Busting the omnichannel - enterprise hacks and chats

Enterprise month in review - is HR tech falling short? With Meg Bear and Amy Wilson

Sun, 05 Jul 2026 02:58:53 -0600

Yep, it's that time again. Join Jon Reed and Brian Sommer for the Enterprise Month in Review. We'll pick our underrated stories, and then, in a classic show mashup, Amy Wilson and Meg Bear of the Meg and Amy how will give their live reactions to Brian Sommer's run-down of where HR tech, AI and leadership is falling short. We'll also have some make-your-own-buzzword surprises, and of course, Brian's infamous slide deck. As always, bring your savviest and snarkiest commentary, as you help steer the show and we field your reactions in real-time. Note: for the full slide experience, catch the YouTube replay at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWtobJAsYqE

Enterprise month in review - AI sanity check event edition

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 01:00:56 -0600

Yes, it's that time. As the spring event season winds down, we ramp up our month in review. What did vendors get right? What did they utterly miss? What underrated stories do buyers need to track? Where does AI fall short - and where is it getting results? We'll have Brian's infamous slide deck, and, as always, field all your live questions and comments in real time. End note: the audience did so bring their sharpest and snarkiest commentary - and we did your best to actually draw out some key lessons from the enterprise year to date, including our top three event highs and lows. But did we agree? Find out here... If you want to check Brian's slides, you can see our live YouTube video replay at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZAP70ErRp8&t=2s

Ask us Anything - the SAP Sapphire show floor live edition

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 00:45:40 -0600

In collaboration with ASUG Talks, we bring you another live edition of "Ask us Anything," recorded on the SAP Sapphire show floor during the ASUG annual conference as well. After the day two keynote, ASUG CEO Geoff Scott, Josh Greenbaum and Jon Reed fielded questions from the live show floor audience. As expected, there were some doozies, and some curveballs. From AI skills imperatives to outcome-based pricing, to the infamous "magic genie to change SAP" question, the seats were hot and the convo was interesting. We took as many questions as we could before running out of time - but we'll take more questions during a summer follow-on in July. Note: this podcast has already been released on ASUG Talks. You may notice a few differences in the recordings, as I tend to go with a raw file, as is the tone of my channel.

Salesforce Connections 2026 - a podcast review with Rebecca Wettemann

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 07:39:41 -0600

Salesforce Connections 2026 had an ambitious narrative: apply agentic AI to turn marketers from bogged-down admins to "makers." But how did that narrative go over with attendees? And how do Salesforce customers achieve these changes and reduce marketing/sales pain points - even on older "heritage" releases? Does the fragmentation of enterprise data remain an obstacle? Jon Reed hashes out these questions and more with Rebecca Wettemann, who has done notable research through Valoir on CX data fragmentation. Can the two get to the bottom of the show on the clock, before their conference room time expires? We're about to find out...

Epicor Insights - is ”Cognitive ERP” the way forward, and what does it mean for customers?

Wed, 20 May 2026 05:44:01 -0600

After day one of Epicor Insights 2026, Jon Reed and usual suspect Brian Sommer hashed out what they learned in a vigorous day of keynotes, exec meetings and customer discussions. Epicor's ERP manufacturing bona fides are well known, but what is the impact of their Cognitive ERP push? Is the AI strategy differentiated? Does it line up with what customers need? An unexpected AI candor came out from the keynote stage, but how are Epicor customers faring in their own AI pursuits? Yes, it's time to dissect the "forward deployed engineers" buzzword... Did Brian managed to avoid getting through the entire podcast without bashing the Gaylord Opryland Hotel venue? You're about to find out.

The SAP Sapphire 2026 final review - with Josh Greenbaum

Sun, 17 May 2026 06:38:26 -0600

In a time-honored tradition, on the Thursday morning after Sapphire 2026, Josh Greenbaum and I commandeered an abandoned session room at the Hilton to ask ourselves the burning questions: what the heck just happened? What we can take away? Where did SAP advance the conversation, or come up short? Given I have issued multiple podcast from the event, I issued another challenge: let's not repeat prior podcast topics as much as possible. Also, in the context of SAP's new "autonomous enterprise" all-in messaging, the clear/awkward question must be asked: has Greenbaum, one of the most vociferous agentic AI critics in the SAP ecosystem, especially in terms of ROI, changed his stance? And: what did we learn from all of our interactions with SAP execs and customers? And yes: the API data controversy is addressed here. We had an hour of hot topics to work through, and didn't even get to them all. But, a few timestamps:

4:15 - AI and "Toolchain" advancements redux

16:43 - the API controversy breakdown - what we learned at Sapphire

26:00 - has Josh's stance on agentic AI changed

38:00 - the autonomous enterprise framing

49:00 - SAP Connect, the business case challenge, and final hot seat questions

Note to listeners - if you believe in totally ad-free, totally unsponsored podcasts like my series - an increasingly rare thing - consider giving me a positive rating or share. There is intentionally no business model - these podcasts are entirely self-funded and it's your engagement with them that keeps them going.

SAP Sapphire review - the UKISUG’s Conor Riordan talks AI migration tools, adoption questions, and yes - APIs

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:53:26 -0600

At the tail end of SAP Sapphire Orlando, Jon Reed sat down in a semi-empty location with UKISUG Chair Conor Riordan to get his reactions to SAP's news, AI strategy and how customer value is changing. Amongst the hot topics Riordan brought up were: business cases and SAP's new AI migration tools (and Joule for Consultants). How impactful is this on business cases and customer AI adoption? Will partners/SIs make the shift? Where are we with public versus private cloud ERP? We also discuss Riordan's take on SAP's recent API policy changes - and how user groups got involved. Some back-and-forth on agentic accuracy and consumption pricing kept things lively as the event wrapped up. Note: after this conversation, Jon Reed talked with SAP's Philipp Herzig, who clarified that the ability to compare private and public cloud ERP readiness does already exist, and can likely be enhanced further, re: industry readiness assessments.

SAP Sapphire 2026 watch party recap - the keynote review

Wed, 13 May 2026 07:28:16 -0600

On Tuesday, SAP kicked off SAP Sapphire Orlando with a important keynote to set the tone for their enterprise vision amidst AI and SaaS upheaval. So how did they do? This audio production recaps the live Watch Party we held with Jon Reed, Josh Greenbaum and Bonnie Tinder, along with a stream of savvy/snarky audience members. In this 30 minute version, you'll hear our pre-keynote expectations and what SAP needed to accomplish. Then you'll hear our post-keynote recap - the highs and the lows, and what SAP accomplished, or not. Note: you can view the entire Watch Party replay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7458204874200186881?viewAsMember=true. SAP's keynote is also available online, check the SAP Sapphire Virtual event as a starting point.

Enterprise Month in Review - event detox and AI agent reality check edition

Sun, 03 May 2026 13:48:41 -0600

About ready for an event detox? Need a break from agentic keynote overdose? Join us for our picks and pans of the month, and perhaps a surprise guest or two, as we valiantly push to break through the noise and boil down our top road lessons. As always, Brian's infamous slide deck will be on display. Bring your savviest and snarkiest commentary... Note: this is the audio-optimized version... To see the full slides, check the youtube video replay: https://youtube.com/live/ga5DGxy74sA.

The state of SAP, and where should customers go from here? An opinionated (and unscripted) review

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:21:22 -0600

What is the state of SAP in April 2026? The markets have one take - but is that the whole story? What if we frame this in terms of customer priorities and value instead? And how does the enterprise AI story factor in - with the "garbage in, garbage out" data issue firmly in mind? That's plenty of fodder for our first air-it-out 'State of SAP' review in six months. (Though there is also our live ASUG Talks sessions with live customer Q/As since then). This podcast begins differently - Jon Reed had an opening ventilation in store for Geoff Scott and Josh Greenbaum to riff on. From there, we follow on our unscripted way, into SAP's AI strategy - and what individuals (and customers) should do in the face of global volatility and tech disruption. Along the way, we address two of SAP's major news items as well: the Reltio acquisition, and Thomas Saueressig's move into Chief Customer Officer on the SAP Executive Board. This podcast is intended to set the stage for SAP Sapphire Orlando and the co-located ASUG Annual Conference, where will we be taping live again.

Why CX data fragmentation blocks AI progress - a live research review with Rebecca Wettemann

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:59:19 -0600

When you issue research that says things like this, you have my attention: "Instead of simplifying, many organizations are doubling down on complexity in the name of AI. This is where the story takes a turn. AI has become the top priority for modernizing customer service, but it’s also exposing just how broken the underlying data layer really is." Rebecca Wettemann of Valoir released fresh CX research that laid out the siloed predicaments CX (and contact center) teams are facing. But what should enterprises do about it? And why do we keep pursuing sexy AI solutions that won't get results - until we deal with the underlying data/people/silo problems? At Oracle AI World New York City, I hashed out these issues with Wettemann live during an event pit stop. (We also recorded a halftime recap of the Oracle AI event and agentic apps news, which was released as a separate podcast). Note: you can see the Valoir CX research summary/reveal on diginomica: https://diginomica.com/pursuit-customer-holy-grail-why-organisations-must-finally-tackle-cost-dis-connected-cx).

Oracle AI World NYC 2026 - the halftime recap with Rebecca Wettemann

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:19:45 -0600

Halfway through Oracle's AI World Tour in New York City, Jon Reed caught up with Rebecca Wettemann of Valoir to recap the highlights of what we heard so far. After discussing Valoir's new CX research - released as a separate podcast - we dig into Oracle's enterprise AI play, which is a bit of a neglected media story, lacking the sensational appeal of the market news Oracle has been in the middle of. We also discuss where Oracle CX goes from here, and what to make of Oracle's 22 new agentic apps - news which dropped a week before this event. Note: Jon will release deeper analysis of this event on diginomica, after his 1:1 interviews were completed.

On ERP value, AI disruptions and where we go from here - hot issues from Sage Analyst Day 2026

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 20:28:33 -0600

After a vigorous first day at the 2026 Sage analyst event, Brian Sommer and Jon Reed hash out an ERP vendor with a provocative approach to AI for finance. Why has Sage advanced the conversation with domain-specific finance models? What did the customers on-site say about AI adoption/disruption? Is there a compelling future for ERP beyond a simplistic image of agentic prompts? What open questions does Sage need to tackle at their upcoming Sage Future user event in late April? Note: due to saving Sage's news previews for Sage Future, this podcast focused on hot issues rather than state-of-the-company details. Those will be revealed/updated in a month's time at the user event.

Hashing out a provocative enterprise AI keynote - live at CRM Playaz IRL with Esteban Kolksy

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 21:51:35 -0600

Esteban Kolksy, Chief Distiller at Constellation Research, closed out the CRM Playas IRL (In Real Life) event in Atlanta with a provocative keynote the debunked enterprise AI myths, while making a case for where the value in AI truly lies. After Kolsky left the stage, we broke down his main points on why LLMs are becoming commodities, and why proper enterprise AI is superior to out-of-the-box frontier models. Is AI "intelligent" - or a fascimle of intelligence - and why does this matter? We argued, at times, before landing on why Kolsky hates context graphs, and why I believe the misuse of the word "grounding" holds us back. This keynote was worth hashing out: there are big takeaways for customers that want to avoid lock-in, and to accomplish something better with AI by making AI a strategic part of infrastructure, rather than a not-very-smart chatbot.

Enterprise month in review - agentic AI gut check time - with Andreas Welsch

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:10:51 -0600

Yep, we're back. It's time to join us for our unscripted review of the enterprise year to date. We also have special guest Andreas Welsch on tap, for an agentic AI enterprise gut check, timed with the Wednesday, February 25th announcement of his new book, The HUMAN Agentic AI Edge. As always, the audience brought their savviest and snarkiest comments. Note: to check Brian's infamous slide deck, go to the live video replay at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yGo9a01lPA&t=3s.

ZohoDay 2026 - the impromptu recap with Thomas Wieberneit

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 00:04:23 -0600

After two full days at ZohoDay 2026, Jon Reed and Thomas Wieberneit quickly regrouped for some first impressions on the slew of news and potent topics, such as intelligence as a commodity, the tension between custom solutions and technical debt, advances in AI coding that impact Zoho's own development teams, and reactions from customers on site.

ZohoDay 2026 - the unscripted review with Brian Sommer

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 01:15:30 -0600

ZohoDay 2026 is in the books. But while the assembled mass of industry analysts were still in Austin, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer grabbed a quiet room for an unscripted recap. There was a flurry of news at this show to make sense of, some of it NDA but most of it not. The guys were on the clock this time, with only 25 minutes to hit on the hottest issues from customers, partners, and Zoho leadership - not to mention Zoho fleshing out the "Zoho ERP" news. Brian had his infamous hand-scrawled notepad on the state of Zoho, and Jon walked listeners through Zoho's take on the changing risks of SaaS in the AI era. (This podcast was taped prior to Jon's last AI deep dives with Zoho in Austin, but there was plenty of AI content to discuss regardless). As always, catch Jon and Brian's recaps on diginomica.com for more background as they appear...

ERP vendors versus AI agent disruptions - an information discussion gets heated

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 02:43:31 -0600

During their Acumatica Summit podcast review, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer went off into a full-blown treatment of ERP versus AI agent disruptions. Sommer managed to expertly nudge Reed into blowing a gasket over LinkedIn AI exuberance, so we decided to release this back and forth as a separate 15 minute podcast (you can also hear the full Acumatica Summit review as a separate podcast). *** This debate is not intended as a complete coverage of this topic, just as a flavor for the issues ERP vendors and their customers are facing ***. Though this discussion references Acumatica, it's about the ERP market as a whole, and there is a contrast made between ERP vendors with legacy install bases and those with more flexible/real-time systems - without that older install base. Discussions where things run hot are fun, but for a more complete review of this topic, track Reed and Sommer's ongoing articles on diginomica.com.

Acumatica Summit 2026 - the virtual review with Brian Sommer

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:38:05 -0600

An unforgiving storm kept Brian from the tarmac, but that didn't stop Jon and Brian from doing their annual Acumatica Summit review, the virtual edition. On the last afternoon of the show, Jon caught up with Brian for an online review of Acumatica's AI news and strategy... What moved the needle, and what didn't? The guys also delve into customer proof points, including the use case discussion Brian did with a customer this week. Brian also lured Jon into ripping into a major cloud ERP versus AI fanboys/girls rant, but to keep this podcast focused, that will be released next week.

Acumatica Summit 2026 - views and reactions on-site with Josh Greenbaum

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:42:37 -0600

On the second full day of the Acumatica Summer 2026, Josh Greenbaum crashes the show with Jon to make sense of Acumatica's cloud ERP customer impact as the AI plot thickens. We get into our candid talks with customers, partners and Acumatica leadership, and what we found in our own session crashing also. (Brian Sommer was not able to make it in person, look out for a virtual show review with Brian soon).

Are ERP and SCM vendors ready for AI security? - the Louis Columbus interview

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 17:26:44 -0600

In the January edition of the Enterprise month in review, we interviewed Louis Columbus with the burning question: are ERP and supply chain vendors ready for AI security, and new attack vectors like prompt injection? Louis has been nailing this on his Venture Beat AI security blog - so we put him in the hot seat to see what we could learn. This podcast is only the Columbus interview, which has been optimized for sound quality. If you want to see the full video replay with slides, check: https://youtube.com/live/-DQBB6mYJ_g.

Enterprise month in review - ERP (and supply chain) vendors aren't ready for AI security

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 17:11:43 -0600

Are ERP and supply chain vendors ready for AI security, and new attack vectors like prompt injection? Our special guest Louis Columbus says no. Louis has been nailing this on his Venture Beat AI security blog - let's put him in the hot seat and see what we can learn. Your hosts Brian Sommer and Jon Reed will also share their underrated news stories of the month, and unleash their enterprise highs and lows via the infamous slide deck. As always, bring your savviest (and snarkiest) commentary and let's get this done. Note: this is the full show, including our first 20 minutes of underrated news stories and final whiffs. The interview with Louis Columbus is also being issued as a separate audio podcast. If you want to see the video replay with slides, check: https://youtube.com/live/-DQBB6mYJ_g.

Where do we go from here? A candid AI enterprise recap with CRMKonvos

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 13:54:57 -0600

In this special crossover podcast, I share my hot seat appearance with CRMKonvos - as hosts Thomas Wieberneit and Ralf Korb press me on the lessons we learned - if any - from enterprise AI and 2025. And how do customers prepare for 2026, given my skepticism of the tech predictions industry? Wieberneit and Korb weigh in with their field views as well, along with audience lessons.

Enterprise Month in Review - is AI changing the B2B buyer?

