AI Archives - 51��Africa News Center

How South African Businesses can Unlock ROI from Investment into AI

51��News — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 07:51:42 +0000

Artificial intelligence has reached a tipping point. Globally, the AI market is expected to��, with generative AI alone attracting nearly $34-billion in private investment this year.

Companies across sectors are racing to embed AI into operations, but proving return on investment (ROI) remains a key hurdle.

While 84% of businesses investing in AI��, only a fraction have achieved sustained value at scale. For South African executives navigating budget constraints and talent shortages, the question is not “should we invest in AI?” but “how can we prove it works?”

According to Dumi Moyo, marketing director for Africa at SAP, there’s good news: AI doesn’t have to be a leap of faith.

“With the right strategy and the right tools, AI deployments deliver measurable ROI quickly across a range of business functions. One of the most effective ways to get there is by embedding AI directly into business applications, avoiding costly integrations and accelerating time-to-value.”

Embedded AI upends traditional implementations. Instead of requiring custom data pipelines, standalone platforms, and complex integrations, embedded AI delivers intelligence directly into the flow of work.

“A native approach means faster deployment, less disruption, and clearer outcomes,” says Moyo. “For example, 51��has built more than 295 AI-powered scenarios into business applications that span supply chain, procurement, finance, customer experience and HR, empowering business users to complete navigational and transactional tasks up to 90% faster.”

��Strategy for AI ROI

A recent study of 1600 businesses in eight countries��found that businesses investing in AI expect on average a 16% ROI in 2025, nearly doubling to 31% in 2027.

Moyo says businesses typically have high expectations of the ROI they will receive from AI projects, with nearly half of global companies expecting AI initiatives to deliver positive ROI faster than other investments.

“It is critical that organisations align their AI projects with the key pillars of cost savings, decision time, risk and revenue. By prioritising embedded AI, companies can secure significant ROI while unlocking�� broader innovation benefits across the organisation.”

He shares insights into how AI initiatives built on four key pillars can show provable, measurable return-on-investment for organisations:

��Pillar 1: Reduce manual effort and waste to drive cost savings

Cost reduction is often the first benefit that organisations receive from AI investments. “AI allows teams to redirect hours toward higher-value work by automating repetitive and rule-based tasks,” says Moyo. “51��data shows that companies achieve up to 20% operational cost reduction in key functions like accounts payable and HR through effective AI deployments.”

In procurement functions, organisations are cutting administrative workload and improving sourcing outcomes by automating statements of work (SOWs) and supplier research, while in finance, AI accelerates reconciliations, optimises cash collections, and automates journal entries, thereby reducing close cycles and improving liquidity.

“A good approach here is to quantify the time saved across manual processes and to calculate the cost of labour hours that have been freed up and reinvested into more strategic work thanks to AI,” says Moyo.

��Pillar 2: Improve decision time for faster insight and action

AI tends to thrive when speed and accuracy matter most. By analysing large datasets, surfacing trends, and recommending next steps, AI shortens the gap between information and action.

“Data shows that embedded AI improves forecasting and demand planning in the supply chain, resulting in less downtime and a 25% productivity bump for planners,” says Moyo.

Organisations are also using generative AI to accelerate their hiring processes and producing job descriptions and candidate rankings in real-time. Finance also benefits from AI-generated insights that help CFOs and analysts make faster, more confident decisions using cleaner data.

“Organisations should measure reductions in cycle times, from planning to resolution, and link them to improved responsiveness or reduced delays,” says Moyo. “This provides a clear path to ROI and its impact on core business performance.”

��Pillar 3: Reduce risk through better controls and compliance

In a volatile business climate, organisations typically seek greater risk mitigation across their operations. According to Moyo, AI plays a growing role here.

“AI embedded into core business processes can flag anomalies, detect fraud patterns, and monitor compliance thresholds in real time. AI agents are increasingly being used in risk reduction, for example by scanning procurement data for irregularities and highlighting non-compliant purchases.”

AI agents such as SAP’s Joule can also bolster procurement processes by suggesting suppliers with stronger reputations, and support finance teams by reducing bad debt write-offs through improved collection strategies. In HR, AI-driven insights reduce legal risk by providing bias-aware hiring recommendations and fairer performance reviews.

“To quantify the benefits that AI brings to risk reduction, companies should track aspects such as risk events avoided, compliance costs reduced, or error rates minimised,” says Moyo.

