The Customer Magazine 3|2010
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11.05.2009
Back to the Lecture Hall
By: Uta Spinger, SAP AG
Collaboration is popular when times are tough. The conference of the Swedish SAP user group SAPSA on April 21 at the University of Gothenburg is proof that when IT and research get together, they can spark great ideas.
University of Gothenburg (photo: Lars Nybom, Stockholm)
Sitting in the University of Gothenburg’s main lecture hall, many of the 300 participants at the spring meeting of the Swedish SAP user group SAPSA probably had the feeling that they’d been there before. But rather than being greeted by their old professors, they were welcomed by Anders Schyllert, managing director of SAP Sweden, Peter Sahlin, head of IT at the Swedish social insurance organization, and Andreas Nemeth from SAP partner Novell.
Saving during times of crisis
The main topic of the user group meeting was the financial crisis and how to survive it. According to the speakers cost containment is the best approach – with process optimization as one possible strategy. Sahlin suggested business process management, while Nemeth from Novell demonstrated how processes can be made more efficient by switching an SAP landscape to Linux.
What’s more, cost-saving measures can have a positive impact, too, according to Mikael Karlsson, chairman of SAPSA. With many projects being postponed, IT managers have more time to tackle IT governance and to prepare their system landscapes for future upgrades.
Perhaps because they were under less time pressure than in previous years, the SAPSA members were keen to exchange ideas and experiences. This year, there were twice as many participants at the University of Gothenburg as in 2008 in Stockholm.
Tomorrow’s managers study with SAP
The choice of location was no coincidence – SAPSA cooperates with the University of Gothenburg. The SANTE Academy, a joint venture between Scandinavian universities, implements SAP learning systems at Swedish institutes of higher education.
This enables students to get to grips with one of the most common ERP solutions during their studies. Furthermore, cooperation with SAP University Alliances gives them access to a global network of universities where SAP software is part of the curriculum. Prospective doctors can find out how hospital administration works, while computer science and business students can improve their employability by gaining SAP expertise.
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