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 01:55:09 -0600

Yes - it's time... Let's review the highs and lows of the enterprise month, with Jon, Brian, and the infamous slide deck like no other. Plus: we have special guest Barb Mosher Zinck in the virtual chair, to talk about her latest research on what B2B buyers care about, and how AI - or isn't - changing what they need and how they evaluate. As always, bring your snarky and savviest commentary. Note: if you appreciate enterprise content with NO commercials and no sponsors, consider sharing this content, leaving a favorable review, etc. I've funded my own podcasts since 2007 because I believe in this medium of free exchange of ideas. Your advocacy matters. To see the slide deck visuals, catch the youtube replay at: https://youtube.com/live/Mg_UKnWdeBo. To see the post on B2B buyers and AI by Barb Mosher Zinck on diginomica, check https://diginomica.com/buyers-are-engaging-vendors-sooner-not-reasons-you-may-think-heres-whats-really-driving-it

The hot seat - customers ask us anything, live from ASUG Tech Connect ’25

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 01:40:49 -0600

At ASUG Tech Connect 2025, Jon Reed, Josh Greenbaum, and ASUG CEO/Chief Community Champion Geoff Scott took the hot seats for 30 minutes of "ask us anything" audience questions on the show floor. We kick off the podcast with reactions to the show, before turning it over to a series of very sharp audience questions from customers, including issues of data licensing/access, and SAP public cloud ERP and industry readiness. ASUG Talks Senior Producer, Jim Lichtenwalter, also had top submitted questions from attendees ready for us as well (look out for a follow-on podcast with more of those questions in the new year). Note: this on-site podcast was an ASUG-diginomica collaboration, originally released as part of the ASUG Talks podcast series. ASUG produced this podcast audio.

CCE 2025 - can we get to decision intelligence? Is AI disruptive to research? Kolksy part two

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 02:32:10 -0600

In part two of my on-site taping at CCE 2025 with Esteban Kolsky, we get into what he's learned in the past year on curating intelligence for executives. But why is there a need for this service? How are the big analyst firms falling short? Is the AI research disruption real, BS, or some combination? Kolsky walks us through what he's learned in the last year, firming up a curated intelligence offering for executives and boards with Constellation Research. And yes, AI is involved, but with a twist.

CCE 2025 - is the AI debate becoming more intelligent? With Esteban Kolsky

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 01:26:38 -0600

In part one of my two part podcast series with Esteban Kolksy, Chief Distiller, Constellation Research, we discuss the AI debate, and our differences with that debate, and each other. Has the AI discussion changed this year at CCE 205? What were the key issues - and is there an AI gap between vendors and customers? We also hash out AI context, and why Kolksy doesn't like the "context engineering" catchprase, and why I have an equal problem with "grounding" of LLMs. Stay tuned for part two, where we shift gears to discuss Kolsky's progress on decision intelligence for executives and boards, why analyst firms are falling short, and how he uses AI (yes, AI) to assist with that research.

The Oracle AI World 2025 podcast review - with Brian Sommer

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 02:58:45 -0600

On the final day of Oracle AI World 2025, before their Vegas escape, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer sit down and look to make sense of what they just heard, from Oracle's AI visions to customer realities - how do the two match up? Where are the success stories coming from? What does AI readiness look like? Does Oracle have a competitive edge in AI, if so - why? We work off of Brian's trusty notebook and share views from our talks with customers and execs - along with live keynote Watch Parties and a flurry of diginomica pieces. We also review one of the most memorable/provocative enterprise keynotes of the year, via Oracle's Larry Ellison.

SAP Connect 2025 - the end-to-end podcast review

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 02:34:23 -0600

For my final podcast in the SAP Connect series, I get the process/line of business view from analyst and series regular Josh Greenbaum. Josh has advocated for an end-to-end SAP event for a while. So was the ambitious SAP Connect a success? What worked? What didn't? Was the end-to-end potential realized? What did we hear from customers on the ground? Before hitting the tarmac, we sorted it out. Note: this podcast was made from my backup recording, but I think you'll still find it pretty solid quality. If you enjoy unscripted enterprise podcasts with no sponsors, commercials, or business models, sharing this helps a lot to keep the momentum going....

SAP Connect 2025 in review - a cloudy BTP angle with Brian Dennett

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 02:22:31 -0600

In the first of two SAP Connect 2025 podcast wraps, I sat down with Brian Dennett of Lemongrass, and SAP Mentor. We discussed the pros and cons of this ambitious show, and what Brian learned on the ground in pursuit of BTP and BDC clarity. We also get into the state of SAP public cloud ERP, a topic that was not front and center at the show but remains important. The state of smaller SAP partners is another notable theme in this recap, a topic we both have strong opinions about. Stay tuned for my line of business show wrap with Josh Greenbaum as well.

SAP Connect Watch Party live - opening keynote reactions recap

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 01:25:59 -0600

In this recap of the SAP Connect opening keynote live Watch Party, you can hear the pre-game and post-game breakdowns with myself, Josh Greenbaum, Bonnie Tinder and Thomas Wieberneit, who crashed the post-game review. This was a compelling keynote to review, but as always we had our pros/cons, high points and nits. If you want to see the full video review with the entire keynote in the background, you can catch the LinkedIn replay at: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7380455623022321665/.

Enterprise Month in Review - Where is the innovation HR tech? - with Stacey Harris of Sapient Group

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 00:49:16 -0600

It's time - to rehash the event season to date and ask: where is the actual sign of innovation? Join us - and help sort out the promising HR tech from the BS, we've got special guest and HR tech analyst par excellence Stacey Harris joining Jon Reed and Brian Sommer. Harris should also have fresh data on what matters to customers and HR leaders. Brian and Jon will pick their enterprise highs and lows, with the spiffy help of Brian's infamous slide deck. Bring your savviest and snarkiest commentary, as always.... Note: if you want to see the video version with Brian's infamous slide deck, you can catch that on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/FCOpVpjtbhU

Good analysts, bad analysts, and yes, AI - with Hyoun Park

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 14:42:37 -0600

What makes a good enterprise analyst? There is no one I'd rather ask that Hyoun Park. But then why did Park move away from his analyst firm to work for an emerging AI vendor? (Levelpath). And how will AI change the analyst profession? It's time to mark Hyoun Park's career shift with a send off like no other: an interactive discussion on everything he has learned. Join us with your sharpest questions, your tributes, and yeah, as always, your snark...

Enterprise Month in Review - AI versus professional services - and a leadership detox

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 02:31:33 -0600

Yup, it's time folks - the Enterprise Month in Review is upon us. This time we'll bear down on the so-called AI disruption of professional services and research, with epic special guest Frank Scavo. We'll also get Frank's take on Brian's leadership research reveal, and why we may need a leadership detox - or detox from toxic leaders. As usual, bring your savviest and snarkiest as we share our picks and pans, along with Brian's infamous slide deck. Note: to see the slides in action, you can catch the full video replay on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/t09j0chQ_Uc.

End of summer SAP blowout - what do customers need, and will fall events deliver?

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 02:26:52 -0600

As the summer winds down, fall event season is about to heat up, with a slew of events from SAP (and SAP's biggest competitors). But what do customers need from SAP right now? And can fall events deliver on that? How do you get what your team needs from hectic events, without getting lost in the vendor narrative?

It's time for another SAP-in-review podcast with Jon Reed, Josh Greenbaum, and Geoff Scott, CEO of ASUG. The podcast kicks off by assessing what we learned since SAP Sapphire, and where SAP may be headed next. Then we shift into fall event discussions, including a review of ASUG's upcoming events and a very intriguing SAP Connect event.

We also get into the need for SAP business case development, particularly for technical SAP leadership, and how that has evolved into a new workshop for ASUG Tech Connect in November. This is mostly a US-centric event review, but we recommend listeners also check in with their international events and user groups, including:

DSAG's Annual Conference: https://dsag-jahreskongress.plazz.net/

UKISUG Connect 2025: https://www.ukisugconnect.co.uk/

The enterprise month in review - AI recruitment misadventures, and other picks and pans

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 02:31:49 -0600

Get ready for another round of enterprise highs and lows, with Brian Sommer and Jon Reed issuing their top picks (and pans) of the month, and unveil another unexpected half-time segment - deconstructing AI and recruiting, with surprise guest Bonnie Tinder of Raven Intel. The three dig into the provocative prediction of the end of recruiters in six months, via Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas. Tinder also shares what she's learned from her own AI experiments, client deliverable, and her new AI show. Note: viewing the slides isn't necessary for the audio version, but if you want to see the slide deck, check the YouTube replay at https://www.youtube.com/live/RBC5ja21TO4.

Enterprise keynotes are legacy, and LinkedIn is now the business TikTok? B2B video with Brent Leary

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 01:56:45 -0600

Is LinkedIn now the business TikTok? Are keynotes legacy artifacts? And why are Watch Parties the future of enterprise keynotes? Here's the full version of Jon Reed's talk with Brent Leary of CRM Playaz - where we learn why unscripted video content is more trusted - and builds buyer confidence. Note: you don't need the video version for this one, but if you want to see the before/after of Jon's camera test, check the YouTube replay at https://www.youtube.com/live/B-LHU1tp5Gw. If you enjoy unfiltered enterprise content with no sponsors or commercials *ever*, consider giving me a review so I can beat that algorithm...

Hot topics live at SAP Sapphire Orlando 2025 - the ASUG Hub "ask us anything" edition

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 00:32:36 -0600

At the end of the first official day of SAP Sapphire Orlando 2025, we taped a live podcast at the ASUG Hub with questions from the audience. On the mic: Jon Reed, your host, ASUG CEO Geoff Scott and analyst Josh Greenbaum. We gave our instant keynote reactions, and discussed the topics SAP needs to address to deliver for users - at Sapphire and also beyond. Audience questions kept this one spicy, including a surprise question from Constellation analyst Holger Mueller, who was passing through the show floor. Note: this on-site podcast was a diginomica-ASUG collaboration, originally released as part of the ASUG Talks podcast series. ASUG produced this podcast audio.

Enterprise Month in Review - the Mary Meeker + Accenture trend predictions blowout

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 23:39:11 -0600

As event season winds down, prognosticators have a lot to say about the future of the enterprise. Do Jon and Brian agree, or are these fever dreams? Let's review what we've learned this spring - and where customers go from here. As always, bring your savviest and snarkiest commentary, as you are an integral part of this show....

If you want to see the slides, you can see them on the YouTube replay at: https://youtube.com/live/DiqT53hdqXY.

Salesforce Connections 2025 - the podcast review with Rebecca Wettemann

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 01:33:34 -0600

On the final afternoon of Salesforce Connections, I catch up with Rebecca Wettemann, CEO of Valoir, to make sense of the what we just saw. Rebecca has some instructive thoughts on Salesforce's planned acquisition of Informatica - a topic we didn't hear much about at the show, but one worth discussing. We also discussed how this show compared with Valoir's prior research on Salesforce and customer adoption of agentic AI. And: what does the end of "no-reply marketing" mean, and are customers ready for the Agentforce transition? How has Agentforce progressed since Valoir's initial research. Time to hash it out...

Is this the end of ”do-not-reply marketing”? A hot take from Liz Miller at Salesforce Connections 2025

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 01:20:19 -0600

At Salesforce Connections 2025, Salesforce announced the Marketing Cloud Next - as the end of "do-not-reply" marketing. Is this a realistic goal for marketers? Is Marketing Cloud ready for the challenge? Time for a quick hot take from Constellation's Liz Miller, who was up for the challenge.

The SAP Sapphire 2025 podcast review - with Conor Riordan, chair UKISUG

Sun, 25 May 2025 03:36:21 -0600

In a time-honored Sapphire 2025 tradition, I located an empty hallway and commandeered a couple of chairs to debrief on what we heard in Orlando. This time, with a new guest, Conor Riordan, Chair at UKISUG. Riordan brings a fascinating perspective to this conference review, as he's had a deep career in SAP IT leadership before moving over to the business side - and that's the gap that SAP (and all of us, really) still need to fully bridge. How well did SAP do? How did SAP's AI announcements stack up with UKISUG member data and priorities? Does Riordan agree with my take on the importance of public cloud ERP (formerly S/4HANA public cloud edition?). Are customers getting what they need to migrate and modernize? Is SAP's innovation strategy resonating? What has Riordan's team learned from their own dialogue with SAP? These are just some of the key topics we hit on, before we escaped to pack for the return.

SAP Sapphire 2025 - pre-game and post-game keynote review

Sun, 25 May 2025 02:05:30 -0600

For SAP Sapphire 2025 opening keynote, we took the old school retro chat backchannel, and turned it into a public watch party. I invited special guest commentators Bonnie Tinder and Josh Greenbaum, and it seemed to go pretty well. So for this podcast version, you can hear our pre-game keynote expectations, and then a post-game keynote wrap to see how it stacked up (the replay of most of the keynote commentary is also available on Jon Reed's LinkedIn stream). Many of the issues raised are ongoing topics to keep an eye on. If you haven't seen the keynote yet, you can still catch free on-demand replays on the SAP Virtual event site (just search on SAP Virtual Events and it will come up).

Enterprise month in review - HR tech and PR detox edition

Sun, 25 May 2025 00:05:57 -0600

Yep, it's time for another Enterprise month in review. Join us live as Jon Reed and Brian Sommer issue their enterprise picks and pans. Our special guest on the virtual couch will be HR tech PR maven Jeanne Achille, who will help us sort through vendor hype and PR gotchas and chime in on the top HR tech stories. As always, bring your snarkiest/savviest comments and questions... Note: all my podcasts are free, with no sponsors and no ads etc. If you like this unfiltered approach to enterprise content, consider giving me a nice review or rating to help others discover. Thanks.

The SAP BDC review - and bridging the IT gap with better business cases

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 01:16:35 -0600

With SAP Sapphire and the ASUG Annual Conference right around the corner, Jon Reed reconvened with analyst Josh Greenbaum and ASUG CEO Geoff Scott for a two part podcast. Part one: a review of SAP's ambitious Business Data Cloud announcement, what we've learned since the launch news, and the open questions heading into Orlando. Then we shift into a discussion of why so many customers have brought up the need for cloud/modernization business cases - and ways to bridge that vexing/persistent IT/business gap. We discuss the customer feedback we've received so far, and Greenbaum and Reed share their plans for an ASUG workshop on this topic in May, and why we think this issue is gaining momentum. Listeners are encouraged to chime in on how this lines up with their SAP migration plans/questions/concerns, and what other resources and discussions they want to see on this topic.

Workshopping AI and human creativity - an impassioned reboot with Thomas Wieberneit

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 00:33:45 -0600

Yes, it's time to revisit my take on AI and human creativity, with trusted foil Thomas Wieberneit, who has plenty of insights and an ability to push my arguments. I'll have some fresh slides and fresh thinking on this topic, hot takes, and make a case for why enterprises are drastically underestimating the need for human creativity, and where AI does fit in - including pros and cons of various enterprise use cases. Bring your sharpest ideas... And note: the slides are not necessary to enjoy this audio content, but if you want to see the slides, you can catch the video replay at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eEcZ-6Ksbw.

Active Inference AI versus LLMs - the latest developments with Denise Holt

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 23:32:07 -0600

Active Inference AI is not necessarily in conflict with LLMs, but Active Inference is definitely a different approach - one that challenges AI assumptions and opens up new thinking. It's been almost six months since Denise Holt shook up Constellation's Connected Enterprise event with a keynote on how Active Inference AI is changing the field. Since then, much has happened. In this audio-only podcast, Jon Reed gets the latest from Denise Holt, including upcoming Active Inference and Spatial Web milestones, and why the latter may prove crucial for grounding AI in world models. We also cover the educational coursework Holt has launched, and how listeners can learn more.

Enterprise month in review - SaaS vs AI agents, and our top picks and bricks

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 22:43:04 -0600

Yep, it's time - Brian Sommer and Jon Reed are back with the high and lows of the enterprise month, and your own salty commentary. Let's do this! Note - this is the first show of the year so there is a lot to cover, including a research dive into the flaws of LLMs and RAG/agent evaluation, and the status of the AI copyright situation. We attempt to give a new take on the return-to-office debate - and the online audience manages to get both of us to blow gaskets at different points. Note: the slide visuals aren't necessary to enjoy the discussion, but if you want to catch them, you can check them out on the video replay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVwQYWcSr1I&t=2403s

Hashing out the perils and potentials of customization - live with Eric Kimberling

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 21:39:08 -0600

Eric Kimberling wrote a must-read post on the pros and cons of customization - and the debate is joined. In this special "blogs that matter" edition, we'll drill into Eric's analysis, and then take up some critical points customers should be aware of. As always, bring your sharpest and snarkiest viewpoints, your live comments are part of this show. If you appreciate unfiltered enterprise content without any attempts at monetization that is intentionally ad free and unsponsored, please consider giving me a nice rating to help other listeners find this content.

Note: here is the link to Kimberling's blog post that we discuss, with strong feedback from our live audience: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/the-evolution-of-custom-development-is-it-really-overrated/

The ZohoDay 2025 podcast review - did Zoho make its enterprise (and AI) case?

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 02:24:44 -0600

On the final afternoon of a whirlwind ZohoDay 2025 analyst event, I finally got a live sit down with Brian Sommer after a couple of near misses. The topics on deck: did Zoho make its enterprise case? And how different/effective is its AI strategy? We took a bit of extra time to delve into Zoho's interesting-and-provocative AI messaging in the aftermath of DeepSeek. (Zoho's Sridhar Vembu considered these disruptions of "big AI" significant enough to refer to this phase of AI as "After DeepSeek.") Though some of the ZohoDay content is confidential, ZohoDay includes enough open conversations to let us bring you many of the issues we debated. And: this includes a much higher than average integration of customers into the sessions, which inform our podcast review. Audiophile note: I had to revert to the backup recording due to some distortion on the main recording, but I think the sound quality is still pretty strong. Will do even better next time...

