As we turn the corner to a new decade, businesses are looking for ways to address ever-increasing customer expectations: high-quality products and services delivered on-demand, without negative impact on the environment or society — and at a reasonable cost.
SAP asked global leaders for their perspectives on what to watch for in 2020. Here is what they had to say:
Data Moves from an Analytical to a Decision-Making Tool
Mike Eberhard, president of SAP Intelligent Spend Group: “In 2020, the shift to leveraging data for real-time decision-making will accelerate for a growing number of business functions.
For example, through intelligent platforms and network ecosystems, companies will access more and more data sets to shed light on such things as a potential supplier’s financial capability to fulfill a contract. Data can also be used to make budgetary decisions informed by the current status of each and every area of a company’s spending. Organizations possess and can access, much or all of this data today – with the right tools.
With an increasing number of data-points uncovered by Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning, there is more information than ever before to help drive results. This allows organizations to make better sense of what’s happening, what’s coming, and, ultimately, make more intelligent decisions. In the coming year, many more organizations will start to realize the potential of their data to intelligently guide business decisions and leverage it to reach even greater levels of success.
Looking even further into the future, they will eventually be able to determine whether potential suppliers’ policies adhere to international laws and social ethics, and be able to use data to identify, in advance, a host of potential supply chain disruptions, such as a small number of suppliers concentrated in a region vulnerable to weather or man-made disasters.”
Adaptability and Flexibility Key
James Lee, chief operating officer of SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass: “In times of economic uncertainty, it becomes even more important for businesses to focus on cost-efficiency, compliance, and working capital management.
To prepare for this uncertainty, in 2020, more organizations will think more strategically about how they spend business cash – investing in better spend management strategies that not only cut costs but also create new revenue-driving opportunities to grow and quickly scale. Adaptability and flexibility will be key to recession-proofing, so procurement leaders will need to embrace technologies that can integrate with intelligent technologies and analytics to improve decision-making, speed, and efficiency.”
Partnerships Bring More Value in 2020
Sean Thompson, senior vice president of Business Network and Ecosystems at SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass: “With the rapid rate of technological change and disruption in the marketplace, 2020 will see partners moving beyond the traditional role of strategic advisor to that of business collaborator and innovator. This collaboration will increase the diversity of business networks and allow companies to take advantage of open APIs to solve critical business challenges. Ultimately, the name of the game is co-opetition, where partnerships allow for doing more for customers together than alone.
We’re also going to see greater efficiency and ease across networks and network-to-network collaboration. All business is global, and companies with varied and diverse supply chains need to rely on clear and concise information to make real-time business decisions across borders and geographies. Data-driven insights will allow buyers and suppliers to think differently about how they source or sell. A continued focus on compliance and reduction in supply chain risk will demand simple, clean, and transparent procurement solutions. The impact will be significant, driving innovation as never seen before.”
The Move Towards ERP System Simplification Will Intensify
The trend among ERP vendors of adding features to their solutions, either by acquisition or by developing new functionality, has been significantly reduced due, in large measure, to the penetration of cloud solutions. This trend will strengthen in the next year, bringing this practice to a virtual halt. Rather than enhancing their core ERP systems, many companies are opting to add in cloud-based point solutions for functions like human capital management (HCM), customer relationship management (CRM) and expense management.
Many ERP vendors have come to terms with the reality that it’s difficult to compete with vendors that specialize in specific market solutions like CRM or HCM and are therefore less likely to introduce new functionality or provide long-term support for their dated products. This will reinforce the migration, for many organizations, to more modern technological solutions.
CGA Technology is aware of what implies to be part of this new decade. We take into consideration the needs of the market as the principal reason to focus on improving performance: redesign the user interface and add new capabilities to keep our clients satisfied and expand the portfolio of more clients overseas.
Slimov, Katie. “2020 Predictions for Procurement, Supply Chain, Business, and More – ERP News.” ERP News, 2 Jan. 2020, erpnews.com/2020-predictions-for-procurement-supply-chain-business-and-more/. Accessed 2 Jan. 2020.
Gheorghiu, Gabriel. “Top ERP Predictions to Watch Out For In 2020.” Selecthub.Com, 18 Nov. 2019, www.selecthub.com/enterprise-resource-planning/top-erp-predictions/. Accessed 6 Jan. 2020.