��Pillar 4: Grow revenue through personalisation and conversion

According to Moyo, organisations should look beyond back-office efficiency to maximise AI value. “A smart AI strategy will consider front-end growth by prioritising customer experiences. For example, AI fuels personalisation by recommending products, predicting churn, and guiding service agents with next-best actions to enhance customer satisfaction and drive retention.”

Organisations that embed AI into their core business processes can connect sales, service and marketing data to build richer customer profiles, increase upsell success and reduce attrition. Organisations also accelerate their campaign rollouts through AI-powered content generation, while smart selling tools shorten deal cycles and increase the average basket size.

“This results in higher revenue per customer interaction, as well as more predictable sales pipelines,” says Moyo. “Here, ROI is readily quantified through tracking lead conversion rates, customer churn, and average order value.”

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AI Is the Growth Engine Leaders Are Betting On

Manos Raptopoulos — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 07:42:04 +0000

Growth, simplification, and artificial intelligence (AI) are no longer optional. That is the unmistakable signal from SAP’s Global Business Priorities Study, which surveyed nearly 12,000 executives across 20 markets and 31 industries. The results capture both urgency and possibility.

Across the world, 95 percent of companies say growth is a priority for the year ahead. Their top focus areas—including expanding market presence, broadening distribution through partners, and scaling operations—speak to leaders’ determination to create value in a climate of uncertainty and change.

In my engagements with customers, I see this reality every day. Companies everywhere want to grow, but they want to grow with confidence. They are looking for partners who understand their unique challenges, who support them with their long-term ambitions, and who can help them keep pace with rapid change.

Technology is central to this ambition. Nearly all respondents in the study rank simplifying work and improving processes alongside growth. Here, artificial intelligence stands out. Nine in 10 organizations have already made generative or agent-based AI a priority, and more than 70 percent have some form of AI in use. While concerns about data quality and talent remain, the message is clear: AI has moved beyond experimentation into the mainstream of how companies operate and unleash value.

From Frankfurt to Dubai to Singapore: How regional differences shape opportunities and risks

Regional differences tell a powerful story. In Europe, AI adoption comes with caution. Large enterprises put compliance, privacy, and transparency first, while many mid-market firms are still piloting solutions. In Asia-Pacific, the pace is different. Mid-market companies there already report strong AI use above global averages, and growth expectations run high. For them, AI is a way to seize advantage quickly in a fast-moving market.

These contrasts show why cultural intelligence matters so much for global leaders. Whether in Frankfurt, Singapore, or Dubai, I see how local realities, regulations, and expectations shape both risks and opportunities. In Europe, energy costs and geopolitical uncertainty drive supply chain strategies. In Asia-Pacific, digital adoption and market dynamism set a different pace.

Sustainability is another area where nuance matters. European companies place it near the top of their priorities, tracking or slightly exceeding global benchmarks. Asia-Pacific firms value sustainability but often rank it lower than growth and speed to market. Each is weighing trade-offs in its own context, creating exciting opportunities for 51��to bring the most relevant technology, data, and practices to each region to help organizations achieve both economic and environmental goals.

The through-line in all of this is agility. Supply chain fragility, geopolitical conflict, inflation, and regulation continue to test even the best-run organizations. Technology can enable agility, but only if leaders embrace change themselves, rethinking processes, investing in skills, and building cultures of continuous learning and exploration. Security and ethical standards must also be the cornerstones of every AI conversation.

Turning AI potential into outcomes by centering value creation and integration

I believe this is a time for grounded optimism. The appetite for growth is real and the technology to achieve it is more advanced than ever. Innovation is accelerating at an extraordinary pace, with daily breakthroughs showcasing the expanding potential of AI.

There is a recent example that demonstrates AI’s ability to process multi-step tasks for over 30 hours. This achievement highlights not only the rapid evolution of AI, but also how increasingly accessible and capable these technologies are becoming.

However, as AI systems grow more autonomous and context-aware, organizations must recognize that true value doesn’t come from raw capability alone. To harness AI effectively, especially in enterprise environments, a consistent semantic layer is essential. It ensures alignment among data, tasks, and outcomes, enabling AI to reason reliably across systems and scale impact without losing coherence.

Companies must also move beyond simply adopting AI to actively testing and refining applications to gain a significant advantage. Equally important is a deliberate approach to managing the human element of a transformation, rooted in structured and human-centric change management.