Where do Enterprise Architects go from here - in SAP and beyond? Live from ASUG Tech Connect

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 01:22:18 -0600

At ASUG Tech Connect 2024, for the first time, I hosted a joint podcast collaboration with the ASUG Talks team - to be issued on both of our platforms. Joining me in for a live podcast taping were familiar suspects: ASUG CEO Geoff Scott and analyst Josh Greenbaum. But this time around, we had a live audience - and pulled them into the conversation. The audience had a choice of an Enterprise Architect or AI focus. They chose Enterprise Architects - and, I think, for good reason. Effective AI is probably not possible for enterprises without the right data platform and Enterprise Architect approach. I think you'll agree that hearing so many articulate real world questions from the audience made this podcast a standout, and I'll look to do that again this year where possible. And, of course, we covered AI also - that topic always finds its way in. EDITING NOTE: This podcast was recorded and produced by the ASUG Talks team, and initially released on the ASUG Talks platform. The podcast was (very) lightly edited by ASUG Talks for listening clarity. The only difference between this version and the ASUG Talks version are the differences in musical intro (which I don't do) and my outro.

The Acumatica Summit 2025 Review - with Brian Sommer

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 22:16:58 -0600

Acumatica has been a influential vendor in the cloud ERP midmarket - but does AI change the equation? Were there surprises on the ground in Vegas? Time to make sense of an important Acumatica Summit, but with a plot twist: Jon Reed is home in his bat cave, slugging down Vitamin C, while Brian Sommer grabbed an outdoor chair prior to his takeoff from Vegas. Jon gets into why Acumatica matters and asks Brian: what stood out this year? Was the AI narrative convincing? What did Brian hear that we didn't pick up on via the news announcement? Brian reveals the pesky questions he asked Acumatica execs, and we discuss how Acumatica is contending with its growth - a good problem to have, but nonetheless something to be tackled.

Hashing out SAP in 2025 - pitfalls and opportunities with Greenbaum and Dennett

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 08:43:26 -0600

I was unable to get Josh Greenbaum and Brian Dennett together for an on-the-ground podcast at ASUG Tech Connect in November, but the show provoked important talks on RISE, clean core, and why SAP projects need enterprise architects. Those topics aren't going away, so we got together virtually to make sense of what we learned - and what's next. With looming ERP deadlines on the one hand, and modernization/AI on the other, it's a crucial year for SAP. The role of the S/4HANA public cloud edition is in the middle of this also. That's plenty for this discussion, which starts out on a humorous note as the cities and shows blurred together for your host. Note: there are more podcasts from this show, including an ASUG collaboration on Enterprise Architects coming soon - and my on the ground taping with Jelena Perfiljeva of the Boring Enterprise Nerds on SAP developer issues, clean core debates and more: https://jonerp.podbean.com/e/asug-tech-connect-review-jelena-perfiljeva-of-boring-enterprise-nerds/

Why the enterprise needs (live) visual narratives - with Heather Willems

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 07:45:12 -0600

AUDIO ECHO NOTE: the echo is addressed after the first three minutes. How effective are we at visually engaging enterprise content? I'd say - not very. But Heather Willems of Two Line Studios is doing something about that. Can we revive stale events with visual storytelling? How does AI hurt and/or help our cause here? As always, you can expect a jugular and interactive convo - and Heather will share illustrations from some of her favorite past events, including Constellation's Connected Enterprise, which is how I first learned of her team's work.... Note: to see the visuals on this, check out the YouTube replay at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruqcx29swRQ.

Reaching the informed B2B buyer, recap 6 - what (bots) lie ahead?

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 04:55:17 -0600

In the final section of my informal audiobook reading of Reaching the B2B Informed Buyer, we wrap up the strategies in the book - and the pitfalls to avoid. I also revisit the impact of AI on content generation and strategy; where it fits, where it doesn't. Where do we go from here? A combination of outstanding/expert content, savvy use of AI and personalization tools, but always in a context of making customers' lives better and earning trust piece by piece. Where trust is earned, opt-in data follows.

Reaching the informed B2B buyer, recap 5 - the great context and AI debate

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 06:53:08 -0600

In part five of my informal audiobook reading of Reaching the B2B Informed Buyer, we get into my favorite content strategy debates, including: AI for context, content experiences and entertainment value, and AI versus opt-in communities. The goal, however, isn't just to flesh out the debate but to advance the conversation, so we can get the most out of the right content and better serve our audiences. Hopefully as we do that, buyer trust and momentum is achieved.

Reaching the informed B2B buyer, recap 4 - winning B2B examples

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 02:07:03 -0600

In this shorter section of my informal, self-recorded reading of Reaching the B2B Informed Buyer, I take a break from the content strategy methods and debates to ask - who has put this into practice? I use a cross-section of examples, from diginomica and beyond - some more visionary, some more provocative, some more practical. I kept this section short to keep the examples easily consumed, before we move into the concluding chapters and AI content debates.

Reaching the informed B2B buyer, recap 3 - earn your audience with topic authority

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 08:19:27 -0600

In part three of my informal, self-recorded reading of Reaching the B2B Informed Buyer, I get into the importance of earning topic authority: earn attention with industry expertise. This is where B2B marketers often stumble. Marketing is still about attention. Digital marketing didn't change that. And the new era of what vendors call ‘AI-powered content experiences’ doesn’t change that either. So what do we do about it - and how can we serve buyers better, and earn their trust? Note: the full dbook is available on diginomica, and also as an ebook on virtually all ebook platforms.

Reaching the informed B2B buyer, recap 2 - just how informed is today’s B2B buyer?

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 09:49:49 -0600

Time for part two of my informal-but-hopefully-entertaining reading of reaching the informed B2B buyer. In this edition, I get into an important debate I've had with Gartner's Hank Barnes: just how informed is today's B2B buyer? And: why is reaching B2B buyers so different now? Then we move on to chapter 3, where we examine the challenge of content marketing ROI - while today's B2B buyer "ruins the content party." 'Brandware', email blasts and chasing social virality has minimal impact on today's B2B buyers. So what to do about it? Let's dig in. Note: the full d·book is available on diginomica, and also as an ebook on virtually all ebook platforms.

Reaching the informed B2B buyer, audio recap 1 - where the funnel goes wrong

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 02:14:04 -0600

To kick off this informal audio book reading of his Reaching the B2B Informed Buyer d·book, Jon Reed gets right into the executive summary: why the sales funnel is broken, why marketers get B2B buyers wrong - and why the right content strategy still has a huge impact, even in the so-called age of AI. Note: you can get the full d·book on diginomica in the d·book section. It's also available now on Kindle and most ebook platforms, and a printed version and full audiobook version is coming soon. For now, you can get these chapters which will be issued in order on my main podcast feeds. Reader views impacted so much of this content, so let me know where you want to take this next...

Crashing the CRM Konvos AI Agent debate - full replay

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 03:54:28 -0600

I recently crashed the CRM Convos AI agents video show. Some of you may have seen me on there before - I have come on periodically in their AI debate series. So this time, they they had an interesting AI expert in the enterprise space, Andreas Welsch, to talk about the future of AI agents. At around the 27 minute mark, I crashed the podcast and start pressing some questions, and blowing a gasket of two. Here's the full conversation.

Via the CRM Konvos team, following is the official text preview: Join us for CRMKonvo #234 with Andreas Welsch: AI Agents—Where are WE headed? And where will WE be? Get ready for an insightful discussion with Andreas Welsch, Founder & Chief AI Strategist at Intelligence Briefing. Andreas is an internationally recognized AI leader, advisor, and speaker known for helping the world’s leading enterprises turn technology hype into business outcomes. In this session, we’ll explore the future of AI agents, ethical considerations, and the impact on businesses and employees. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to gain valuable insights from one of the top voices in AI! Reposted to Jon Reed's podcast feeds by permission of CRM Konvos - see the original video replay at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuHdXtU-zh4.

Hashing out CIO pitfalls - with Tim Crawford

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 02:03:53 -0600

CIOs are in the pressure cooker. But advice is often cookie cutter. No cookie cutters with my next guest, Tim Crawford. We'll count down top CIO mistakes and Tim's top/overlooked CIO moves for being business-relevant, AI-savvy etc. I've wanted to get Tim on the show for a while, this is going to be a dandy - bring your sharpest and snarkest questions as usual.... Note: part two of this discussion, on next-gen analyst relations, has already been released as a separate podcast on my channel.

Workshopping personalization - is great enterprise content still relevant?

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 01:43:53 -0600

Is great/human-generated enterprise content still relevant? And how does today's content strategy and AI content hype stack up with my views on reaching B2B audiences? Can I tie this back into the hype (and potential) of AI for content distribution and hyper-personalization? To sort this out, it took a live/opinionated audience, and a special guest appearance by CRM analyst Thomas Wieberneit of CRM Konvos and more. Wieberneit is an excellent foil and sounding board, and I think we actually got somewhere on all of this.

Enterprise month in review - IT FinOps and AI with Hyoun Park

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 05:29:13 -0600

Yep, it's that time again. Join Brian and Jon for their rollicking review of the highs and lows of the enterprise event circuit - along with their article picks and pans. Speaking of article picks, special guest Hyoun Park will join the show to talk about his notable blog post on the state of IT FinOps. We'll also revisit Hyoun Park's landmark post on the "instant mediocrity" of generative AI and what's changed since then. As always, bring your smartest and savviest commentary... Note: to check the slides, catch the video replay as always at https://www.youtube.com/@jonreedofdiginomica

How can analyst relations serve customers better? Hashing it out with Tim Crawford

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 04:41:13 -0600

In the end, shouldn't analyst relations service customers better? Shouldn't enterprise analysts advocate for customer concerns? After discussing CIO pitfalls/opportunities with Tim Crawford of AVOA, we pick up in this podcast with a spirited discussion of the future of analyst relations - with a vigorous chat of experts keeping us on track. This was not always an easy talk, getting into issues of independence and disclosure, but these are important topics in the analyst industry.

Note 1: Crawford's response to this was sparked by Jon's post on next-gen analyst relations: https://diginomica.com/what-does-next-gen-analyst-relations-look-and-why-should-customers-care.

Note 2: The CIO section of this conversation is not yet released as an audio podcast. You can see the entire show on video replay at https://www.youtube.com/@jonreedofdiginomica.

ASUG Tech Connect review - Jelena Perfiljeva of Boring Enterprise Nerds

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 03:41:08 -0600

On the final day of ASUG Tech Connect, Jon gets a strong (overdue) podcast debut from Jelena Perfiljeva of the Boring Enterprise Nerds. During this taping, Perfiljeva was fresh off her interactive session on the state of SAP developers - where clean core turned into the topic that stirred up the room. Perfiljeva explains why, which leads to a different discussion of clean core than Jon was expecting. The two also discuss the impact of AI on SAP developers, and why the sessions at Tech Connect brought customer concerns to the fore. They also trace back to Jelena's emergence in the SAP community, and why strong/outspoken voices matter to customers. Audiophile note: to remove static from the recording Jon's audio had to be adjusted, but this was still the best of the two recordings and hopefully is a good level of listenability for you.

What can Unit4’s strategy tell us about the direction of cloud ERP (and enterprise AI?)

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 04:31:09 -0600

At the end of a vigorous session with Unit4's leadership team, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer camped out in an unused conference room to break down what they learned. While successfully dodging interruptions from the hotel staff, Brian and Jon hash out Unit4's "self-driving" cloud ERP approach, the service industries they are targeting, and why this vendor brings the right cloud ERP issues to a head. The talk shifts to Unit4's potentially problematic end-of-maintenance deadline, and why they are handling this differently than we might expect. The pros and cons of Unit4's approach to AI are also covered - and Unit4 gets kudos for one of the few analyst days without any NDA material of note, which makes it easy to share an open podcast discussion with all.

CCE 2024 - how active inference shook up the AI conversation - with Esteban Kolsky

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 02:19:18 -0600

In this 15 minute companion podcast, Jon Reed asks Esteban Kolksy about the highlights of his "Beyond Gen AI" panel - and why active inference AI shook up the AI conversation this week. Active inference AI still has a lot to prove, but because it is *not* from the deep learning area of AI, its promise lies in moving beyond probabilistic AI (correlations) into a causal form of AI with a world model. In turn, the contrast highlights the shortcomings of LLMs, and gives Kolsky an AI to consider that he hasn't skewered on LinkedIn. For more on active interference AI, check out the work of Denise Holt, who appeared on the panel and keynoted at CCE. Also check out the work of Dr. Karl Friston of active inference AI vendor VERSES. One Holt blog post: https://deniseholt.us/active-inference-ai-the-future-of-enterprise-operations-and-industry-innovation/

Customer intelligence is what we’re missing - inside the evil plans of Esteban Kolsky

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 01:40:54 -0600

For part one of this on-site podcast from Constellation Connected Enterprise 2024, we have the triumphant return of Jon's sparring partner and occasional enterprise muse Esteban Kolsky, who has launched a new customer intelligence venture with Alan Berkson. Why? And how has this re-inspired Kolsky? We get into the context of the stale and/or noisy approach to enterprise advisory, and how Kolsky found a way out of his LinkedIn AI vinegar posts, without backing down from his AI criticism. Note: the AI part of this conversation, including how active inference AI shook up CCE 2024, is in the shorter companion podcast. Note: if you believe in unscripted, unsponsored unfiltered enterprise convos like these, consider a rating or share, it matters.

AI, RPA, and the realities of change - UiPath Forward review with Alyx MacQueen

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 02:00:27 -0600

On the final media/analyst day of UiPath Forward, Jon sat down with diginomica's own Alyx Macqueen, who makes their podcast series debut. Macqueen has been tracking UiPath closely, but given the AI agents fanfare and CEO Daniel Dines proclaiming an "act two" for the company, much has changed. What does this mean for customers, and what did we learn on the show floor? Macqueen shares their take, and we compare notes on our interviews and what we found pressing into the change from RPA to agentic AI - and where customers are coming from. We also explain why UiPath's keynotes were a cut above what we've heard this event season. Note: we had a bit of background noise to contend with here, some of that has been edited in post production.

SAP Spend Connect 24 review - assessing the SAP Business Network with Josh Greenbaum

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 02:08:19 -0600

Analyst Josh Greenbaum has been doing deep dives into the SAP Spend portfolio for years. Now it's time to assess the progress, via SAP Spend Connect 2024. After two days on the ground in Vegas, Josh and Jon grab a surprise quiet location and tape this rundown, looking at issues such as: can SAP Promote finally bring smaller suppliers needed network visibility? What were the highs and lows of the show, and what did we learn from customers and show floor demos? How does Josh view the growth of SAP Business Network - and what does SAP need to do from here? Can SAP Business Network provide a welcome and different way into SAP innovation than GROW and RISE? Let's hash it out...

SAP event blowout - decoding AI, clean core, TechEd news and ASUG data

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 23:19:15 -0600

Many events have passed since our post-Sapphire clean core review. Time to hash out AI, clean core and more - in the context of ASUG's fall events, and fresh research data. Analyst Josh Greenbaum, ASUG CEO Geoff Scott and your host Jon Reed rejoin for another unscripted review of event lessons learned - from SAP shows and beyond.

Along with Geoff's new ASUG data, Jon shares his top event gripes and learnings; Josh shares his clean core/BTP findings. Then we look ahead to what we want to learn from ASUG Tech Connect, and why Enterprise Architects are central to the changes afoot.

Show notes:

1 - 31:00 - fall event reviews, ASUG research findings, clean core, and AI hype vs customer reality

31:00 - SAP TechEd news review

51:00 - ASUG Tech Connect preview, why Enterprise Architects matter, and community as a learning framework

Jon recommends listeners look at SAP's Knowledge Graph pursuits, a notable TechEd topic not covered in this podcast. Here is a link to the smartShift research mentioned in the podcast.

Enterprise Month in Review - event halftime review with Brian Sommer

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 01:19:10 -0600

We're halfway through the fall event season, and it's time for Brian Sommer and Jon Reed to reveal the overrated, underrated, and most overhyped topics of the season to date. As always, bring your savviest/snarkiest commentary and we'll work that right into the live mix. We'll also share our most important article reads of the month.... Note: if you want to catch the slides, you can see the full video replay on YouTube at https://youtube.com/live/XQg2YcSDwB8.

Workday Rising 2024 - hashing out the HCM, payroll and AI news with Pete Tiliakos

Sun, 22 Sep 2024 02:59:52 -0600

In the final hours of Workday Rising 2024, Jon sat down with analyst Pete Tiliakos for an unscripted show review. Tiliakos has a focus on HCM, payroll and the future of work, so the podcast leaned towards those themes - and, of course, the unavoidable reckoning with AI-related news as well. Topics include: why payroll modernization matters, Workday's Extend strategy and whether AI will follow the same pattern, why AI in HR is a potent issue, and what we learned on the show floor - and in conversation with Workday execs. Jon also discusses his Rising post on "should you rip out your ERP/HCM for AI."

