The solution is focused on Absa鈥檚 group reporting and financial consolidation landscape. The renewed five-year agreement enhances Absa鈥檚 ambition to modernise financial systems and applications and embeds group-wide standards that enhance agility, flexibility and robust financial control.

鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to continue supporting Absa鈥檚 finance modernisation with trusted 51风流application management services,鈥� said , Managing Director of Application Services at NTT DATA in Middle East and Africa. 鈥淥ur focus is on reliable operations, continuous improvement and measurable business outcomes that will help Absa strengthen controls and unlock real-time insights from a resilient S/4HANA foundation.鈥�

Under the leadership of , Absa Managing Executive responsible for Financial Control Functions and Finance CIO, Absa has progressively consolidated ledgers, streamlined close processes and moved finance operations to a modern 51风流S/4HANA foundation, integrated with best-of-breed spend management.

鈥淥ur efforts to build a single source of financial truth for Absa across Africa are ongoing,鈥� said John. 鈥淩enewing and extending our partnership with NTT DATA ensures we have the specialist 51风流capability and dependable operations to match the scale of our ambition, supporting stronger controls, faster close cycles and the data quality our business stakeholders expect. This is a South Africa-led transformation with Africa-wide impact and our unified platform positions Absa to grow with resilience and transparency.鈥�

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Set to聽take place from 1 to 3 June 2025 at Sun City, the event will bring together business and technology leaders from across the continent for two days of innovation, insight and high-impact networking.

Key sponsors returning for the 2025 edition include 51风流Africa, Deloitte and NTT Data.

Collaboration Sponsor

51风流is once again the event鈥檚 Collaboration Sponsor.

,听ad interim聽MD for 51风流in Southern Africa, says: 鈥淪aphila is a critically important customer and partner event for SAP, in that it provides an unparallelled, one-stop shop for all our African customers and partners. We鈥檇 like to thank AFSUG for driving this flagship industry and networking event, suited to any customer or partner wishing to know the latest about SAP, its AI vision, future focus, product offerings and solutions.

鈥淲hen it comes to the 51风流Africa events calendar, Saphila is arguably the most important networking opportunity of the year,鈥� she adds.

Diamond Sponsor

Pillay鈥檚 sentiments are echoed by , vice-president: applications and cloud at NTT Data Middle East and Africa, Saphila 2025鈥檚 Diamond Sponsor, who聽highlights the strategic value that the event brings. 鈥淪aphila is all about bringing 51风流users and vendors together to connect, create and collaborate. It provides a fantastic opportunity to share knowledge on the latest innovations, implementations and best practices in the 51风流world.

鈥� has taken up Diamond sponsorship of Saphila 2025 for good reason. As a global 51风流Managed Services partner, it gives us incredible brand visibility and allows us to showcase our expertise and thought leadership through keynotes and workshops.

鈥淪aphila is also packed with engaging activities, including evening socials, a golf day and exclusive deal room access,听providing an excellent platform for attendees to engage with a diverse range of high-profile contacts. This kind of engagement really fosters a collaborative environment where industry leaders can discuss real-time data and business value.

鈥淭he event鈥檚 expert keynote presentations and workshops can also provide a real edge,鈥� Wortmann adds. 鈥淪aphila 2025 is the place to be if you want to stay updated on the latest tech advancements and make valuable connections.鈥�

Executive Suite and C-Suite sponsor

,听senior manager & 51风流project director: enterprise technology and performance聽(ETP) at and Saphila 2025 chair, sees聽the event as a catalyst for growth, skills development and innovation across the continent.

鈥淪aphila brings significant value to both the local 51风流ecosystem and the broader technology industry. It promotes networking, knowledge sharing and collaboration among local 51风流professionals, partners and customers. It also drives innovation by showcasing the latest 51风流solutions and technologies, enabling attendees to stay ahead of industry trends and best practices.鈥�

From a broader industry perspective, Panday notes the role that Saphila plays in highlighting the transformative potential of 51风流technologies across various sectors 鈥� driving digital transformation, improving business processes and creating value across industries, as well as facilitating cross-industry collaboration.

鈥淎s a trusted聽51风流systems integrator and with a transformation alliance between the two businesses,听Deloitte鈥檚 sponsorship of SAPHILA 2025 aligns with our commitment to support the local 51风流community and contribute to its growth and success,鈥� Panday adds.

鈥淎t this year鈥檚 event, Deloitte will showcase how our capabilities in areas such as digital transformation, cloud solutions and data analytics can help organisations achieve their strategic goals and drive business success. We encourage people to register for Saphila 2025 as it offers a unique opportunity to gain insights into the latest 51风流trends and innovations, through expert-led sessions, hands-on workshops and networking opportunities.鈥�

鈥淪aphila represents the heartbeat of Africa鈥檚 51风流community,鈥� continues , senior associate director: ERP at Deloitte Africa. 鈥淥n a broader scale, Saphila amplifies Africa鈥檚 voice in the global technology industry, highlighting how cutting-edge technologies 鈥� such as AI, cloud and sustainable ERP 鈥� are being adopted and adapted for local impact.鈥�

Sponsor line-up

CEO comments: 鈥淲e鈥檙e incredibly proud to partner with global technology leaders who share AFSUG鈥檚 vision for a more connected, digitally empowered Africa. SAPHILA 2025 will once again provide the ultimate platform for collaboration, learning and progress.