Realizing AI’s true promise requires a fundamental shift in how people, applications, and data connect. Success relies on deeply connecting every part of an organization’s business, delivering end-to-end transformational value. A seamless, integrated suite provides insight and agility, whether responding to a problem or ensuring readiness when opportunity knocks.

This is where 51��Business Suite is a game changer, integrating applications, data, and AI in a virtuous cycle that delivers tangible business outcomes. At our inaugural��51��Connect��event earlier in October, we showcased new applications, strategic data partnerships with Google Cloud and Databricks, and a new network of role-based AI assistants in Joule across every line of business.

Altogether, our��marks the beginning of a new era powered by self-reinforcing AI, data, and applications. By keeping customer needs and value realization at the center and leading with innovation, businesses can not only navigate uncertainty, but build a more resilient, intelligent, and sustainable future.

Manos Raptopoulos is chief revenue officer of APAC, EMEA, and MEE, and a member of the Extended Board of 51��SE.

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Data and AI Cannot Connect Without Context

51��News — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 07:59:33 +0000

AI is changing our daily lives, and making extraordinary complex tasks, particularly from a data searching and basic task perspective, but it’s also changing the enterprise software space and how enterprises data can be used and refined to provide meaningful business insights.

Stef de Mulder

According to of SAP, you need “on the fly” access to insights via seamless data streamlining. “Our vision is the only way to create value in a business is by connecting applications, data, and AI, withthe data available with the right context” he stated at the 51��business innovation summit in Johannesburg today. “That means that AI systems will be able to understand what the data is doing, how it’s implemented. That is why we believe that starting from the application phase, we explore the data with the right context, with the right security, with the right governance” quips Mulder.

Businesses using Enterprise systems today have various applications that extract data, however Mulder points out that the moment you extract your data, you lose the context connection. “You have the highways, the timings, the massive data, the security, you lose that context” he states.

Some of the challenges highlighted at the event today are: limited reach, as well as business data positioned in separate silos. The solution according to 51��is – “Data as as Service” – DaaS. This adds data products to business logic and intelligent applications that will analyse and prepare automated reports or dashboards.

Flywheel of Data Concept

Mulder presented the concept of a continuous loop of generating data, then adding AI to ultimately, generate even more data, and using that to convey the information within a contextual framework. He introduced the 51��concept of a that works as follows: The system retrieves various data from various data points, and then will apply business logic, to bring you intelligent applications. this then provides you your data as a service. 51��systems does the extraction of the data, ensuring data points are available to the business, with the right business context.

51��has partnered with multiple data platform providers, and so is data agnostic, enabling data from almost any platform to be incorporated into its Business Data Cloud platform that then becomes the channel for their AI driven software able to extract and analyse within a wider context.

This system according to Mulder is saving up to 67% in time for some of their European clients utilising the Business Data Cloud. “It’s about creating a principle that BDC is actually the one source of quality security data, curated data with the right properties, and making that available to all other technologies” comments Mulder.

“Make sure you get the right answers. You need the right answers. That’s why the context gap is there between AI and data.Without context, there is no AI” Concludes Mulder.

This article first appeared in .

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Preparing for the Workplace Impact of Artificial General Intelligence

Nazia Pillay, Managing Director for Southern Africa at SAP — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 06:34:50 +0000

What happens when machines and algorithms can complete knowledge work faster and more effective than even the most high-performing teams?

Thanks to the accelerating power, speed and accuracy of artificial intelligence (AI) over the past few years, the arrival of artificial general intelligence (AGI) is no longer a matter of what-if, but of when.

Artificial general intelligence refers to machine intelligence that can perform any intellectual task a human can.

Today’s generative AI solutions, such as DALL-E and ChatGPT, excel in narrow, specialised domains, for example image creation or text editing. In contrast, artificial general intelligence would rival or exceed human cognitive abilities across a wide range of tasks, including creativity, planning, problem-solving and reasoning.

AGI will have a seismic impact on work and employment, completely transforming how companies operate and what types of skills employees need to remain competitive in an increasingly uncertain job market.

And time is running out for employers and knowledge workers to plan for this impact:��AGI will arrive around 2041, although��estimate it could arrive as early as 2026.

Profound jobs impact expected

The impact of AGI on knowledge work is predicted to be significant.��are vulnerable to some form of automation.

Many professions that have traditionally be high paying, such as coding, business analysis, and creative design, are squarely in the sights of AI. In fact, any job where ‘knowing the answer’ was the key to performance will be transformed by AGI.