The dark side of HR tech - with Brian Sommer

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 01:05:23 -0600

After Jon Reed and Brian Sommer taped their Oracle CloudWorld and SuiteWorld review, they stuck around for a ten minute podcast on the dark side of HR tech, a preview of Brian Sommer's upcoming HR tech presentations.

The Oracle CloudWorld and SuiteWorld combined review - live from Las Vegas

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 00:54:22 -0600

Is it possible to manage two combined show reviews for Oracle CloudWorld and NetSuite SuiteWorld - without any help from AI agents or digital avatars. On the final evening of the final day, Jon Reed and podcast partner in tarmac crime Brian Sommer give it their best. With a tasty dinner awaiting them, Jon and Brian consulted their notes - and very different conference schedules - to give you a combined view of the hot issues and themes. There was a lot more show than we could handle in 30 minutes, but this should get you started. Note: after this we taped a short ten minute companion podcast on the dark side of HR tech.

Has AI changed the meaning of transformation - in ERP and beyond?

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 00:41:02 -0600

AI is purported to have an outsized impact on application areas like ERP - but is that true in practice? And what about the overall view of digital transformation? Bring your best and/or snarkiest questions for Eric Kimberling of Third Stage Consulting. Eric is fielding these topics firsthand from customers; let's find out what he's learned so far, and see if we can de-hype the tech a bit - and find the viable use cases. Note: if you like uncensored, unscripted enterprise content without ads or sponsors, consider giving me a strong rating on your favorite podcast service, thanks!

Enterprise month in review - the dark side of HR tech, and HR services

Sun, 25 Aug 2024 03:48:35 -0600

Yep, it's time! Bring your top picks and savviest/snarkest commentary to our Enterprise Month in Review show on Friday. I'll be joined as always by co-host Brian "Brain" Sommer - special guest Bonnie Duncan Tinder will join us also, where we will discuss upcoming presentations and data on "The dark side of HR" and "The dark side of HR services." Brian and I will also share our picks and underrated stories of the month, as well as a fail or two. Should be a good one, with major cloud HR events right around the corner. Update: Meg Bear also crashed the show at the 45:00 mark to give her take on the state of enterprise HR, as Brian regaled us with his ill-fated attempt to re-apply for a job at a company where he once held a major role. Note: to see the slides, check the video replay on my YouTube channel at youtube.com/jonathanwreed.

Enterprise media blowout - where are brands getting it wrong? (and right)

Sun, 25 Aug 2024 03:34:43 -0600

Before everyone gets into trouble at fall events, it's time to bear down on enterprise video and media, and look at where brands are getting it wrong - and right. Paul Greenberg and Brent Leary of PPN/CRM Playaz, the recipients of my informal enterprise video award, have lived the highs and lows of audience engagement with video - time to put them in the chair with your questions. This blowout edition will also include surprise mystery guests! (Thomas Wieberneit of CRMKonvos, another enterprise video finalist, will join for the post-game analysis and podcast wrap at the 30:00 mark). Note: by the time we finished this video, I think we had boiled down a bunch of key takeaways for getting enterprise media right.

Google’s cookie brouhaha and gen AI marketing highs and lows - with Liz Miller

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 02:25:27 -0600

This one started as a soloflight, but the timing was good for Constellation's Liz Miller to crash the show as only she can do, and take a Google-cookie-backtrack victory lap, and make sense of the gen AI creativity debate from a CMO/marketing angle. There is a bit of a without-a-net vibe here until Liz shows up at the 11:00, but I recommend tracking this from the beginning to hear the context of the article on AI, creativity and job impact we will discuss. The podcast starts with the introduction of an important piece on gen AI and impact on creative jobs by journalism Brian Merchant. As I originally pitched the show: "One more notable article on gen AI creativity came out that we need to break down. I may get a couple guests to crash this session. Feel free to join and have your cam ready, maybe you'll be one of them." Stay to the end and get a cameo from Brent Leary as well, he goes off on Google's moves before heading into his own broadcast...

Enterprise month in review - how vendors mess up their messaging in BI (and beyond)

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 01:57:19 -0600

Yep, it's time. Join me and Brian Sommer for this month's highs and lows of the enterprise. Our special guest will be Lawson Abinanti, who has some tough love for BI vendors on how their messaging falls short. We'll probably push into some FP&A and AI talk as well. What do customers really need from their BI and data vendors? As always bring your savviest comments and sharp wit. Note: you can see the slide deck on the YouTube replay at: https://www.youtube.com/live/AEvI7vnsCTk.

SAP’s clean core mantra - hashing out fresh data and new developments

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 00:57:52 -0600

SAP's "clean core" mantra raises enough questions to earn its own podcast. So, in the aftermath of SAP Sapphire and ASUG's Annual Conference, Josh Greenbaum and ASUG CEO Geoff Scott join Jon Reed again. We start with the open questions each of us are pursuing after the show. Then we shift into the SAP clean core discussion: is clean core marketing/sales hype, or a way of achieving deeper customer value from SAP? Scott reveals fresh data from ASUG on customer views, and Reed asks the guys to react to recent blog posts from SAP, as well as the clean core partner certification. We wrap with the question: where should SAP customers take this from here?

Workshopping gen AI creativity III - with Barb Mosher Zinck

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 23:06:14 -0600

In the final segment (for now) of our Workshopping Generative AI creativity series, Barb Mosher Zinck joins the show to reveal what she sees as a practioner - and as diginomica's lead digital marketing writer. This is Zinck's first time appearing on Jon's show, but the two have debated content strategy for years, resulting in Jon's longer dbook on informed B2B buyers (which Zinck edited). Today, Zinck joins the live show to elaborate on her notable blog post, "Is content creation the best use for generative AI in marketing?" After discovering that Twitter/X borked the live stream, Jon breaks down what he's learned on gen AI and creativity to date, and a discussion of the lessons behind Barb's blog post ensues. You can see the post at: https://diginomica.com/content-creation-best-use-generative-ai-marketing.

CFO dilemmas - are finance leaders strategic, or struggling with admin?

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 02:36:25 -0600

After taping a Sage analyst event podcast review in Atlanta, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer jumped right into a shorter companion podcast on a hot event topic: CFO dilemmas. Are CFOs able to own business growth? Are they truly moving past admin, or is this is the same admin versus strategy dilemma that has plagued finance leaders for decades? Can AI make a dent here? Are there any relevant AI for finance use cases?

On finance admin, AI, and eliminating the close - the Sage analyst event review

Sun, 30 Jun 2024 01:19:57 -0600

Jon Reed and Brian Sommer crashed an empty conference room to hash out what they learned at a whirlwind Sage analyst day event. Sage has ambitious plans for AI and automation in finance and beyond. "Eliminating the close" is one way of framing these goals - but is it realistic? Jon gets into Brian's pesky questions from the show, and what he learned. The two also hash out some of Sage's AI pursuits such at the digital fingerprint. It's been years since Sage acquired cloud finance vendor Intacct - now the entire product line is changing, but what does this mean for customers? Note: check out the second shorter companion podcast on the dilemmas facing CFOs and finance leaders.

Workshopping Gen AI enterprise creativity part 2 - parsing the BS with Brent Leary

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 07:33:54 -0600

Note: Barb wasn't able to make this session due to tech issues, but Brent Leary of Playaz Production Network hopped on, and he had some terrific content on what he has seen on gen AI and creativity this event season... On the heels of part one, Barb Mosher Zinck published a notable blog post on this topic, so our work isn't finished here. Let's see what Barb has to say, and I have a couple more debunkings to share. Bring your smartest/snarkiest stuff as usual and let's try to advance this convo. (We did discuss Barb's post a bit on this show; I'll have her back on in July to delve further).

Workshopping generative AI ”creativity” in the enterprise - parsing the BS - with Thomas Wieberneit

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 07:14:31 -0600

I've had my fill of gen AI "creativity" BS for the enterprise. And yet, there are some pros and cons to discuss - and use cases to consider. What does Thomas Wieberneit think? I know he will come with strong views and we'll hash this one out - want to join us and provide your views as well? I will also outline some of my theories of attention and B2B buyer engagement, and how I see AI helping - and not. Note: this video also contains a vigorous debate on the impact of gen AI on enterprise job loss, thanks to some savvy commenters. Note: if you enjoy these ad-free, unscripted, uncensored enterprise convos, do consider leaving a strong rating on your fave podcast channel. This podcast will always be free and unsponsored. If you want to follow along with the slides, check the replay at https://www.youtube.com/@jonreedofdiginomica.

SAP Sapphire 2024 review - Talking RISE field views, BTP economy and public cloud surprises with Brian Dennett

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 02:40:47 -0600

On the final afternoon of SAP Sapphire, Jon sat down with Brian Dennett for a sleep deprivation show review. Brian's SAP adventures have landed him with a partner that is expert on RISE and BTP, so it was the perfect time to dig into the pros and cons of RISE, where the value lies, and whether "clean core" is a crucial concept for SAP customers - or a marketing/commercial catch phrase. Also: what is the "BTP economy," and why should customers cast a wide net when it comes to their implementation partner moving forward? Jon also shares some of his customer feedback and surprises: including customer advocacy of the S/4HANA public cloud edition. We wrap with a brief chat about cynicism versus open-minded curiosity in the role of market analysis.

Enterprise Month in Review - where are the big ideas in HR - and HR tech?

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 02:03:39 -0600

In this special edition of the Enterprise month in review, Brian Sommer and Jon Reed will also be joined by special guest Thomas Otter of Acadian Ventures... Otter will answer: where are the big ideas in HR? Will AI count? Join us and give us your snarky wisdom and input. Brian and Jon will also do our picks of the month. Editor's note: this audio edition restores the first 7:30 minutes of the broadcast that did not go out to the live stream and the video version. You may hear the splice and a shift in audio sound after the splice - but it was worth it for the extra material!

ESG for finance - where do we stand now?

Sun, 19 May 2024 04:07:18 -0600

In this ten minute update, Jon Reed asks Brian Sommer for the latest on why ESG is disrupting finance - and touching just about every corporate cost center. This podcast took place in advance of Brian's session at Planful Perform 2024 on ESG for finance professionals. Jon also asks Brian to weigh in on why ESG is perceived as too political, and what the stakes are to sidelining this conversation for that reason. Note: this is the final section of a longer Planful Perform review that's also been released, so check the feed for that one.

Planful Perform ’24 Review - impact of AI on finance and customer priorities

Sun, 19 May 2024 03:56:43 -0600

In this on-site podcast taping in San Diego, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer review the hot topics at Planful Perform 2024. Obviously the potential and perils of AI for finance gets attention, but there is more - including the financial planning market, and what finance customers need to achieve better project results. Note: the final section of this podcast, on the impact of ESG for finance, is being released separately, so check the feed for that.

What is the role of partners in the SAP innovation debate?

Sun, 05 May 2024 02:41:27 -0600

In our prior podcasts on SAP's innovation direction, we debated everything from AI to RISE - with the goal of providing actions and context for customers. This time, we wade into deeper waters by looking at the role of SAP partners. Join us as Josh Greenbaum, ASUG CEO Geoff Scott and Jon Reed look at how SAP services partners are responding to disruptions inside and outside the SAP "ecosystem." How should partners address clean core/BTP versus customizations? How should customers evaluate partners? Are customers missing out on partners that are not on their radar screen? And what is the role of ASUG (and other SAP user groups) in helping customers engage and assess partners? What has ASUG learned from recent surveys on this topic? We cover all that and more in this lead up to SAP Sapphire and the ASUG Annual Conference.

Enterprise Month in Review - customer data pitfalls edition with Maureen Blandford

Sun, 05 May 2024 01:29:11 -0600

Join Brian Sommer and Jon Reed for another spicy, fun-filled edition of the Enterprise Month in Review. Our special guest feature is Maureen Blandford of Serendipitus, who will reveal her field lessons on the data pitfalls enterprises are falling into, and why slathering AI on questionable data is a fail. And: Blandford will tell us what the heck to do about it!

Note: you can follow along with the slides via the video replay on LinkedIn.

Workshopping hyperpersonalization - defined, debunked, debated - with Thomas Wieberneit

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:03:21 -0600

Hyperpersonalization has been recognized as one of the seven defining patterns of AI. Why? Is it deserving? Useful? Buzzword mischief? Time for an enterprise BS detector dissection... Join me and CRM analyst and buzzword detoxifier Thomas Wieberneit as we pick apart hyperpsersonalization in this informal discussion. Where does hyperpersonalization work? Where does it fall short? Is the collateral damage of bad personalization worth the risk? As usual bring your sharpest insights and a bit of snark as well, we're going to need it. By the end, we even get around to the problem of music personalization - and Pink Floyd.

Enterprise month in review - the impact of AI on software selection and more

Sat, 30 Mar 2024 23:58:25 -0600

For this month's Enterprise Month in Review, Jon and Brian will be joined by a surprise special guest. We'll pick our top stories of the month, and then dig with our guest on the ups and downs of AI as a consideration in software selection, how to avoid the gotchas of software evaluation, how HR vendors are approaching AI, and more. As always, bring your smartest (and snarkiest) questions/comments. Note: if you enjoy these audio productions with unfiltered enterprise content, and no sponsors or commercials, consider leaving a good review so I can beat the algorithm...

The midmarket analytics (and AI) reality check - live from Sage Transform with Joni Girardi

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 02:19:53 -0600

On the final day of Sage Transform 2024, Jon Reed caught up with old school, returning podcast guest Joni Girardi of DataSelf. Girardi explained why self-service BI has fallen short for business and finance users in the midmarket. Jon gets Joni's take on what Sage Transform's AI announcements mean for customers when it comes to analytics, and the guys take on the impact of AI on analytics from a number of angles, until their room time expires and the podcast wraps.

Enterprise month in review - return to office blowout edition - featuring Molly Sands of Atlassian

Sun, 18 Feb 2024 03:07:49 -0600

Join Jon Reed, Brian Sommer and special guest Molly Sands, who heads up Atlassian's Team Anywhere, to hit the highs and lows of the enterprise year so far - with special attention to the impact of Return to Office mandates, and what companies should do differently. As always, bring your smartest and snarkiest commentary to share. Note: the link to Atlassian's Lessons Learned: 1,000 days of distributed at Atlassian can be found at: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/distributed-work/distributed-work-report

What does SAP’s AI push mean for customers? With Geoff Scott and Josh Greenbaum

Sun, 18 Feb 2024 02:54:00 -0600

Join Josh Greenbaum, ASUG CEO Geoff Scott and Jon Reed for their latest attempt to get to the bottom of SAP's innovation and AI strategy. But unlike their last contentious debate, this one is more of a back-and-forth on the impact of enterprise AI, what SAP's AI strategy means for customers - and how customers should respond. The main SAP news stories since the last podcast are also touched on, as well as another potent question: is RISE with SAP evolving into the transformation as a service tagline it has always been billed as? Is "cALM" (cloud ALM) an SAP buzzword to take seriously - especially when paired with Signavio and Lean IX? If so, why? Let's hash it out - and discuss how customers should respond.

Acumatica Summit 2024 - the podcast review

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 15:41:50 -0600

After a hectic week in Vegas, Jon asked returning champ Josh Greenbaum back onto the show to review impressions and takeaways from their time digging into Acumatica with customers, partners, and execs. Josh hadn't been to this show in a few years, so it was a good time to chart Acumatica's progress - and the work still ahead. Acumatica is one of the most differentiated cloud ERP vendors, and most interesting enterprise vendors period. But in the AI/data platform era, all vendors face new challenges. Where does Acumatica land? We discuss.

The five horsemen of the business apocalypse, with Josh Greenbaum - ”behind the blog” podcast edition

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 14:38:14 -0600

Time for another "blogs that matter" special edition. Bring your smartest/snarkiest questions as we dig into Josh's recent post, the five horsemen of the business apocalypse. Those of you with AI fatigue will especially enjoy this one, as it turns out there are other pressing business problems to talk about in 2024. Note: if you enjoy unfiltered podcasts without sponsors or a business model, consider giving a lovely review and help me beat the algo. Josh's post: to reference his post, see: https://eaconsult.com/the-five-horsemen-of-the-business-apocalypse-a-quick-guide-to-the-real-issues-that-should-be-keeping-every-ceo-awake-at-night/

Enterprise month in review - end of year blowout edition with Meg Bear and Brian Sommer

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 01:54:19 -0600

Bring your snarkiest snark, enterprise wit, and burning questions for one more enterprise month in review for 2023. Join Jon Reed, Brian "Brain" Sommer and special guest Meg Bear for our picks of enterprise highs and lows. Note: if you believe in the mission of this show: free/uncensored independent enterprise content with no commercial model, then consider giving me a good rating and review. It's the best way to keep the show momentum going. I know it's tedious but help us beat the algorithm... For any of these review shows that reference slides, you can always catch the video replays on my YouTube channel.

