was handled.