Young professionals are likely to experience the greatest impact from AGI. Many entry-level jobs involve routine office work, with junior positions often designed to provide young workers with vital experience into how companies operate and what a specific career entails.

Organisations will have to transform the nature of entry-level jobs to ensure that younger employees have opportunities to contribute meaningfully to company success.

Skills programs that prioritise how young workers can leverage AI and AGI to perform with greater efficiency could safeguard junior positions and ensure entry-level employees remain valuable contributors to broader organisational goals.

Experienced workers can also benefit from AI/AGI training:��revealed that 40% of employers expect to reduce their workforce where AI can automate tasks, highlighting the need for workers to rapidly upskill in the face of AI-led workplace transformation.

Tidal wave of career change incoming

To prepare for the imminent impact of AGI, knowledge workers should make continuous upskilling a non-negotiable, no matter their level of seniority or experience.

Research indicates that the average half-life of technical and soft skills��.

Embracing learning agility could become an anchor of future career security, with AI-powered personalised learning expected to play a major role as traditional degrees continue to lose value.��Workers should also lean into the qualities that are uniquely human.

While AGI means answers will be easy to come by, understanding the right question to ask – through interpreting and contextualising problems – will be a foundational skill in knowledge work.

This increases the importance of skills such as problem framing, critical thinking, and storytelling-based communication.

Other human-first skills such as emotional intelligence, creativity and the ability to ask meaningful questions will also be difficult for AGI to replace and should be prioritised as part of lifelong learning efforts.

Preparing the enterprise for AGI

Companies need to take steps too. Investing in regular upskilling and reskilling initiatives will help modernise their workforce and ensure a steady supply of relevant skills.

Encouragingly,��revealed that 48% of African organisations consider the upskilling of their employees a top skills-related challenge this year, with 38% saying the same of reskilling.

This figure should increase or companies may soon realise they cannot keep pace with changing skills-related demands.

Rethinking hiring strategies could also benefit organisations. Instead of a reliance on degree-based hiring, companies could embrace skills-based assessments where qualities such as adaptability, creative problem-solving and collaboration are prized.

Finally, companies need to develop robust internal policies to manage AGI integration, ethics and reskilling, rewiring their organisational DNA by embedding lifelong learning in every role and department.

Preparing for AGI requires that companies and professionals look beyond traditional education and career models.

The goal is to adapt at the pace of technology, and to nurture the deeply human skills that technology cannot emulate or replace.

Nazia Pillay, Managing Director for Southern Africa at SAP.

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Rush to Enhance IT Skills in Wake of AI Impact

51��News — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 08:51:29 +0000

African organisations are rushing to enhance their traditional IT skills base in the wake of accelerating adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). According to a new report by SAP, two-thirds of organisations in Africa have introduced career development initiatives with AI specialisation to upskill or reskill their existing workforce.

“There is a near-universal need for AI-related skills among African companies this year,” says Genevieve Koolen, HR Director at 51��Africa. “And since traditional IT skills such as cloud- and cybersecurity-related competencies remain in high demand, companies now face the dual challenge of attracting and retaining traditional tech talent while also building greater AI competencies within their businesses. It is unsurprising then that most African organisations provide career development opportunities for employees with AI specialisations.”

51��recently released its ‘’ report, which revealed that all companies surveyed expect the demand for AI skills to increase in 2025. Nearly half said they expect a ‘significant’ increase.

Koolen says that while there is an urgent need for policymakers and education institutions to fast-track AI skills development initiatives among Africa’s swelling youth population, companies also face pressure to equip existing workers with future-ready skills.

“Thirty-eight percent of companies surveyed said reskilling of employees is a top skills-related challenge for them in 2025, and nearly half said the same of upskilling. The impact of these changes creates its own challenges, as evidenced by the two-thirds of companies that said helping employees understand why reskilling is necessary is a top priority.”

Impacts of skills shortage widespread

��that AI could contribute $1.5-trillion to Africa’s economy by 2030, provided the continent can capture 10% of the global AI market. African organisations are alive to the possibilities presented by AI-related innovation, with companies citing perceived value in improved decision-making (64%), marketing capabilities (51%) and innovation (47%) enabled by AI.

However, poor access to AI-ready skills is already causing negative impacts among the same companies, including failed innovation initiatives, delays completing projects, greater pressure on teams, and an inability to take on new client projects.