The future of SAP tech events - and the great SAP innovation debate

Sun, 10 Dec 2023 04:05:04 -0600

Sometimes, discussions go off the rails - in the best way possible. Earlier this fall, independent analyst Josh Greenbaum and ASUG CEO Geoff Scott joined Jon Reed to try to make sense of shift's in SAP's innovation/AI strategy - and the messaging around it. In this in-depth return, things get a bit heated.

We start off with a catch up from the last talk - and what we learned from events such as ASUG Tech Connect about SAP customer priorities - as SAP tech leaders contend with S/4HANA deadlines, AI confusion/opportunities, economic headwinds and more.

The conversation shifts to a discussion of the future of SAP tech events, particularly in North America. Should/will SAP TechEd return to Vegas? Where does ASUG Tech Connect fit in? How will SAP tech pros upskill for AI, BTP etc?

The final phase of the conversation, on SAP's innovation strategy, goes off the rails as Jon and Geoff take very different positions, and Josh finds himself in an unexpected role as mediator of sorts, and calmest voice in the room. Final note: the goal here was to surface a conversation that matters to SAP and its customers. All three of us agree that customers should own/claim their own innovation agenda - the questions center around how SAP should fit into that. No, we didn't resolve anything here, but did we find some common ground? We hope this debate gives customers motivation to press forward on their innovation strategy - and to engage in dialogue with SAP and user groups, be it ASUG or in other regions.

Podcast timeline summary:
2:00 - ASUG Tech Connect and customer priorities, including AI and clean core
30:00 - The future of SAP tech events
45:00 - The SAP innovation debate II

Prior September podcast discussion: https://jonerp.podbean.com/e/the-sap-innovation-debate-hashing-out-sap-s-rise-and-ai-plans-with-greenbaum-and-scott/

SAP tech leaders on the ground - AI or S/4HANA? Live from ASUG Tech Connect with Josh Greenbaum

Sun, 12 Nov 2023 01:52:12 -0600

On the last day of the first ASUG Tech Connect in New Orleans, Jon sat down with Josh Greenbaum to make sense of what just happened. What was on the agenda of the SAP tech leaders present? Was the show a success? If so - why? How did the interest in AI compare to the interest in S/4HANA? We discuss our own session with customers, what we learned in our pursuits - including Greenbaum's six week SAP show tour. Jon brings up the issue of the clean core, and Greenbaum shares why our talk with Juergen Mueller wound up in discussing new possibilities for RISE - as a process evaluation and landscape management solution. Would that fly? Greenbaum connects the Signavio and Cloud ALM dots, and we head out.

The enterprise month in review show - event highs and lows blowout edition

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 04:58:45 -0600

Join Jon Reed and Brian "Brain" Sommer for this special fall event review, featuring guest star Laurie McCabe from the SMB Group. As usual, your snarky comments and smart ideas are expected. We'll pick the most notable content of the month, and try to make sense of a hype-laden AI event season. Note: if you like uncensored, unsponsored enterprise content like this, help me surface it with a good rating, it's one of the only ways free content like this can beat today's algorithms. Thanks.

Work is broken - how are we going to fix it? With Melissa Swift

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 04:44:49 -0600

"We need a language on what's going wrong with work" - fantastic lead quote from my guest on Friday the 18, Melissa Swift. Bring your sharpest commentary on the problems of work, and what better work futures look like, with and without AI. Swift, the author of "Work Here Now: Think Like a Human and Build a Powerhouse Workplace," will count down the top reasons why work is broken, and skewer a few of her most disliked HCM catch phrases. Then we'll take stock: where do we go from here? What would a smart/savvy/inclusive workplace look like, and what are the building blocks of that? Bring your questions and let's see where this goes.

SuccessConnect 2023 in review - talking customer success, skills, and show surprises with Luke Marson

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 00:40:30 -0600

On the final day of SuccessConnect 2023, Jon sat down with Luke Marson for a wide ranging discussion on what he learned from his customer discussions at SuccessConnect, and how that matches up with what he heard from the keynote stage. Luke shares the questions about onboarding that were one big theme in his customer talks. He also details what the most successful SuccessFactors projects looks like. We compare notes on what constitutes customer success, the value of AI, and why skills is a core opportunity for SuccessFactors going forward.

SuccessConnect ’23 review - did the event deliver? With Chris Paine

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 01:14:59 -0600

Jon reignites his old school SuccessConnect podcast troublemaker series with SuccessFactors community leader and partner Chris Paine. Chris wrote a post prior to SuccessConnect about his predictions and expectations - did the show deliver? What did he learn as of the end of day one? The guys also get into the AI topic, reviewing how SAP can succeed in AI, what customers think, and how AI might impact implementation services in good and bad ways. *** Audio note: the main recording ran into an issue, so this final is a splice between two recordings. I've leveled over the volume but you may notice the splice - the result isn't perfect but I hope it's pretty listenable.***

Chris' pre-event blog post: https://www.wombling.com/hr/successconnect-2023-expectations/

Chris' post-event blog post: https://www.wombling.com/hr/successconnect-2023-expectations-met-and-exceeded/

Jon's 1st show post on gen AI and more: https://diginomica.com/successconnect-23-under-hood-saps-generative-ai-news-and-beyond

Generative AI in the enterprise - project myths and realities with Vijay Vijayasankar

Sun, 24 Sep 2023 15:07:39 -0600

On diginomica, I've been pushing back on the generative AI hype machine with vigor, but also digging into its enterprise possibilities. Who better for an enterprise AI gut check than Vijay Vijayasankar? Vijayasankar has a deep interest/passion for AI but also has a reputation for debunking its misconceptions.

In his role at IBM managing financial services clients, he can also speak to project realities - and how customers weigh GenAI risks and opportunities. I lay out my generative AI views/research for a gut check from Vijayasankar. We also discuss why he wrote his post on GenAI in the enterprise, and what he thinks customers should prioritize, as they move into GenAI projects. Vijayasankar also shares his own project learnings, and promising use cases.

We hit on many issues in this podcast, such as whether bias and hallucations can ever be eliminated from LLM, and whether domain experts, customer data and reinforcement learning can improve the accuracy/effectiveness of GenAI for the enterprise. As Vijayasankar notes in the podcast, the views he expresses here, and in his post, are his views alone, not his employer.

Vijay's AI post: https://andvijaysays.com/2023/08/05/genai-in-the-enterprise-nine-themes-that-i-have-seen-so-far/

My AI post: https://diginomica.com/enterprises-will-test-limits-llms-and-chatgpt-just-beginning

Oracle CloudWorld - the instant review with Brian Sommer

Sun, 24 Sep 2023 11:17:52 -0600

In this spontaneous podcast review on the final afternoon of Oracle CloudWorld 2023, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer compare what they learned, culminating in Sommer's quip, "You may have to partner with your enemy, because that's what your customer wants." Customers definitely want more vendor options in their strategic mix - did CloudWorld support that premise? Is Oracle's generative AI messaging differentiated? Does Oracle have an industry applications advantage from their acquisitions, which go well beyond Cerner? And: did Larry Ellison's strong keynote push on healthcare resonate? These are some of the topics we hash out during this 25 minute recap. Production note: Jon's audio was a bit quiet due to a tech glitch, worked on tweaking that as best possible in post production, hopefully it will be solid enough for this time around.

The SAP innovation debate - hashing out SAP’s RISE and AI plans with Greenbaum and Scott

Sun, 17 Sep 2023 10:01:43 -0600

On July 20, 2023, during SAP's Q2 earnings call, SAP CEO Christian Klein made bold statements regarding the future of SAP innovation - in particular RISE, AI, and why SAP's close relationship with customers, including opt-in customer data, give SAP an AI advantage (and premium AI pricing).

It is our view that these statements constitute a notable change/evolution in innovation strategy that warrant debate, user group dialogue - and discussion on how customers should track these issues. Since Klein's earnings call statements, other executives inside of SAP have re-iterated and provided more context to these statements. These points are not necessarily firm policy yet, but are definitely messaging to look hard at.

Since that time, along with my podcast guests Geoff Scott, CEO ASUG, and analyst Josh Greenbaum, we've had a chance to clarify these points and press questions. We don't have all the answers, and this is still unfolding, but we now have enough information to have an informed debate with our own views. Some of the hottest issues, such as AI pricing, reflect a surging market that has not yet gelled around the value of AI and what that will look like for customers.

These AI pricing/value issues are not unique to SAP, but warrant scrutiny nonetheless (SAP's Business AI pages cover their value prop). We taped this podcast as a way of letting listeners know what we've learned so far, and to lay out the questions we can pursue across SAP events this fall, culminating in SAP TechEd India, virtual SAP TechEd, and ASUG TechConnect New Orleans, which occur across the same times in November.

Strong opinions are declared in this podcast but we do want to point out that SAP may yet shift and further clarify the policies we are debating. Those customers with specific questions should not treat this podcast as definitive, but contact SAP with open questions. We would also like to thank DSAG for providing their views, some of which are incorporated here.

Also a thank you to our various contacts at SAP, who worked hard to get us the most current information that is publicly available. They may not agree with our opinions, in fact we are pretty certain they will not, but we are much better informed due to SAP's efforts, and SAP's willingness to engage in an important community dialogue. Any inaccuracies will be corrected in the podcast description, but these topics are too important to wait for perfect information, some of which is likely to be tied to event announcements this fall, yet to be made public.

We expect to regroup with a shorter podcast later this fall to discuss what we learned at those events. Finally, we did cover, in brief, our initial takes on SAP's LeanIX acquisition, though we are out of time for a thorough review.

This discussion relies almost entirely on published information in our prior blog posts, and in other news stories and transcripts:

Geoff: https://www.asug.com/insights/asug-ceo-we-will-clarify-and-communicate-saps-cloud-strategy-for-our-community

Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joshuagreenbaum_read-the-full-story-now-activity-7092925003704266754-eN4b/

Jon: https://diginomica.com/generative-ai-disruptions-rise-and-grow-thomas-saueressig-reveals-next-steps-saps-ai-strategy

DSAG: https://dsag.de/presse/on-premise-customers-cut-off-from-innovations/

The enterprise month in review - show debut with Brian Sommer

Sun, 17 Sep 2023 08:22:44 -0600

Okay, bring your popcorn and saltiest commentary - it's the debut of the enterprise month in review with Brian Sommer and yours truly. In this edition, we are joined by Hyoun Park of Amalgam Research to discuss his important post on Zoom's terms of service issues, and the implications for customers considering AI moves in the enterprise. In each edition of this show, we'll each pick our top stories of the month (and why), and the underrated story that got lost in the hype. We'll pick our most loathed tech buzzword of the month - so will you - and our worst PR pitch. A surprise guest may crash the party - perhaps it will be you. We'll send you on your way with a project tip or two. If you like uncensored, unsponsored podcasts like this one, leaving me a strong review on a popular podcast platform makes a world of difference; thanks for listening.

Companies are whiffing on ESG - why? Research reveal and chat with Brian Sommer

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 05:08:50 -0600

Companies are whiffing on ESG - but why? Regulatory requirements bring added pressure, but the incentive to change goes well beyond that - as a new wave of ESG vendors demonstrate. This is now well beyond reporting. It's tracking/managing ESG in real-time across supply chains. Join Brian Sommer for his ESG research preview/reveal session - and bring your best/toughest questions. Bonus: for the final third of the show, sustainability expert Tom Raftery joins the show to weigh on in how the ESG market is changing - and why. Note: if you like this type of unscripted, uncensored enterprise podcast, reviews on the popular podcast platforms are the best way you can help me.

Why digital transformations fail - new ideas required, with Maureen Blandford

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 04:58:36 -0600

Returning champ Maureen Blandford is back, but much has changed. Now she's a founder of Serendipitus - and she's got some tough love talk (and data insights) into why digital transformations fail. Join our interactive, no filter discussion as Maureen takes us through the top digital transformation botches, and what we're gonna do about it. No buzzword (or tech event) is safe, as life as a female founder tends to surface a lot of industry BS - and we're gonna call it out on Friday. Let's do this...

AI for video editing - and the highs and lows of enterprise video

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 01:36:59 -0600

Enterprise video can be effective - or a true yawner. Join special guest Brent Leary as we discuss the highs and lows of enterprise video, and the secrets of his portable video gear and Playaz Production Network adventures with Paul Greenberg. We're also going to hash out the AI for video editing use case, share recent experiments - and the best options out there. As always bring your questions and Friday attitude... Note: the video version, if you want to see the pics of Brent's setup, can be found on youtube.com/jonathanwreed. If you want more unfiltered/unsponsored enterprise content like this, consider giving me a rating on your fave podcast site. thx.

Enterprise spring event deconstruction - did we learn anything about anything except generative AI?

Sun, 16 Jul 2023 00:55:07 -0600

Enterprise spring events were a generative AI carnival - but did we learn anything customers can use now? Forget keynote reviews - what did customers learn that can actually help them compete in a spank tunnel economy? Let's have an informal rehash shall we? There was enough generative AI hype to create a circus, but did we actually learn anything customers can use? Let's hash this out. Jon also hands out letter grades for event achievements, and lack thereof. Also check the itunes channel for the full podcast archives.

On MACHwashing and the microservices enterprise - with Phil Wainewright

Sun, 25 Jun 2023 10:52:30 -0600

We're back, and about to go live - What is MACH-washing? Why is it worse than cloud-washing? No one better than Phil Wainwright to discuss, fresh off a deep dive into headless architectures and the MACH Alliance show. We discuss the hype around the micrservices enterprises, including Amazon's recent decision to retreat from microservices for a Prime Video use case. As part one ends, Brian Sommer challenges Jon and Phil to a wardrobe duel, and we begin our generative AI discussion.

Debating microservices, ESG and generative AI for the enterprise

Sun, 25 Jun 2023 10:33:53 -0600

Brian Sommer crashes the show to exhibit his wardrobe versatility and a fresh tie. We dive back into microsservices, this time from an ESG data perspective. Then the audience moves us into a debate/discussion on generative AI for the enterprise. We discuss viable use cases, as well as the limits and shortfalls. Jon shares what he learned when pressing vendors on issues like 1:1 personalization with generative AI. (Note: to see the ties you'll want to check the youtube video replay at youtube.com/jonathanwreed).

Making sense of Sapphire 2023 Orlando - with Josh Greenbaum

Sun, 21 May 2023 01:22:27 -0600

To make sense of the barrage of news stories, keynotes and meetings, Jon gets Josh Greenbaum in the podcast chair. Josh hit on a few key storylines he was pursuing at the show: the state of SAP Business Networks, partner ecosystem issues, and whether SAP's sustainability push has progressed. The guys also talk about their discussion with ASUG members at the ASUG Executive Exchange program on the Monday prior to Sapphire's kick off. The discussion closes with Josh and Jon's personal reflections on a memorable Sapphire LGBTQ+ Pride panel, moderated by Julia White.

Sapphire Orlando ’23 review - Brian Dennett has strong takes on SAP Datasphere, cloud business transitions, and the future of TechEd

Sun, 21 May 2023 00:11:09 -0600

I haven't caught up with Brian Dennett in a few years. After honing his tech chops in AI startups, Dennett is back in SAP land as an SAP Mentor. I was pleased to learn, during our conversation, he is keeping the tradition of the outspoken/critical/a little grouchy SAP Mentor alive. Dennett has strong views on the SAP Datasphere news, SAP's cloud business model transition challenges, and the future of SAP TechEd. This on-site podcast discussion also weaves in a few of my recent interviews and digging on SAP's hot Sapphire topics.

Build your own user group - Tim Rodman on user groups, community and Acumatica

Sun, 09 Apr 2023 03:57:34 -0600

In this online podcast taping, Jon talks with Tim Rodman, creator of the first independent Acumatica cloud ERP user group, AUGforums.com. We talk about the importance of community and user group voices in the enterprise, and Tim shares what he's learned over the years by starting his own independent user group. He also shares how he has produced so much Acumatica-related content, and how he sustains these efforts.

HR tech blowout - research reveal and buzzword deconstructions

Sun, 09 Apr 2023 03:03:05 -0600

Time to hash out what HR tech is getting right - and where it's falling short. Join us for an interactive discussion and research reveal. Bonnie Duncan Tinder, Stacey Harris and Brian Sommer will surely bring their A game, so bring your smartest questions. We'll also blow off steam via the most hated buzzwords in HR tech. You can bet ChatGPT is going to come up. Before we wrap, we'll have advice for HR leaders on making their talent goals stick, despite the economic "headwinds" and KPI overdose. If you like no-BS podcasts, consider leaving me a review on your favorite platform - I take no sponsors ever.

ERP as a data platform? BI pitfalls and potentials - with Joni Girardi

Sun, 05 Feb 2023 03:04:16 -0600

In this on-site podcast from Acumatica Summit 2023, Jon Reed talks with Joni Girardi of DataSelf. ERP as a data platform? Extracting more value out of ERP was a big topic at the show. Acumatica customers - like all ERP customers - are looking to get more out of their ERP investment with analytics, planning, and improved reporting. Girardi has spent 20 years on this topic - he shares the pitfalls and potentials of BI projects, as the two hit on topics ranging from the impact of AI to the great dashboard debate - do dashboards lead to better decisions? Some of this discussion is Acumatica-specific, but most is relevant to any enterprise software listener concerned about deriving more customer value from data. Note: if you like unsponsored, ad-free, no BS enterprise podcasts please consider giving me a good rating to help me beat the algorithm. I fund these myself for discerning listeners.