鈥淚n addition to extending our thanks to SAP, Deloitte and NTT Data, we would also like to welcome EY, Google and Syntax as Gold Sponsors; our Silver Sponsors Accenture, FIRtech, HCL Technologies, IBM, Mediro ICT, Neptune Software Africa (NASA), PwC, SAP, Vodacom, Deloitte and AWS, and Worksoft; and Saphila 2025鈥檚 Bronze Sponsors聽Accely, AppConverge, BCX, Consnet, JiVS powered by聽Data Migration International, Decision Inc, Edge Information Solutions, EPI-USE Labs, GlueData, G3G, Integrove, K5 Business, LRS Output Management, Nihilent, OneConnect, OpenText, Seidor, smartShift, Stratfore Tech, Tano Digital Solutions and VOQUZ Labs.

鈥淪pecial mentions also go to our Golf Sponsor Zimele Technologies; Coffee Sponsor iOCO; Microsoft, an Executive Experience Sponsor, Said Salim Bakhresa & Company as the official Prize Sponsor, Charging Station Sponsor Engaged Business Consultants, EY and GlueData for the eagerly anticipated Masterclass sessions, as well as Heineken and Mercedes-Benz.鈥�

Register to attend Saphila 2025 by clicking聽

To become an AFSUG member, visit聽.

This article first appeared on

The post Tech Leaders Back Saphila 2025 appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

that worldwide spending on public cloud services will grow 20.7% to reach $591.8-billion in 2023, outpacing the 18.8% growth forecast for 2022.

However, says Cameron Beveridge, Regional Director for Southern Africa at SAP, moving to cloud environments requires effective change management to ensure digital transformation initiatives reach their objectives. “There is palpable excitement around cloud services in African markets, but there are still questions around how to effectively migrate and how to orchestrate multiple cloud solutions once the migration is complete. And while it’s true that one of the main benefits of cloud services is the ability to fail quickly without incurring huge cost or time overruns, you really don’t want your cloud initiative to fail due to poor change management.”

Studies have highlighted the importance of effective change management to the success of digital transformation initiatives. McKinsey data indicates that worldwide. This is partly due to poor change management, of which are clear successes.

Methodology, Partners reduce perils of Cloud Migrations

Brent Flint, Head of Enterprise Applications at Dimension Data, believes part of the answer to effective change management during cloud transformation projects rests on an effective methodology. “Migrating core business processes from on-premise environments to the cloud requires a proven methodology to accelerate the transition and reduce associated risks. A repeatable methodology that incorporates automation to ensure aspects such as data integrity, for example, can ease data migration and speed up the time-to-value.”

51风流introduced RISE with 51风流in 2021 to help companies get started with 51风流cloud solutions, accelerate cloud adoption, and simplify the process of shifting core business processes to cloud environments. “Companies undertaking digital transformation initiatives that could benefit from RISE need to ensure their implementation partners are accredited and have the skills capacity to support the project throughout,” explains Flint.

Beveridge adds that companies that successfully leverage the insight, skills and experience of partner organisations can reduce risk and enhance the impact and business outcomes of their transformation efforts. “Companies are realising that cloud adoption is not a once-off event: it requires near-continuous refinement and evolution to deliver business value. This makes the role of expert partners, who have developed experience with specific use cases of cloud technologies and can guide organisations in their adoption of cloud solutions, critical to their success.”

Keys to cloud success

Understanding how and where the journey to the cloud should start remains among the biggest obstacles to the digital transformation efforts of African organisations.

Lauren Wortmann, Vice President: Applications at Dimension Data, says there’s still some resistance to the cloud among organisations limiting the success of cloud transformation projects. “Cloud adoption is a business-critical activity, but the optimal starting point is not always clear. Many organisations and their IT teams also acknowledge that the shift to cloud is coming, but there’s internal resistance due to fear about how it will affect the business and existing IT skills.”

Arguably the most important factor when developing a cloud strategy is defining a clear business case for cloud adoption. “Cloud is not just about cost efficiency,” says Wortmann. “It’s about modernising the business and its core processes, unlocking new opportunities, enhancing capabilities and achieving broader digital transformation. For this to be successful, there needs to be massive buy-in from the business at every layer, from the boardroom to the IT department and every end-user.”

The era of large on-premise deployments was typified by big winners and big losers, but the new era of cloud has changed the dynamic entirely. Flint explains: “In the old days, if you defined the scope of the project correctly upfront and quoted accurately, you could deliver a successful implementation that delivered new capabilities and was profitable to the technology provider and their implementation partner. The era of cloud requires a change of mindset. Today, tech vendors and partner organisations need to strive for near-continuous innovation, with KPIs around unlocking additional business value from existing technologies built into managed services contracts. It puts the onus on partners to unlock features and benefits from software, with the goal of ongoing value generation.”

Wortmann adds that companies should be smart when choosing how they start their cloud journey. “Aspects such as Human Capital Management are perfect starting points for cloud adoption, with solutions like 51风流SuccessFactors offering a high-value, low-risk way to test how cloud migration plays out in the organisation. Larger, more critical business processes such as core finance, sales and logistics carry high degrees of risk due to fears of disruption and business continuity in the event of downtime.”

Flint believes one of the keys to successful cloud adoption is simplification. “Organisations should work with their partners to understand their application landscape and identify opportunities for simplification. Reducing customisation can also keep things simple while driving costs down. Partners need to avoid customisation to limit technical debt and achieve quicker time to value. Adopting best-practice standards for core business processes opens the door to incremental innovation which can suit cloud-first companies better.”

Beveridge says this requires a change in mindset to how digital transformation initiatives are approached, both by customers and partners. “The most successful tech partners will be the ones that develop strong commercial models that meet customers’ expectations of what value digital transformation projects should deliver. However, there’s no blueprint for how this should work. Organisations should work closely with tech providers and implementation partners to develop strong business use cases and change management programmes to ensure each initiative delivers business value and unlocks new capabilities, efficiencies and opportunities for growth.”

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