“Organisations are rising to this challenge by increasing the frequency of training offered to employees, with 94% saying they offer training at least monthly,” says Koolen.

However, the latest data indicates a drop in the allocated budget for skills development. In a previous survey conducted in 2022, a quarter of organisations said they spend more than 15% of their HR or IT budgets on skills development and training. This year, not a single organisation that formed part of the research spent more than 10%.

Practical steps to more AI-capable workforce

While the full impact of AI and other emerging technologies on Africa’s workforce remains to be seen, Koolen says there are practical measures companies can implement to ensure they cultivate the correct skills mix.

1 Be prepared

With universal demand for tech and AI-related skills and an ongoing skills scarcity, African organisations must prepare for a shortfall in critical AI-related skills this year.

“The moment calls for a pragmatic approach that combines longer-term skills development – including reskilling and upskilling – with short-term measures that alleviate some of the immediate pressures and creates space for more robust skills development initiatives. Organisations also need to take care to support employees through this uncertain period, for example by using human capital management technologies that help HR teams identify concerns.”

2 Prioritise training

Koolen says it is surprising that budget allocations for training and skills development appear to be shrinking. “Too many digital transformation and innovation initiatives fail to deliver the expected business value due to a lack of appropriate skills. In light of the rapid pace of technological advancement, any organisation that fails to invest in skills will likely find they are unprepared and unable to leverage new innovations. In time, this will erode their competitiveness and lead to significant impacts to the bottom line.”

Instead, organisations should place skills development at the core of their business strategies to ensure a steady stream of work-ready talent and invest sufficient budget to guarantee high-quality outcomes for employees and the business.

3 Partner well

While Africa has the fastest-growing youth population of any continent, there are still significant systemic challenges with equipping youth with adequate work-ready skills. “Africa’s ability to reap the benefits of AI-related innovation rests on broader public-private sector efforts at cultivating the correct skills mix,” says Koolen. “Partnering with educational institutions and other industry skills development initiatives can accelerate the rate at which skills become available to companies.”

She adds that technology vendors can also play a valuable role. “Large technology companies often have large global workforces and strong employer brands, allowing them to attract top talent. Partnering with tech venters can augment organisations’ skills base and provide valuable support to AI-led initiatives.”

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How to Harness Cloud, Data and AI – The New Engines of Progress

Christian Klein - CEO of 51��SE — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 07:36:24 +0000

When it comes to investments in artificial intelligence (AI), the numbers are staggering.

“Stargate”, a US initiative to build the largest AI data centers the world has ever seen, aims to invest $500-billion over the next four years. Saudi-Arabia and the United Arab Emirates just announced plans to buy hundreds of thousands of advanced AI chips.

And at France’s “AI Action Summit” earlier this year, public and private actors pledged investments surpassing €300 billion to advance AI in Europe.

It is very clear that expectations about the economic benefits of this technology are sky high. Yet, a recent McKinsey survey found that more than 80% of organisations worldwide are not yet seeing any tangible impact on their profits.

So where does this mismatch come from?

The key to the answer is that AI is not a stand-alone technology. For its benefits to materialise, AI has to be deeply embedded in business processes. And for that, companies have to put three pillars in place: modern cloud software, modern data management, and a consistent stack of AI technologies linking with them.

Let’s start with software: All successful companies use software to organize and optimise their business operations – from order intake and procurement to production, delivery and customer service. Yet, many enterprises still rely on legacy on-premise software – that is, a wide range of programs installed on the company’s local IT servers.

This “software landscape” often consists of disparate applications plugged together – heavily modified over the years and frequently not up to date with the latest innovations. These complex systems are costly to maintain, and they make it difficult for companies and their leaders to respond to challenges and opportunities with agility and speed.

AI applications, too, face major obstacles in legacy systems: They have a hard time grasping the company’s inner workings, making sense of fragmented and widely distributed datasets, and may not be able to find certain key information.

The first step towards powerful business AI, therefore, is the move from legacy on-premise software to modern cloud software – that is applications that are centrally managed and maintained in professional data centers, constantly updated with new innovations, and tightly linked so information can flow freely between the different parts of the company.

For companies today, this so-called cloud migration is faster, smoother and more transparent than ever before – thanks to the proven methods and advanced digital tools now available. And the prize is larger than ever before, too: integrated cloud applications work together out of the box and cover the company’s software needs end-to-end across departments.

This integration allows a car maker, for example, to reduce time and cost – say, from receiving an order through the vehicle’s production to its final delivery.