DevOps and AIOps - what is their relevance in ERP shops? A post-SAP TechEd roundtable

Sun, 11 Dec 2022 01:40:13 -0600

Jon didn't think SAP TechEd put enough emphasis on DevOps and AIOps, so he set about to correct that, via a roundtable with John Appleby and Brenton O'Callahan of Avantra, and Martin Fischer of Neptune Software (Fischer is also the lead for DSAG's DevOps interest group). But is DevOps even relevant in an ERP context? And what about AIOps? How do we move beyond dashboards and observability? What do SAP customers need to move forward with effective automation? Has this issue been overlooked by SAP, and what kind of educational/project content is needed? What is the future of SAP Basis engineers in this context? Do they have one? Is DevSecOps even worth a mention? These are just some of the issues the guys get into during this "alternative SAP TechEd" session.

Show notes: the company mentioned by Martin for the DevOps session at SAP TechEd is Nuve.

Debating hybrid events - and how the metaverse fits in

Sun, 11 Dec 2022 01:15:48 -0600

Jon is back on the CRMKonvos show to make his case for why hybrid events matter - and to issue a scorching grade to vendors (and yet, the grade is an improvement over the spring). The CRMKonvos gang, Thomas Wieberneit, Ralf Korb and Marshall Lager once again keep the hot seat hot, but making sure that Jon is forced to comment on how the metaverse might play a role in hybrid events (the metaverse is Jon's favorite tech concept - err, not). But it does make for a convo with some surprises. Thanks to the CRMKonvos team for permission to issue this audio version - catch all their video replays on the CRMKonvos YouTube channel.

Industry clouds - separating BS from reality with CRMKonvos

Sun, 11 Dec 2022 00:30:53 -0600

In this special appearance, Jon joins the CRMKonvos gang in the hot seat, to help sort industry cloud BS from reality. Industry clouds matter - but customers should evaluate carefully. What are the true criteria? Jon shares his views, while the smart CRMKonvos gang of Thomas Wieberneit, Ralf Korb and Marshall Lager keep the hot seat hot. This replay is issued with the express permission of the CRMKonvos team - thanks to them. Catch all their replays on the CRMKonvos YouTube channel.

The great customer success - a meaningful discipline or marketing creation?

Sat, 10 Dec 2022 23:29:56 -0600

Yep - we're back. Phil Wainewright and Josh Greenbaum both wrote landmark posts on customer success - but do they agree? And what should customers take from all the "customer success" brouhaha? To help me weigh the arguments, Bonnie Tinder of Raven Intel was on hand to share data and find a way forward. As usual, the audience brought their sharpest and smartest questions. Trivia note: this is my diginomica colleague Phil Wainewright's debut on my hits/misses video show, not to be missed.Also check the itunes channel for the full podcast archives.

The practical hyper-personalization debate - myth, reality, or buzzword bingo?

Sun, 21 Aug 2022 11:24:30 -0600

Yep, we're back! Time for a jugular, interactive session on hyperpersonalization. Join CX smarties Marshall Lager and Thomas Wieberneit as we define this term, probe into why it's needed (or not), and, most important, what practical do's and don'ts apply to enterprises? Bring your sharpest questions as always, and let's do this. Also check the itunes channel for the full podcast archives. If you care about unfiltered, unsponsored enterprise content, a great review will help others find this show amidst the marketing flotsam.

Why aren’t services firms part of the transformation they provide? - With Tinder and Sommer

Sun, 03 Jul 2022 00:44:16 -0600

Yup - we're back. Join us for a vigorous discussion of the overlooked role of services partners in transformation efforts. Bonnie Tinder of Raven Intel and Brian Sommer will count down the top things to look for in services firm selection - and the worst services firm characteristics and warning signs. Bring your sharp commentary and smart questions and let's see if we can advance this conversation and put more emphasis on what is often, in my view, the weak link in an enterprise project/transformation effort. Note: if you believe in unsponsored, unfiltered enterprise content and like this series, please give this self-funded series a quick review on the platform of your choice. Thanks.

Live from Planful Perform Vegas - continuous planning vs inflation, AI hype and more with Hyoun Park

Sun, 03 Jul 2022 00:15:11 -0600

Let's see how hits and misses "live" does on the road talking analytics in the real world and more with Hyoun Park of Amalgam Insights, one of the smartest/most interesting enterprise thinkers I know... Final note: this 30 minute show was live from Planful Perform, Las Vegas. I didn't get the sound completely right, this was my first live stream on site in more than a decade - I'll get better. But meantime, I thought Park's sharp insights on the economy, AI, and analytics were worth sharing regardless.

Busting HR project myths - an HR data reveal with Stacey Harris

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 04:42:12 -0600

Buckle up... First time hits/misses video guest Stacey Harris, Chief Research Officer at Sapient Insights Group, is going to unfurl fresh HR data and debunk HR tech myths. We'll also get into the underrated keys to HR project success. The audience brought their sharpest questions and comments, and Stacey was ready to roll! Also check the itunes channel for the full podcast archives.

Retail in 2022 - where are the wins and pitfalls? With Guy Courtin

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 04:28:31 -0600

Now rescheduled for this Friday! The problems retailers face amidst supply volatility and Amazon/Walmart dominance are immense. The retail year kicks off at the NRF big show - and our hot seat guest, Guy Courtin, was actually on the ground (I was not). We'll get Courtin's view of the highs and lows of the show (and most interesting tech). Bring your sharpest retail questions - Courtin will also count down some of the underrated (and overhyped) aspects of retail tech.

Why is digital transformation falling short? With Eric Kimberling

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 04:14:37 -0600

On this edition of the enterprise hits and misses show, join me and first-time guest Eric Kimberling of Third Stage Consulting as we hash out the fundamental problem: if transformation is essential, than why are we as an industry continually falling short? Kimberling will be unveiling, and counting down his digital transformation do's and don'ts. Note: this is a resolutely sponsor-free, unfiltered podcast/video show. If you believe in this, please rate and review it.

The highs (and lows) of CX in 2021 - with Liz Miller and Nicole France

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 03:58:55 -0600

Aka "revenge of Nicole and Liz", or the "Liz and Nicole show," join me as we wrap the hits/misses show year with unfiltered tour through the year in CX, CRM, and marketing run amok. The audience brought their usual sharp commentary as Nicole and Liz counted down their highs and lows of the CX year. Yeah, this should be fun.... Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Behind the 2022 un-predictions - how the techno-sausage is made! With Brian Sommer and Jon Reed

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 03:41:03 -0600

Ever wondered how diginomica's annual un-predictions get made? Want a first hand look at a hyper-agile waterfall best practice methodology like no other? Oh yeah - we've got slides baby! Want to take a crack at building your own crystal ball? Paging all tech ninjas and prognosticators - join us for the un-predictions launch release. Feel free to bring your own un-predictions as we gear up for another rollercoaster of a year. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes. You can get the slides on youtube via /jonathanwreed.

Crossing the enterprise buyer chasm - A live chat with Gartner‘s Hank Barnes

Sun, 14 Nov 2021 03:46:17 -0600

Here we go - continuing with my "blogs that matter" editions of the hits/misses interactive video show, I'll be diving into the recent milestone blogs Gartner's Hank Barnes has published on enterprise buyers, via his own dialogue with Geoffrey Moore ("Crossing the Chasm"). Barnes and I will also revisit our debate on how informed today's enterprise buyer actually is, and how customers can make better buying decisions (or not). Bring your sharpest questions for the free for all chat, this will be a good 'un. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Customer success debunked and rebooted - a live talk about the role of service providers and SIs - with Josh Greenbaum and Bonnie Duncan Tinder

Sun, 14 Nov 2021 02:42:08 -0600

Yep, on this edition of Enterprise hits/misses radio, Josh Greenbaum and I will settle our differences on customer success. Bonnie Duncan Tinder of Raven Intel will join us to reveal her latest research on the problematic role of professional services partners in customer success initiatives. Join us for this live discussion and yes, your comments will be a big part of this. We'll hash out the problems and shine the light on those getting it done the right way. Reference post: Attention vendors - please stop the customer success hype train, unless you have these six proof points (You can get the link to Josh's post there also). Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Getting hybrid (and virtual) events right - with hybrid event pioneer Paul Richards

Sun, 10 Oct 2021 16:21:16 -0600

Hybrid events aren't nearly what they could be - and here's someone who can help us change that. Yes! Enterprise hits and misses video show is back, and with a doozey. Paul Richards, huge influence on my thinking on hybrid events, will join us for an interactive session. Richards is the Director of Marketing for HuddleCamHD. He'll share how he pioneered hybrid events, talk about how to put on a good one, and we'll even get into production values as he has one of the best setups you'll see. Note: to see Paul's tour of his studio, you'll want to check out the video version of our talk. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Death to all silos - debating the customer-first enterprise, with Hyoun Park and Josh Greenbaum

Sun, 10 Oct 2021 15:42:27 -0600

Josh Greenbaum issued a scorching blog post, "Death to all silos!" It's a tour de force of enterprise possibilities - and shortcomings. In our usual no-holds-barred interactive manner, we're going to get to the bottom of this post - including practical actions for customers, vendors, and SIs. BONUS: At the 40:00 mark, Hyoun Park makes his hits/misses video show debut with a terrific guest appearance that helps us assess remote work silos, and get to the core of how companies can act on Josh's post. See Josh's blog post at: https://eaconsult.com/2021/09/30/death-to-all-silos-with-aphorisms/. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The do's and dont's of transformation, and the danger of SI value erosion - with John Belden of UpperEdge

Sun, 08 Aug 2021 10:08:10 -0600

The Enterprise hits and misses video show returns with a much-anticipated guest, John Belden of Upper Edge. Belden has outspoken field views on transformation - what works and where companies go wrong. We'll count them down and, as usual, field plenty of audience questions along the way. In a hits/misses exclusive, Belden also reveals new research on what leads to SI value erosion - a key obstacle to successful projects. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes. If you believe in unfiltered/unsponsored enterprise content, consider giving this show a lovely review, thanks.

Brent Leary - Talking impact of data privacy, the art of enterprise video, and more

Sun, 08 Aug 2021 09:52:54 -0600

Yep, this is part two of the crossover show between my guest Brent Leary's show and my hits/mises video blowout. Brent will take data privacy, and what the data is showing re: enterprise data privacy. Since it's crossover time we'll also pick up on our hybrid events and video discussion, since Brent is the enterprise video master over on his "A few good minutes" show and more. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Beware of Legacy SaaS - a concept worth the debate

Sun, 08 Aug 2021 09:50:01 -0600

"The dangers of legacy SaaS" is a concept I have under development. Here's where Brian and I may differ - and why I brought up the problem of "legacy SaaS" in the first place. Yep, this is a solo flight from me, presenting my Legacy SaaS methodology - but there are some vocal audience members for back and forth. Come join the chat and say your piece. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Bonnie Tinder on the gap between project success and mediocrity

Sun, 06 Jun 2021 04:28:58 -0600

Yep, Bonnie Tinder of Raven Intel makes her triumphant return - and she brings fresh data on project success (or not), via her HCM cloud project research. Let's hash this out - as usual, bring your best questions and astute observations :) If you believe in unfiltered/unsponsored enterprise content, consider giving this show a lovely review, thanks. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

CRM buzzword destruction and deconstruction - with Thomas Wieberneit

Sun, 06 Jun 2021 04:26:09 -0600

In this "blogs that matter" edition of hits/misses video, we'll dig into several of CX gadfly Thomas Wieberneit's notable blog posts. Join this free-for-all as we talk about how NOT to manage your customer journeys, why we DON'T want a 360 degree view of the customer, and why "ecosystems" are not what they appear. Sound like fun? Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Is legacy SaaS a thing? Debating the SaaS 1.0 to 2.0 model and why it matters to customers

Sun, 06 Jun 2021 04:20:15 -0600

Is legacy SaaS a real thing? Join the debate as returning champ Brian Sommer riffs on Jon's argument with a SaaS 1.0 to SaaS 2.0 slide deck banter. Where are vendors getting stuck? And why does this matter to customers? Bring your sharp questions and BS filters as usual - this is the usual jugular participation Friday show. Note: to see the slides, check the video replay at http://youtube.com/jonathanwreed. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes. This series is brought to you commercial-free by Jon Reed of http://www.diginomica.com.

Getting customer data right, and other CX blogs/rants/beefs, with Nicole France and Liz Miller

Sun, 25 Apr 2021 04:30:16 -0600

This Friday, Constellation's Nicole France and Liz Miller will crash my Enterprise hits/misses video show together. Join this audience participation free-for-all, which will kick off with discussion of Nicole's lightning rod blog post, It’s Time to Set the Record Straight on Customer Data Terminology. Can we get customer data right? Will cookieless life confound marketing teams, or compel organizations to (finally) adopt white hat tactcis to earn trust? Will this dynamic duo take over the show? Will I get a word in? We're about to find out... Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes. This series is brought to you commercial-free by Jon Reed of http://www.diginomica.com. If you like the idea of unfiltered, non-commercial enterprise content, consider giving this a nice rating so Jon can beat the commercialized crud in the search algorithms. Thanks.

Getting off of Legacy Mountain - obstacles to enterprise tranformation, with Maureen Blandford

Sun, 25 Apr 2021 04:27:18 -0600

Join us for this action-packed free-for-all with the always-frank, buzzword-allergic Maureen Blandford. She'll be counting down her top reasons you will (or won't) transform - and how to bridge that gap. We'll talk about the deep need for change in sales/marketing, and, she may even share a special announcement or two. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The problem of extreme heterogeneity in the enterprise - with Josh Greenbaum

Sun, 25 Apr 2021 04:26:22 -0600

Join for an all-in chat with Josh Greenbaum on his longstanding case for "extreme heterogeneity." And that gap between what vendors dream about (account control) versus what customers really need. And how so-called "customer success" initiatives trip on this, or not. Josh also kicks off the "blogs that matter" theme debut for the show... Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Breaking news - Quadrants and Waves are challenged by upstart vendor evaluator

Sun, 25 Apr 2021 04:25:11 -0600

In this April Fools edition - Brian Sommer and I used to criticize vendor ranking and evaluation firms. No longer - there's gold in them thar hills, and we're getting our piece. There's a role for you here too. Join us as we unveil a unique proprietary system to unlock the keys to successful enterprise software projects, powered by an algorithm that has intimidated even the most experienced data scientists we've shown it to. Note: you can check the slides from this one, including the trapezoid pic, on the youtube.com/jonathanwreed video replay. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Avoiding the SaaS lock-in blues - discussing cloud project results with Adam Mansfield of UpperEdge

Sun, 28 Mar 2021 00:05:02 -0600

This should be a good one, as Adam Mansfield counts down his top tips for cloud vendor negotiation, as we peel back the hype on SaaS software. Time to dig into how to achieve project success with cloud vendors - and the obstacles in the way. Mansfield will field your questions- we'll also poke deserved fun at what drives cloud buyers crazy. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The great cloud ERP benefits debate - what did we miss?

Sun, 28 Mar 2021 00:01:17 -0600

Jon Reed of http://www.diginomica.com hashes out what he overlooked in the last episode with Brian Sommer deconstructing cloud ERP benefits. Time to hash out what we missed last week. Jon also shares how this stacks up with different models of enterprise transformation. SAP/HR expert joins Jon later in the program to reflect on lessons from a major aerospace and defense ERP project.

