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SAP Teched Recap and SAP BTP on Azure News

| Peter Büermann |

BTP Teched

YouTube

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Spotify

Apple

Episode #213

Introduction

In episode 213 of our SAP on Azure video podcast we talk about SAP TechEd 2024 and look at SAP BTP on Azure. Last week we just wraped up SAP TechEd 2024. It was an online events with lots of announcements. One of the first things that Michael Ameling showed was the latest number of the SAP Business Technology Platform with now over 27.000 live customers clearly outlying the importance of BTP for SAP. To better understand these numbers and announcements, I am happy to be able to speak with Peter today.

Find all the links mentioned here: https://www.saponazurepodcast.de/episode213

Reach out to us for any feedback / questions:

#Microsoft #SAP #Azure #SAPonAzure #SAPTeched #BTP

Summary created by AI

  • Holger introduced the episode, mentioning that it is episode 213 of the SAP on Azure Video podcast, and welcomed Peter to discuss SAP and Microsoft-related topics.
  • SAP Teched 2024 Recap:
  • Holger and Peter discussed the recent SAP Teched 2024 event, highlighting the importance of the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) with over 20,000 live customers.
    • Event Overview: Holger and Peter discussed SAP Teched 2024, an online event with numerous announcements. Michael Ameling presented the latest numbers for the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), which now has over 20,000 live customers, underscoring its significance for SAP.
    • Key Announcements: Peter highlighted that BTP was a central theme at SAP Teched 2024, with significant announcements related to AI and integration services. The event emphasized BTP’s role as a core integration and extension platform for SAP applications.
  • Peter’s Role at Microsoft:
  • Peter introduced himself, explaining that he joined Microsoft five months ago and is part of the SAP business unit, focusing on BTP and joint co-engineering projects between SAP and Microsoft.
    • Introduction: Peter introduced himself, stating that he joined Microsoft five months ago and is part of the SAP business unit. His primary focus is on the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) and joint co-engineering projects between SAP and Microsoft.
    • Responsibilities: Peter elaborated on his responsibilities, which include leading go-to-market strategies for BTP, working on joint co-engineering projects, and ensuring that Microsoft’s sales teams are well-equipped to promote BTP. He also collaborates closely with SAP sellers.
  • Peter’s Background at SAP:
  • Peter shared his background at SAP, where he worked for nine years in various roles, including support, data migration, and cross-product management for BTP.
    • Career Overview: Peter shared that he worked at SAP for nine years before joining Microsoft. His roles at SAP included working in support, data migration, and cross-product management for BTP.
    • Specific Roles: Peter detailed his specific roles at SAP, including being part of the project that built value assurance and Esfahani, working on data migration teams, and managing cross-product initiatives for BTP, such as the free tier and trial offerings.
  • BTP and Microsoft Partnership:
  • Peter and Holger discussed the long-standing partnership between SAP and Microsoft, emphasizing the recent focus on BTP and the expansion of BTP data centers on Azure.
    • Partnership History: Peter and Holger discussed the long-standing partnership between SAP and Microsoft, which has spanned over 30 years. The partnership has traditionally focused on SAP on Azure, but there is now a significant emphasis on BTP.
    • Recent Developments: Peter highlighted recent developments in the partnership, including a major investment announced in January to enhance BTP’s footprint with new data centers. Microsoft is playing a significant role in this expansion.
  • BTP Data Centers Expansion:
  • Peter explained the expansion of BTP data centers, with 12 new data centers announced, six of which will be on Azure, and the importance of having key services available in all data centers.
    • Expansion Details: Peter explained that SAP announced 12 new BTP data centers, with six of them to be hosted on Azure. This expansion aims to provide key services uniformly across all data centers, addressing customer concerns about service availability.
    • Customer Benefits: Peter emphasized that the expansion would alleviate the hassle for customers in choosing data centers based on service availability. The goal is to have key services available in all data centers, simplifying deployment and integration for customers.
  • BTP as the Easy Button:
  • Peter described BTP as the “easy button” for integrating, extending, and analyzing SAP applications, highlighting its pre-defined integration flows, analytics, and connectors.
    • Integration Simplification: Peter described BTP as the “easy button” for integrating SAP applications, emphasizing its pre-defined integration flows, analytics, and connectors. BTP simplifies the process of connecting various SAP services and extending their capabilities.
    • Customer Advantages: Peter highlighted that BTP offers significant advantages for customers by providing built-in content, connectors, and analytics. This reduces the complexity and effort required for integration and extension projects, making it easier for customers to leverage SAP services.
  • Identity Lifecycle Management:
  • Peter recommended a session on identity lifecycle management with BTP and Microsoft Entra, emphasizing the importance of identity management for enterprise-level integrations.
    • Session Recommendation: Peter recommended a session on identity lifecycle management with BTP and Microsoft Entra, presented by Martin Rappler and Regina Schimmer. The session included a live demo showcasing how to set up identity management and connect BTP with Entra.
    • Importance of Identity: Peter emphasized the critical role of identity management in enterprise-level integrations. Proper identity management ensures secure and seamless access to various services, making it a foundational element for any integration project.
  • AI Use Cases with BTP:
  • Peter highlighted three AI sessions from SAP Teched 2024, focusing on customer use cases from Heineken, SAPPI, and NTT Data, showcasing the integration of generative AI and BTP.
    • Heineken Use Case: Peter discussed Heineken’s AI solution, which integrates Microsoft Copilot, BTP, and SAP Data Sphere. The solution streamlines data access for business users, allowing them to query data from various sources seamlessly.
    • SAPPI Use Case: Peter mentioned SAPPI’s use of generative AI and BTP to enhance their operations. The integration allows SAPPI to leverage AI capabilities for better decision-making and operational efficiency.
    • NTT Data Use Case: Peter highlighted NTT Data’s use of BTP and generative AI to build advanced solutions for their customers. The integration enables NTT Data to offer innovative services and improve customer experiences.
  • Heineken’s AI Solution:
  • Peter detailed Heineken’s advanced AI solution, which integrates Microsoft Copilot, BTP, and SAP Data Sphere to streamline data access for business users.
    • Solution Overview: Peter detailed Heineken’s AI solution, which integrates Microsoft Copilot, BTP, and SAP Data Sphere. The solution allows business users to query data from various sources, streamlining data access and improving efficiency.
    • Technical Architecture: Peter explained the technical architecture of Heineken’s solution, which includes Microsoft Copilot for querying, BTP for integration, and SAP Data Sphere for data management. The architecture ensures secure and efficient data access.
    • Implementation Details: Peter shared that Heineken’s solution has been live for over a year and is heavily leveraged by the company. The implementation includes advanced AI capabilities and seamless integration with SAP and Microsoft services.
  • Future of BTP and Partner Ecosystem:
  • Peter discussed the future of BTP, predicting that more partner solutions will be built on BTP, similar to the current trend with customers like Hilti.
    • Partner Ecosystem: Peter discussed the future of BTP, predicting that more partner solutions will be built on the platform. He mentioned that partners like OpenText and SNP are already building solutions on BTP, and this trend is expected to grow.
    • Customer Examples: Peter highlighted Hilti as an example of a customer leveraging BTP and partner solutions. Hilti uses BTP for various applications, demonstrating the platform’s versatility and potential for partner-driven innovation.
  • Conclusion and Future Predictions:
  • Holger and Peter concluded the discussion, with Peter making a light-hearted prediction that next year’s SAP Teched might be called “BTP Ed” due to the centrality of BTP.

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