Similar benefits extend to all other industries and workflows.

A cloud migration, consequently, is more than an IT project: it is the digital foundation for a thorough modernisation of the entire enterprise, for moving from “good” to “great.”

Once in the cloud, companies can add advanced data management solutions with little effort. Think of advanced data management as a magic filing cabinet: it automatically stores and organises all documents, all information, all data automatically in the right place and in perfect order – always up to date, perfectly searchable, without duplicates and errors, smartly annotated, and everything in the right context.

In their combination, integrated cloud applications and advanced data management allow company leaders a holistic view of their enterprise. At the same time, they enable AI technologies to access, understand, and facilitate transactions across the company – assisting human users with repetitive tasks as well as with deep analyses and insights.

And the next evolution is already at hand: Based on integrated cloud applications and data management, digital coworkers – also known as “AI agents” – are now able to carry out complex work assignments. For example: find overdue invoices, identify what went wrong, resolve the issue, and make sure payment targets are met.

Realising the tremendous benefits of AI is thus about going on a journey: from on-premise software to cloud applications, then onwards to modern data management and the use of AI agents throughout the enterprise. It is this journey that unlocks the tremendous potential so many see in AI – and enables us to completely reimagine how our businesses and economies are run.

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51��Toolset Helps Drive Continuous Transformation

Kathy Gibson — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 08:46:35 +0000

Kathy Gibson is at Saphila Transcend in Sun City – We are living in a time of continuous disruption – so companies require digital transformation in realtime.

, head of global customer engagement and services, and member of the extended board at SAP, believes that we are in the midst of an artificial intelligence (AI) revolution.

Not only has AI been incredibly disruptive, it is also changing quickly. “For instance, two years ago we wondered if we should be building our own large language models (LLMs). Today they are a commodity. Two years ago, the most needed skill was prompt engineer. Today, that is dead.

“So what is new today will be a commodity tomorrow,” he says.

Pfiester says that 51��has a number of tools and services that can help customers become future-ready.

The 51��technology capabilities create a cycle of AI, cloud, and data. Business AI is embedded everywhere, Business Data Cloud takes realtime decisions based on 51��and non-51��data; and the business applications in use that data to run the business and generate new data with AI that feeds back into the cycle.

51��delivers its methodologies, tools, and architectures through the and programmes.

“RISE is represented in 40% of the global economy,” Pfiester says. “There are currently 8��500 customers live on RISE with SAP.

“And it won’t stop there.”

51��is constantly updating its technology and services.

“When it comes to technology, we have introduced that capability to do transformation into the cloud and to leverage AI.

“But transformation is a journey: it is more than technology, but includes methodology, competencies, and tools. We decided two years ago to double down on our technology and capabilities, also the methodology, competencies, and tools.

“So the RISE with 51��methodology helps companies to drive transformation into the cloud, building an environment that can constantly innovate.”

To help customers on the journey, 51��has invested in enterprise architects to provide expertise and competencies.

“An IDC study shows that business transformation is top of mind for CEOs,” Pfiester says. “And it is a constant process that lives in the organisation. So we integrated all our tools into a digital process innovation tool base.”

This lets customer modify business processes using a tool provided, and the system will then update other parts of the ecosystem and even generate user testing. A majority – 78% of RISE customers use this tool base.

The toolset also includes brownfield migration and selective migration as well. “The idea is to help customers to get from where they are today to where they need to be tomorrow.”

AI is embedded in the tools with the Joule for RISE with 51��methodology.

Clean Core is vital on the digital transformation journey, which is where SAP’s enterprise architects come into their own.

, global head of business transformation and architecture at SAP, says the role of the enterprise architect is to help with significant onboarding progress and simplify the engagement model for more value-based deliverables. They are interlinked in the engagement model with the toolchain, and ensure that customers get the right architecture early on in their transformation journey.

“We help you achieve a Clean Core, and also think about AI and data considerations.”

A year after it announced this service, 51��enterprise architects are serving more than 1��000 customers.

“We believe transformation itself has become a capability for customers, and you need to be adaptable,” Langguth says. “We want to help you to train the transformation muscle so you will be future-ready.

“We help you to create transparency and see the pitfalls you need to take care of as you design a path forward using our portfolio of agentic AI applications.

“We believe this will help you to replace guessing with knowing,” he adds. “And, because you know where to go, you can take decisions driven by clear facts.”