Deconstructing cloud ERP benefits, project meltdowns and more

Sat, 27 Mar 2021 23:59:53 -0600

Returning champ Brian Sommer rejoins the Enterprise hits and misses video show to talk cloud ERP project issues, benefits, and share project horror stories. Bring your questions and snarkitude. Note: if you want to see the slides as we talk through them, check the video replay at http://www.youtube.com/jonathanwreed. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Debating fresh data on hyper-personalization, CX, and content strategy - with Mathew Sweezey

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 02:43:03 -0600

Mathew Sweezey has some of the most provocative and well-researched views on topics I riff on and critique frequently. What is his message on how marketing needs to change - and how we should be serving customers via outcomes, not (necessarily) "experiences"? Special thanks to Sweezey for stepping up and allowing me to press him into some challenging topics around the myths of AI, flaws in employee experience rhetoric, and B2B versus B2C. It was an intense and revealing convo, one where I had no idea how much we would agree or disagree. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Retail outlook - the highs and lows of retail in 2021, with Jake Knowles of BJSS

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 02:41:50 -0600

Retail analyst and consultant Jake Knowles of BJSS drops in for an interactive, audience-driven Q/A chat on the retail outlook for 2021. We'll take on retail debates like AI in retail, facial recognition and "employee experience" versus the Amazon approach to retail workers. Jake will share what he's learning from BJSS customers, what we've taken from the virtual NRF Big Show, and the challenges for retail transformation projects in 2021. Note - this podcast series is a labor of love, to do something different with in-depth, honest/interactive enterprise convos. If you like what I'm doing here, providing a rating and comment on a major podcast channel is a huge help to keep my momentum. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Supply chain upheavals and modernization - what have we really learned? With Lora Cecere

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 02:39:28 -0600

Supply chains have been severely tested - but what have we learned? What does a modern supply chain look like? Is a predictive supply chain viable? No one has pushed into these issues more than SCM expert and outstanding enterprise blogger Lora Cecere. This open discussion with Lora and Jon Reed of http://www.diginomica.com promises to be a classic. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes. (note: you can enjoy this as audio only, but as is the case with all of these show replays, you can check the video replay also at youtube.com/jonathanwreed)

The great B2B hyper-personalization and content strategy debate - and B2B selling fails

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 02:04:25 -0600

In this audio-only edition of Jon's Enterprise hits and misses video show, Jon Reed of http://www.diginomica.com starts out on a solo flight rant/overview of his methods on B2B content strategy and critique of hyper-personalization. He hits on why this matters for individuals and enterprises. A key issue: marketing and sales need to change, and it's a culture problem more than a tech problem. 30 minutes in, returning champ Brian Sommer crashes the show to dig into the hilarious low points of B2B selling. The guys even run through Brian's worst-of-B2B-sales slide deck (note: you can enjoy this as audio only as Jon reads the slides, but if you want to see them, you can check the video replay at youtube.com/jonathanwreed). Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Factory of the future showdown - realistic or BS? With Brian Sommer

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 01:58:22 -0600

In this audio-only version of Jon's Enterprise hits and misses radio show, Jon Reed is joined by champ Brian Sommer and unbridled audience chat - featuring diginomica colleague Den Howlett in dinner prep mode - as we try to get to the bottom of the factory of the future use case. We countdown the factory buzzword hype, talk supply chain disruptions, and discuss next steps manufacturers should be taking. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Talking HCM project success and failure - with Bonnie Tinder of Raven Intel

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 01:51:47 -0600

In this audio-only version of Jon's Enterprise hits and misses video show, Jon puts Raven Intel's Bonnie Tinder on the hot seat to reveal her data on HR transformations in 2020 - what worked and what didn't. We'll countdown the top HCM project mistakes - and the characteristics of a successful HCM project. As usual, audience questions will carry the day. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Live countdown chat - top five enterprise project mistakes and tips, with special guests Sommer and Wieberneit

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 21:14:09 -0600

The audience peppered Jon with questions on this edition of Enterprise hits and misses radio, his last show of the year - as he count down the worst project mistakes and shares the use case methodology he uses on diginomica. SHOW DISRUPTION: about 30 minutes in, Jon is joined by Brian Sommer and then Thomas Wieberneit. These practitioners also share their top enterprise software project lessons and mistakes, while fielding questions and acerbic commentary from the likes of Den Howlett, Mark Finnern, and more. (This is the audio replay of the show, you can see the video replay at youtube.com/jonathanwreed). Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Talking enterprise IoT projects and misconceptions - a free for all chat with Mrinal Wadhwa

Sun, 13 Dec 2020 09:06:20 -0600

Next up on the Enterprise hits and misses video show, we'll countdown top IoT project misconceptions and project lessons with Mrinal Wadhwa, CTO and Head of Product, Ockam.io. You'll be able to pepper Mrinal with questions as we go, as many of you know he is always bringing new ideas and important takes. (This is the audio replay of the show, you can see the video replay at youtube.com/jonathanwreed). Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Talking AI, next-gen projects, leadership, blogging, and more with Vijay Vijayasankar

Sun, 13 Dec 2020 09:02:53 -0600

Join our Enterprise hits and misses video show - a free-for-all, participatory chat and countdown with Vijay Vijayasankar. We'll countdown his favorite all time blog posts and we'll mock the worst predictions for 2021. (This is the audio replay of the show, you can see the video replay at youtube.com/jonathanwreed). Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

HR tech blowout - overhyped buzzwords vs better projects - with Brian Sommer

Sun, 22 Nov 2020 03:43:58 -0600

Brian Sommer makes his triumphant return to Enterprise hits and misses radio, as we count down overhyped HR tech buzzwords and field audience questions on HR projects and the future of work. Note: you can see the video version of this at youtube.com/jonathanwreed. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Talking CX problems and projects - with Nicole France

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 06:08:37 -0600

Let's hear Nicole's take on successful CX projects - and the buzzwords she hates. In this edition of Enterprise Hits and Misses radio, Jon also unveils a new format he'll use frequently - the whiffs and picks countdown. Plenty of audience questions factor into this one. Note: you can see the video version of this at youtube.com/jonathanwreed. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Jon Reed - enterprise AMA on AI skills impact - career success strategies amidst adversity

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 06:04:07 -0600

Let's do a Friday free-for-all on skills development, especially the impact of AI and automation. Jon fields all your questions in the hot seat and share highlights of his prior thinking and research. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Enterprise hits and misses radio - Brian Sommer on ERP's failings and more

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 05:49:07 -0600

In the second installment of Jon's video and podcast reboot, dubbed Enterprise Hits and Misses radio, Jon asks Brian: Why is he hammering ERP vendors for the cloud moves? Is there another path to transformation? Does he see anything out there that inspires? Audience questions keep Jon and Brian on their toes. Note: you can see the video version of this at youtube.com/jonathanwreed. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Enterprise hits and misses radio reboot - talking the art of video with Brent Leary

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 05:41:32 -0600

In Jon's video and podcast reboot, he talks to the man partially responsible. Brent Leary is a trailblazer in enterprise video and a driving force behind CRM Playaz. How does he pull off large scale events? Interactive chats? Let's chat him up... Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The new rules of enterprise software - and events. A wake-up call with Brian Sommer

Mon, 25 May 2020 00:14:46 -0600

In this thirty-minute podcast, Jon and Brian triumph over their last podcast's sound quality and compare notes on the new rules of enterprise software. Brian warns ERP vendors of the pitfalls of squeezing revenue with hardball tactics. Jon shares enterprise weaknesses on integration that could come back to haunt cloud-happy vendors. The guys grill vendors on their subpar virtual events, but also share success stories from vendors that are delivering for customers. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes

How should enterprises respond to disrupted markets? Hashing IT spending data in the COVID-19 era

Sat, 09 May 2020 01:47:41 -0600

During this 15 minute podcast, Jon Reed is rejoined by podcast compadre Brian Sommer to hash out early IT spending data and first reactions to the economic impact of COVID-19. The guys talk about comparisons with past recessions, and how CFOS and CIOs are likely to respond. Fresh IT spending data from TrustRadius is considered, along with industry impacts. Note - given that the recording quality of this Zoom session was not ideal, we've cut kept this podcast to 15 minutes, but may release another installment in the talk later. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Acumatica Summit 2020 - the better-late-than-never review with Brian Sommer

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 19:43:56 -0600

To make up for their traditional on-site podcast, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer dial in from their respective batcaves after the event to break down a milestone event for cloud ERP vendor Acumatica. Brian shares the motivations behind his popular post, "Acumatica Summit 2020 - with great growth comes great responsibility." The guys talk about the perils and opportunities of growth and what they learned from their talks with Acumatica on the ground. Jon closes this short podcast with some behind-the-scenes conversations that inspired his piece, "Acumatica Summit 2020 highlight - how customer award winner Power Storage Solutions sparked a best-of-breed debate." Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Solving the vexing problem of IoT security - Mrinal Wadhwa of Ockam's open source community challenge

Sun, 09 Feb 2020 20:15:36 -0600

The vexing problem of IoT security is slowing IoT adoption and creating waves of sensational headlines, from insecure smart homes to industrial IoT concerns. Mrinal Wadhwa and his team at Ockam has an ambitious plan to address this, but how? Via open source for one. As a follow up to last year's dignomica podcast with Ockam and Den Howlett, this new podcast shares how Wadhwa's thinking has evolved. In a nutshell: "Decoupling the secure channel protocol from the transport layer protocols removes complexity, minimizes the attack surface and can enable us to build end-to-end secure and private systems." This in-depth talk breaks that concept down in real-world terms. Wadhwa explains why this is a potential IoT security breakthrough. The guys also revisit their blockchain debates, and how Wadhwa sees blockchain fitting into IoT security going forward. An invitation for others to get involved with Ockam's open source pursuits at https://github.com/ockam-network is also included. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

NRF 2020 part two - retail's highs, lows, and upstarts to watch

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 04:28:57 -0600

Continuing with their NRF 2020 on-site retail review, Jake Knowles of BJSS and Jon Reed of diginomica.com share their show highs and lows. They also talk about some retail upstarts to watch - and how some of the less glamorous innovations in logistical areas like last-mile delivery could prove crucial as retailers try to differentiate against Amazon. Jon talks about his debate with the CEO of Happy or Not, and Knowles weighs in on the missing link in Retail CX - the happy and empowered store employee. Knowles also brings up the impact of sustainability and diversity - another standout from this year's show. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

NRF 2020 - sorting the use cases from retail tech hype with Jake Knowles of BJSS

Sun, 19 Jan 2020 03:15:15 -0600

Live from NRF 2020, Jake Knowles of BJSS makes his debut on Jon's diginomica podcast with part one of their review of NRF's "Big Show." The guys hit on the big questions of the show, including retailers' determination make their storefronts a competitive edge again. They react to some key retail stats from Salesforce, Adobe and others on the surge of mobile commerce and BOPIS (buy online, pick up in store). They hit on why retailers need new metrics. Knowles shares the high points from his moderated panel with four global retailers on harnessing retail innovation. Knowles also talks about the retail pain points he hears about from BJSS clients - and what customers are doing to modernize their retail strategy. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Debating enterprise blockchains at #CCE19 - criticism and use cases with Steve Wilson

Sun, 17 Nov 2019 06:08:32 -0600

Picking up after their podcast on the future of identity, Jon gets into blockchain with noted enterprise blockchain critic Steve Wilson. Live from Constellation Connected Enterprise 2019, Jon and Steve talk about the peak of blockchain hype in 2016, and how his views have evolved since his notorious 2016 post, Blockchain: almost everything you read is wrong. The guys cover the issues with enterprise blockchains, from industry use cases to immutability to the viability of consensus. Jon also pulls Steve into settling a diginomica reader controversy over his views. Finally, Steve explains why he is skeptical about blockchain for IoT security. He also shares the blockchain use cases he *does* like. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Forget data-driven - we must be insight driven. Deconstructing big data and CX with Tricia Wang

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 05:16:22 -0600

After several years of misadventures, Jon finally gets Tricia Wang of Sudden Compass in the podcast hot seat at Constellation Connected Enterprise 2019. After hitting on show highlights, the two dive into Wang's outspoken views on the failure of big data, the profound limitations of quantifiable data, and why an ethnographic pursuit of data is the missing link. Wang and Reed turns their attention to the overhyped CX market, hitting on the problematic gap between being "data-driven" and insight driven. More data is actually leading to less insight. That's Wang's core point - customer data can drive business growth, but only if you know how to use it. Wang shares project experiences and business model examples to illustrate how companies are getting stuck. As for getting unstuck, Wang reveals some of the Sudden Compass methodology for getting customers on a better approach to analytics - a method that is about to be open sourced. Their partnership with Google, and Wang's obsession with avaiation and automation, rounds out the picture as the podcast wraps. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Grappling with identity and regulation in the era of data brokers - a #CCE19 podcast with Constellation's Steve Wilson

Sun, 10 Nov 2019 08:05:44 -0600

In the first of his two part podcast series with Constellation's Steve Wilson, Jon asks Steve to explain the thinking behind his provocative blog post, Identity is dead. That leads into a discussion of the problem of regulating data brokers, and the ongoing issue with identity management in the enterprise. Steve critiques new approaches, including facial recognition. This discussion sets up a soon-to-be-released part two, on Steve's skeptical take on enterprise blockchains. At Steve says, "We need to keep plugging away at this because there's, they're brokering our data every single day now. So we need to figure out solutions." Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Sage Intacct Advantage 2019 - talking AI, CFOs, and finding the hidden stories with Steve Brooks

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 02:19:52 -0600

In his first-ever podcast with Steve Brooks of The Enterprise Times, Jon and Steve break down two vigorous days at Sage Intacct Advantage 2019, including the core AI messaging and whether it passed the CFO relevance test. Jon asks Steve, a notorious pursuer of the hidden question, how he pursues answers on the ground and how he dug into an important issue from a keynote AI demo. The guys share their biggest lessons and surprises from the event, and issue their takes on how Sage Intacct is faring with its expanded cloud solutions for finance teams. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The convergence of auditing and... RPA? Kent Bettisworth's view from Controlling 2019

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 01:19:40 -0600

Live from Controlling 2019, Jon talks with Kent Bettisworth, expert SAP consultant, about the research he's done into the relevance of robotic process automation (RPA) for auditors. Kent explains the RPA use cases that are emerging, but also the risk and downsides of RPA, and the problem auditors have with "black boxes." This topic is relevant to RPA or AI/ML projects who must also get past the risk/compliance/security threshold of the auditing team. Kent grounded his research in SAP's approach to RPA via Leonardo, but this conversation extends beyond the SAP domain. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

IT - business alignment in a cloud world - with Barb Rojas of the Discovery Channel

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 23:18:42 -0600

After her customer keynote at Controlling 2019, Barb Rojas of the Discovery Channel gives listeners her view on IT - business alignment in the cloud era. How do you balance business enthusiasm for cloud with proper governance? How do you drive/support business change in an SAP environment? Jon also asks Barb about how her Discovery Communications teams approaches robotic process automation, as well as Tier 2 ERP during Discovery's global expansions. They also take analytics challenges as data becomes central to Discovery's business model shifts. Finally, during this Ada Lovelace women in tech day taping, Barb shares a few reflections on her own approach to leadership. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Serving the modern buyer, part two - how do we reduce buying complexity and troubled projects?

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 18:25:50 -0600

In part two of their talk on the dilemmas of the modern enterprise buyer, Jon Reed and Hank Barnes of Gartner dive right into Barnes' latest research on reaching enterprise buyers, and the strengths and flaws of reaching buyers with content. Other surprising Gartner data is discussed, including the surprising role of vendor responsiveness and why that is overlooked. The guys also hit on peer reviews and the problem of attempting to game buyers with positive reviews. The conversation is framed with this question: how we can serve buyers better, and reduce the amount of flawed and troubled projects? The final section includes advice for customers on navigating buying complexity. This podcast references recent blog posts by Hank Barnes. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The dilemmas of the modern enterprise buyer, part one - with Hank Barnes of Gartner

Sun, 07 Jul 2019 15:04:04 -0600

In part one of his first-ever podcast with Hank Barnes of Gartner, Reed and Barnes revisit their multi-year dialogue on the dilemmas of the modern enterprise buyer. Barnes has fresh research on modern buyers, including unsettling updates on project failures and buyer complacency. He also has fresh buzzwords for Jon to call out and break down, including "continuous buying" and "continuous customer behaviors." The guys also debate just how informed the modern buyer is, with Barnes landing on the side that "informed buyer" is aspirational at best. They both agree the vendors lack control - but still need to engage, but on new terms driven by customer needs.

This podcast references recent blog posts by Hank Barnes. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Pesky CX questions - live from Salesforce Connections with Nicole France of Constellation Research

Sun, 23 Jun 2019 20:35:47 -0600

In this live chat from Salesforce Connections, Jon catches up with pesky questions specialist and CX analyst Nicole France of Constellation Research. Nicole shares her approach to analyzing vendors and why we need to press vendors on their CX approach. She also sheds light on the motivations behind her recent blog post, 10 Signs You Have a Customer Understanding Deficit and Three Things to Do About It. Nicole, who just got her pilot's license and, in theory, can now fly herself to enterprise events, makes her debut on Jon's diginomica podcast episode here. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Putting digital transformation and cloud to the project test - a chat with Belden and Mansfield of UpperEdge

Sun, 16 Jun 2019 17:59:11 -0600

During Jon's latest trip to Boston, he crashed the new offices of UpperEdge, an independent enterprise and IT advisory firm with strong views on the potent topics of digital transformation and getting value of out cloud. During this unscripted, 45 minute dialogue, Jon talks with UpperEdge's John Belden and Adam Mansfield about the problem of digital transformation in the real world. The guys shift into cloud issues, and why customers are wary that SaaS can be just another form of lock-in, with the same licensing headaches. The conversation wraps with a freewheeling review of the latest cloud news, from Salesforce acquiring Tableau to Google Cloud's ups and downs in its enterprise push. The Bruins game seven loss the night before is almost totally avoided, but not quite. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Applying Digital with Impact - Brian Sommer on how to put his book to use on project sites

Sat, 18 May 2019 16:58:19 -0600

As PowerPlex 2019 - the Plex Manufacturing Cloud user conference - kicks off, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer claim a quiet spot for an in-depth talk on why he finally wrote a book - Digital with Impact. After pressing Brian on why he entered the overhyped book area of digital transformation, Jon and Brian turn their attention to the exercises in the book. What has Brian learned by using these these exercises on project sites? How can you use Digital with Impact as a workbook to spur the cultural change needed to make digital stick? Brian also shares his recent chat with Geoffrey Moore as they contrasted their views on digital change. The guys also get into how to balance the challenge of a long term transformation with the quicker wins needed to ensure buy-in. One key theme? Overcoming the quicksand of technical debt. Note: Den Howlett has also authored a book review of Digital with Impact on diginomica.com. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Sapphire Now in Review 2019 - Dick Hirsch on a changing SAP

Fri, 10 May 2019 07:31:00 -0600

Taping outside this year with a fountain percolating behind them, Jon Reed of diginomica talks with Dick Hirsch about why Sapphire Now felt different this year. Hirsch talks about SAP's changing views on the cloud and their relationship with hyperscalers like AWS, Google Cloud and Azure. The guys hit on some big themes of a show with little hard news but many big storylines, from the impact of Qualtrics to why integration and master data are becoming huge topics for SAP its user groups. Issues from S/4HANA to indirect access and licensing news to the activist investor backdrop are discussed. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The Oracle CX and MBX 2019 show review - with Brian Sommer

Sun, 31 Mar 2019 02:00:46 -0600

In this special "jokes included" edit of their Oracle CX and MBX 2019 review, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer, lead off with a few Vegas-inspired jokes, including the "manel" - all male conference panel - before diving into the Oracle CX/MBX shows. The guys vent their customer experience grievances along the way, but also talk about an inspiring Oracle customer that is pushing the AI limits in the service of the visually impaired. They touch on Brian's new book, Digital with Impact, and why technology is longer the constraint it once was. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The New IT Professional in the DevOps - Agile era - with Joe McKendrick

Sun, 17 Mar 2019 01:51:13 -0600

During this first-ever sit down with Joe McKendrick, live from the MariaDB user conference, Jon talks with Joe about his recent articles on the impact of DevOps, agile, and digital transformation on IT - and the obstacles in the path. The guys talk about Joe's recent ZDNet articles and why over-hyped technologies like AI and machine learning fall short without a concerted change effort. Jon keeps his potshots about ZDNet's autoplay videos to a minimum as the guys move into a discussion of the new IT professional, and the rare combination of skills that the best IT pros need today. Note: original podcast file edit by Den Howlett. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

NRF 2019 - personalization and data obstacles with Joachim Klein of ThreeKit

Fri, 18 Jan 2019 08:37:53 -0600

In Jon's first ever podcast from NRF's retail "Big Show," Jon sits down with Joachim Klein of ThreeKit, where the two overcome NRF sounds to break down the key trends of the show, before the podcast is finally vanquished by a vacuum cleaner. The guys discuss the next-gen tech at the show, including robotics, facial recognition, and virtual fashion assistants, before digging into the problem of personalization and the opportunities retailers have if they can conquer their data problems. Klein then shares ThreeKit's go-to-market plan, and why these seasoned retail executives have banded together and put skin in the game. Their goal: bring augmented reality, visual commerce, and 3D product configuration into the same platform. End note: apologies for the background noise, the quietest place we could find at NRF was not terribly quiet, even with lavalier mics. SOUND UPDATE: my colleague Den Howlett has edited out as much background noise as possible in this new mix. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Overcoming IT project failure - Josh Greenbaum on how ProQ wants to change project outcomes

Sat, 03 Nov 2018 03:42:03 -0600

"Up to 2/3 of all enterprise software projects fail to deliver their expected value. Will your project be one of them?" That's the basis for Jon's first-ever podcast with analyst and ProQ founder Josh Greenbaum. On some hidden bean bag chairs in the basement of SAP TechEd, the guys discuss the multiple ways that enterprise projects can fail or underperform, and why early interventions can change outcomes. Greenbaum explains why ProQ's approach, by providing a way of measuring teamwork and project health, can have impact. The guys also talk about other efforts to disrupt and improve the consulting industry, including Raven Intel. Note: while this was taped at SAP TechEd, SAP is not the topical focus on this podcast. Check Jon's recent TechEd wraps for your SAP analysis fix. Bonus: the guys are interrupted at the 22:00 mark by disruptive window tape measurers. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The Sage Intacct Advantage Review - CFOs, finance transformation and the Gaylord hotel experience - with Brian Sommer

Thu, 25 Oct 2018 18:40:37 -0600

In this review of Sage Intacct Advantage 2018, Brian shares his undying love for the baffling labyrinth of exquisite possibilities known as the Nashville Gaylord Opryland Hotel. The guys quickly move on to the matter at hand - assessing Intacct now that the acquisition by Sage is in year two. They guys discuss new product announcements, and mix in views on other vendors given that the fall conference season is finally, mercifully winding down. They also hit on the impact of "vertical ERP" and how Intacct approaches it. The backdrop of the talk is the transformation of finance, and whether Sage has been an asset or hindrance to Intacct since the acquisition. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The SAP TechEd Vegas Review - the ABAP PaaS, serverless ERP, community and more with @grahamrobbo

Sun, 07 Oct 2018 03:08:49 -0600

In an SAP TechEd special, Jon Reed is joined by SAP Mentor Graham Robinson in the lost Vegas corridors to hash out what they learned behind the scenes - and how that stacks up with SAP's news announcements. Graham, who is an independent consultant and expert SAP developer, has plenty to say about SAP's ABAP PaaS announcement, and how ABAP on the SAP Cloud Platform impacts developers and customers. The guys also hash out the "serverless ERP" annnouncement, and how ERP functions as a service could play into running the SAP Cloud Platform at scale. The highs and the lows of the show are covered, including the keynote, and a surprise challenge to Jon by SAP CTO Björn Goerke in response to his diginomica show review. The guys reflect on SAP's change in community leadership - and the future of TechEd as SAP attempts to turn community into an edge again, after some down years. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Why HR cloud implementations need transparency - Raven Intel reveals the data behind their launch

Sat, 22 Sep 2018 16:29:23 -0600

What if HR customers had a way of assessing the quality of the partners servicing their implementations? Would less projects run into budget and scope problems - or outright failure. Well, now they do, thanks to the upstarts at Raven Intel. During "HR tech week" in Las Vegas, at SuccessConnect 2018, Jon sat down with Bonnie Tinder and Michele of Raven Intel on the day of their official launch to dig into the motivations behind their mission - and business model. To coincide with their launch, Raven Intel released a study of 100 initial SAP customers and their experiences with consulting partners and HR vendors (see: HCM Implementation Report, 2018). Jon asks Bonnie and Michelle about the lessons they took from their study, and how troubled HR tech projects can become better HR tech projects. Bonnie and Michele explain why their approach is different than the big vendor peer review sites that are picking up steam. Jon also asks about the challenges they may face as they get customers to evaluate major consulting partners that aren't used to being publicly evaluated. Sidenote: Bonnie and Michele are childhood friends who have always wanted to work together - now they get their chance. Of the two, Bonnie speaks first on the podcast. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Overcoming the AI, ML and data science skills gap - with Vijay Vijayasankar of IBM

Mon, 17 Sep 2018 00:11:53 -0600

In their first online talk in several years, Jon Reed of www.diginomica.com is reunited with one of his old school guests for a fresh talk on the problem of hiring data science skills - and what to do about it. Vijayasankar details the types of data science skills that a data science team needs, and where the hiring gaps are. There's plenty of advice for individuals on how to fill those gaps. The guys also hit on the problem of algorithmic bias, and issues of diversity in data science. Note: this is the audio-only version of this chat. You can catch the video version on Jon's youtube: youtube.com/jonathanwreed. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

SAP SuccessConnect 2018 - the unscripted review with Jarret Pazahanick

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 15:41:48 -0600

In this in-depth on-site conversation, Jon Reed and SAP SuccessFactors expert and customer advocate Jarret Pazahanick break out what they've learned from a hectic two days in Vegas. The guys hit on the show's highs and lows, from news to executive keynotes to a powerful closer from Michael J. Fox. Jon asks Pazahanick to elaborate on his critique of the SuccessFactors partner and certification approach - and what needs to change. The 60 minute talk is a gut check from what Pazahanick heard at the SuccessFactors influencer event last spring, and where we are now. Jon asks Jarret to address the "Jarret is a Workday fanboy" jabs he gets from time to time. The guys leave with a view of where SuccessFactors needs to go from here, and some continuing mysteries around payroll as a cloud service - something Jon will be addressing more fully in an upcoming diginomica article. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The future of services, PSA and ERP - FinancialForce in review with Brian Sommer

Sun, 01 Jul 2018 07:02:11 -0600

In their last sit-down of the spring event season, Brian and Jon huddle in the Alexa-free environment of FinancialForce Community Live 2018 to break down FinancialForce's goals and obstacles. Topics include the push for modern ERP and servitization, the pros and cons of their Salesforce platform play, and the keys to their current growth rate. The guys break out their talks with FinancialForce executives and customers and talk about what needs to happen next. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The implausible enterprise - an underground podcast with Esteban Kolsky

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 00:16:32 -0600

In this impromptu/underground recording with the implausible Esteban Kolsky, the guys grab some time as Salesforce Connections to discuss the future of the enterprise. Two Kolsky blog posts are up for consideration, one on his enterprise software priorities, the other on AI misconceptions. Since this taping is at a CX event, the guys also get into the epic problem of delivering a halfway-decent customer experience across channels. Doing their best with Jon's backup recording, Jon also takes the chance to ask Esteban the burning question: why are you such a grouchy *!*. That leads into a discussion of the vital role of the enterprise idealist/curmuedgeon, or, gadfly. At the end of the thirty minute chat, the meaning of the "implausible" Esteban Kolsky is revealed. Producer's note: this had to be taped on the backup of Jon's backup recorder, but hopefully the listening experience was improved decently for you during production. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Practical AI in focus - a chat on customer use cases and AI hype overload with Brian Dennett of Enable AI

Sun, 17 Jun 2018 15:39:03 -0600

In their second podcast from Sapphire Now 2018, Jon Reed and guest Brian Dennett move on from SAPpy talk to discuss Brian's startup, Enable AI, and why they are taking a practical approach to AI as augmented intelligence. Brian shares his view on why AI and ML are getting market traction, and the customer problems that Enable AI is tackling. Brian also advises on how companies should get started with "AI," and why data scientists are not necessarily required. Though this is not an SAP-focused podcast, the guys briefly touch on how customer-focused AI projects tie into a C/4HANA and Leonardo context at one point or another. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Sapphire Now 2018 in review - with Brian Dennett of Enable AI

Sun, 10 Jun 2018 06:17:39 -0600

In Jon's annual Sapphire Now event review, he has a new guest, Brian Dennett of Enable AI, who was also part of the SAP blogger program coverage. Jon and Brian hash out the messages of the show, including the "intelligent enterprise" messaging and whether the Leonardo aspects actually made sense this year. They discuss Brian's pick for the sleeper announcement of the show, Master Data Management as a service, and why it matters. The guys share their findings from their often-spirited blogger sessions; Brian explains why has a philosophical difference with SAP on their "AI" approach. The guys wrap by giving their letter grades for the show, and Jon airs a couple of SAP gripes. Note: this recording was made on Jon's backup recording rig due to a microphone failure. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Advanced content strategy - deep work in the attention economy at Podcamp '18

Sun, 27 May 2018 13:26:22 -0600

In this lightly-edited version of Jon's Western Mass Podcamp 2018 workshop discussion, Jon presents his advanced content method for using deep work as a way of differentiating your business. This interactive content strategy session builds on themes of content positioning, avoiding social media marketing overdose, the power of curation, and earning sustained attention by building opt-in communities. Audience members pose questions and Jon provides some coaching on content and business challenges, from content formats to ebooks to SEO. This is the second of two related podcasts - the first one covered how to reach today's informed buyer (and their networks). Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The enterprise event season halfpoint review show - with Reed and Sommer

Sun, 20 May 2018 15:20:20 -0600

We're halfway through the enterprise event season folks - so it's time for the sassy halftime review with Jon Reed and Brian Sommer. Taped at IFS World, this informal, unrehearsed podcast finds the guys in a chippy mood, with a few sacred cows taken off to pasture and a few chips off of Brian's shoulder. The overuse of IoT and AI buzzwords is mocked, as well as the problem of systems that claim to be next-gen but are integration nightmares with a long time to value. The guys end on a high note with a couple of Brian's vendors to watch. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes

Servitization and the push to modern ERP manufacturing - an IFS World review

Sun, 06 May 2018 18:00:44 -0600

In this live recording from IFS World Conference 2018, Jon Reed and usual podcast suspect Brian Sommer review the first two days of the IFS World show, explaining to listeners why this industry-focused ERP solution is worth watching. They kick around the IFS push to modernize platform and partners, and look at whether this approach will work for existing and net new customers. The guys also hash out Brian's Twitter beef with new IFS CEO Darren Roos, and why the two of them differ on IFS' emphasis on the servitization of manufacturing. They hit on what IFS needs to accomplish this year, and finally, the guys share a few quick anecdotes on their failed quest for good BBQ and their successful/problematic TexMex achievement. Note: Jon and Brian also taped a "halftime show" of the spring enterprise software conference season - look for that one next week. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Reaching the informed B2B buyer (and their networks) - an informal podcamp session with Jon Reed

Sun, 22 Apr 2018 13:33:18 -0600

In this interactive live discussion from Western Mass Podcamp 2018, Jon shares his views on researching the so-called informed buyer, and why marketing and sales must change. Participants from the session share their own challenges, and Jon hits on the dynamics of winning (and sustaining) attention, and why topic authority and opt-in audiences are essential. He explains why social media is useless without content, and why content is useless without a clear business identity. The role of subscription and curation is discussed. (Jon did a related session that continues these themes with a look at the power of immersive creativity; look out for that podcast soon). Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Acumatica Summit 2018 in review - the quest for modern ERP

Sun, 04 Feb 2018 03:59:14 -0600

In their Nashville sit down, Brian Sommer and Jon Reed break down Acumatica Summit 2018, with an eye towards what constitutes modern ERP software (and modern go-to-market). The guys discuss the big takeaways and talk about the reasons behind Acumatica's growth surge. Topics include the challenge ERP vendors face with external (big) data and IoT, as well as Acumatica's approach to next-gen (AI, ML, etc). They wrap by discussing Acumatica's challenges and what other vendors can learn from their approach. Note: several articles referred to in this podcast can be read on diginomica.com. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

XeroCon 2 - blockchain, AI, and arguing about banking innovation

Sat, 16 Dec 2017 18:30:08 -0600

In part two of their XeroCon 2017 sit down, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer continue hashing what XeroCon needs to do for cloud financials traction in the U.S. They move on to discuss Xero's stance on cryptocurrency and blockchain, and more on AI and predictive. Jon also tricks Brian into revisiting his argument with the banking panel on the lack of big bank innovation. Finally, Brian and Jon unveil their name for Xero's chatbot (which has yet to issue any chatbot announcements or plans, but Brian and Jon are trying to stay ahead of this curve).Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Xero in review - talking clouds, AI, accountants, XeroCon and biz change with Brian Sommer

Sun, 10 Dec 2017 19:17:01 -0600

In the short version of Jon's chat with Brian Sommer at XeroCon 2017, the guys settle into their makeshift podcast bunker to talk about how accountants are faring in their tech-driven push to become advisors - and why the surge of automation is forcing the issue. Alexa can't save them from Austin's crud weather, but they persist. The guys talk about the pros and cons of Xero's plans for US expansion, and what value their users are deriving from a cloud financials platform. They kick around Xero's practical take on AI, and why automation could prove to be an asset for accountants that get ahead of the curve. LISTENER'S NOTE: The extended full Xero discussion will come out later this week. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

SAP TechEd Barcelona Review - Reed and Hirsch on Leonardo, cloud, and where SAP goes next

Sat, 18 Nov 2017 07:53:27 -0600

In their Barcelona tradition, Jon Reed of diginomica and SAP Mentor and cloud expert Dick Hirsch review the news, debates, and questions from SAP TechEd Barcelona 2017. They break down what they learned on Leonardo, along with questions about how SAP got away from process expertise in their positioning. Separating hype from reality includes a review of SAP's blockchain pursuits, and why cloud requires a different level of pricing transparency. Can SAP flip the pricing script? The guys also hit on SAP's multi-cloud ambitions, including the Google partnership, and Jon reveals what he learned - or didn't - on the Android SDK possibility in the future. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Teamability and the art - and gotchas - of team-building

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 17:42:46 -0600

In this live podcast from Constellation Research's Connected Enterprise 2017, Jon talks with the Teamability team about why team building is hard - and the unique method they bring. With the occasional bird chirping during our outdoor taping session, CEO Dr. Janice Presser and COO Mark Talaba share field examples and explain why the science of team building goes far beyond "good" and "bad" teams.

Jon also gets into his own experience being tested by Teamability, what he learned, and the three podcasters kick around the ups and downs of teams until it's time for Mark's Uber to the airport - then Jon issues the ultimate Teamability challenge. Dr. Janice Presser is also the author of the new book @Dr. Janice - Timing isn't Everyhing. