Daseinszwang versus Daseinsfürsorge

SAP Customer Competence Center and Customer Center of Expertise

Both strategically and operationally, there are thus numerous challenges for the SAP existing customer. For companies above a certain size, this kind of existence requirement of a CC was specified by SAP. However, this also means that the Walldorf-based group has the task and duty of ensuring its existence. For example, to be available as a customer-oriented partner at all times with advice, information and instructions, with best practices or to provide help and advice in specific questions and problem cases.

Trusted Advisor

In addition, to act as a trusted advisor. It is not uncommon for external independent experts and specialists to be involved by SAP customers.

However, as in real life, welfare is one thing. Welfare always means help or support. But in the case of a business relationship, and SAP customer relationships are a business relationship, there are business interests here as well as there. And these can change.

Errors and confusions

For SAP customers, it is nothing new to deal with changes that come from SAP - but that always means effort and certain uncertainties. Just think of Hana and S/4 with the discontinuation of AnyDBs and the SAP Business Suite with ERP/ECC 6.0. SAP had, and still has, the goal of establishing the new SAP world as quickly as possible. But it didn't work out quite as quickly as expected: see the maintenance extension of SAP Business Suite from 2025 to 2027/2030, or SAP's recent announcement that it would "strengthen the ERP business, or rather the ERP core". With the justified question from the user association DSAG: "Does the strategy of the business network still fit if essential IT processes of customer management are no longer developed at the same speed as the ERP?"

Or the confusion around "cloud only" and "cloud first". It has always been clear that many companies would not consider entrusting their core systems, and thus their very own corporate process knowledge, to a cloud and thus more or less handing them over. Hybrid cloud computing is a viable option for SAP customers. The sovereignty over core systems quasi in-house, selected other systems in or from the cloud.

For Competence Center managers or directors, strategic changes by the software supplier SAP weigh particularly heavily and in fact always harbor dynamite. After all, they must first and foremost pay attention to how SAP change processes or the necessary change management can be managed in their own company or in their own company organization. 

More. Since this sometimes involves considerable interventions and cuts in the critical infrastructure of companies and, as experience shows, they are confronted with lengthy and cost-intensive projects, they need reliable roadmaps or migration aids from the software supplier or all the necessary information for the viable path from old to new.

Recalibrate compass

This relates to many concrete topics: The focus is on SAP applications as well as the SAP infrastructure with the SAP Basis. But also about costs or resource deployment for plan, build and run. 

Of course, SAP's actions and activities are shaped by a variety of self-interests. These self-interests are legitimate to a certain extent. On the other hand, trust and reliability are very important to those responsible for SAP CC. SAP should actually know this. Trust and reliability mean providing a service of general interest to the competence leaders. One has to get the impression that this CC compass of existence has shifted to a certain extent and needs to be recalibrated by SAP. If there is a need for existence, then there must also be a strong need for existence care!