Use integrated toolchain includes solutions for business process (51��Signavio), enterprise architecture (51��LeanIX), validation, adoption and enablement (Tricentis, WalkMe and 51��Enable Now), building and monitoring (51��Business Technology Platform (BTP) and 51��Build) and digital Backbone (51��Cloud ALM).

“The real power comes from the integration,” Langguth says.

He adds that the results speak for themselves, with up to 30% reduced cost of transformation, up to 35% faster time to business value, up to 70% increased business agility, and up to 40% faster continuous innovation.

This article first appeared in .

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SAP’s Timo Elliott: AI Must Stand for More Than Artificial Intelligence

Sean Whitehead — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 07:07:18 +0000

AI is no longer just a buzzword – it’s driving the next wave of transformation, says , vice president and global innovation evangelist at SAP.

Speaking at Saphila Transcend, Elliott likened AI to previous tech waves like the PC and Internet, warning that without preparation, “the wave can come crashing down.” The biggest challenge? It’s not the tech—it’s the ecosystem and adoption.

“Dropping AI into current systems is like parachuting a Formula 1 car into a medieval village,” he said. “Even if AI stopped evolving today, it would take 10 years for the ecosystem to catch up.”

To accelerate adoption, Elliott says we must treat AI as more than artificial intelligence. It should also stand for:

Accelerated Innovation��– AI should help build AI faster. SAP’s Business Technology Platform (BTP) and 51��Build provide tools for rapid development and customisation.
Automated Integration��– 51��Integration Suite uses AI to simplify connecting systems.
Accurate Information��– AI is only as good as the data it uses. SAP’s Business Data Cloud and Knowledge Graph address quality and integration issues.
Analytics Improved��– 51��Analytics Cloud now includes GenAI tools like “Just Ask” to surface insights naturally.
Agents Incoming��– The future lies in AI agents capable of reasoning and adapting in real time, not just following fixed processes.
Automatic Innovation & Implementation��– 51��envisions systems that suggest next steps and automate setup using best practices.

Ultimately, Elliott says successful AI adoption is more about people than technology. “Even if you’ve already invested in culture and change management – invest more,” he urged. “AI is a staircase now, but it’s becoming an escalator.”

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Services Help Customers Gain AI Value

Kathy Gibson — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 04:11:09 +0000

Kathy Gibson reports from Saphila Transcend in Sun City – AI is no longer an option for companies. Those that adopt it faster and better and smarter than others, and do it in the right way, are the companies that will succeed.

This is according to , executive vice-president: customer support and cloud lifecycle management at SAP, who points out that heavily customised, outdated systems impede innovation.

“But many companies find themselves in this place,” he says. “They have customised systems with a mix of models – a bit of best of breed, a bit of cloud, maybe some isolated AI scenarios.”

As a result, IT organisations spend a lot of time integrating systems and trying to make sense of disconnected data. “”But what they need to be doing is providing good outcomes for the business.”

What’s needed, says Steinle, is a transformation that brings together all the platforms and data.

51��helps its customers make this transformation through its programme for existing customers, and for new customers.

Importantly, while these programmes aim to let customers embrace , they also integrate non-51��solutions.

“And they are not simply products, but include a methodology, services, and guided implementation,” Steinle adds.

“We want customers to reach the stage where they are able to overcome challenges, and to embrace the benefits of continuous innovation, agility, and flexibility.”

Any 51��solution begins with the 51��Business Suite, he explains. “From an 51��perspective we believe there is a lot of sense in running end to end processes on a fully integrated and harmonised stack in the cloud. We think it’s better than picking and choosing best of breed solutions – and it means customers don’t have to manage the integration and getting sense from the data.”

This is important, he adds, because IT organisations today spend about 80% of their time just on maintaining their current landscape, keeping it compliant, and integrating systems.

“You probably want to spend more than 20% of your time providing value to business users.”

(BDC) is a harmonised suite of applications that allows customers to import data from 51��applications and integrate it with data from other applications.

“You can bring together data from SAP, a non-51��source, and unstructured data. And, with the help of BDC, you can make sense of that data and generate value.”

Steinle says this can be useful in operational processes, to expand reporting, and for integrated planning. “And you can use it for AI.”

Which brings him to the third pillar of the : . “This system can make sense of all the data and enable customers to build automated processes to enable new business scenarios. And AI can be embedded in your business processes.”

is SAP’s AI-powered digital assistant that also orchestrates user experiences end-to-end across 51��and non-51��processes.

“It is also a platform for customer AI,” Steinle says. “Not every scenario can be provided out of the box, but Joule gives users a responsible and resilient way of building their own AI applications with the help of our platform.”

Many of these features are a reality today, and 51��developers are focused on making AI-first a reality, Steinle adds.

But software on its own doesn’t deliver value, which is why 51��offers a range of services in RISE and Grow that include an entire integrated tool chain to help customers on their transformation journey.

“We aim to provide a fast, rich, seamless experience, with prescriptive guidance. And it’s not just reactive support, but support for customer strategy,” Steinle says. “We use a lot of AI capabilities to respond better, or give self-service options. And we use a lot of the 51��products to improve our customers’ experiences.”

This article first appeared on .

The post Services Help Customers Gain AI Value appeared first on 51��Africa News Center.

A Solid Platform Enables Innovation

Kathy Gibson — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 06:41:58 +0000

Kathy Gibson is at Saphila Transcend in Sun City – The world around us is evolving faster than ever. In a chaotic and unpredictable environment, and with new technologies emerging almost daily, industries are being reshaped, and customer expectations are shifting.

“Uncertainty is not going away,” says , BTP product management at SAP. “You need to think about how you can transform your business for the years to come.”

At the same time, artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising decision-making, redefining efficiency, and helping make it easier to run the business, he adds.

“The pace of change is accelerating, and businesses are asking how they can stay ahead of the change; how they can build business that don’t just keep up with change, but thrive on it.

“The ability to adapt, to innovate, to seize opportunities is no longer an advantage, but a necessity,” Winkler says.

He believes that, to be resilient and navigate uncertainty, companies need to embrace entrepreneurial skills.

“We believe that in this time of change and technology disruption, entrepreneurial skills are more relevant than ever in small or corporate organisations.

“The first key skill is courage,” Winkler says. “This is about being adaptable, having no fear, and moving forward in a focused and lean way.”

The second is resourcefulness. “Ensure you have the right resources in place, to accomplish a lot with few resources, and to execute on anything.”

The third key skill needed in this fast-changing world is self-discipline. “Be self-driven,” Winkler says. “Think about transformation from a technology point of view, but prioritise what is important for the business.”

At the same time, organisations need to be very clear about the way they want to go forward, Winkler adds. “Clarity is needed now more than ever – not as a choice, but a necessity. Be clear about your transformation and about what you want to achieve.”

Winkler explains that is the foundation on which the company has built its technology and transformation ecosystem.

As the foundation that underpins Business Suite, Business Data Cloud, and Business AI, BTP allows organisations to integrate and extend business applications faster; create business-relevant apps; and innovate and accelerate with AI.

Winkler points out that it is a unified platform available as public cloud or multi-cloud that harmonises 51��and non-51��applications, empowering customers and partners to innovate.

BTP is powered by more than 90 applications and services.

There are currently 33��000 customers on 51��BTP, including 66% of the largest companies in the market.

New on 51��BTP is better integration between 51��Build and 51��S/4 HANA. The company has also introduced additional AI features with Joule for Developers.

In addition, 51��is continuously adding BTP to new data centres and regions. It has already built out to seven new regions this year, with more on the cards.

There is more functionality for users and more AI available for 51��S/4 HANA Cloud.

More features are available in 51��Business Data Cloud (BDC), and SAP’s Integration Suite makes it easier for customers to bring their ecosystem together.

The new releases are especially relevant for developers.

51��Build now offers the ability to create Joule Skills and AI Agents – Joule Skills where the process path is known, and AI Agents where it isn’t.

“Now, developers are able to enhance Joule’s out-of-the-box capabilities to support organisation-specific workflows,” Winkler says. “They can deploy, monitor and manage their own Joule Skills in 51��Build. “And, with the agent builder in Joule Studio they can build their own customised AI Agents.”

There are also new features to help ABAP developers ��improve their efficiency. “In the ABAP cloud environment, we have released intelligent features that help developerss with testing, and Joule will even offer recommendation to improve code.”

Further enhancements improve developer efficiency in ��51��HANA Cloud, helping them to make smart decisions while handling large amounts of interconnected data to achieve meaningful outcome.

“BTP addresses the challenges of digital transformation and helps to accelerate customers’ move to the cloud,” Winkler says. “It helps customers to optimise and integrate processes so they can innovate while keeping the core clean.

“This empowers them to unlock the power of business data and AI.”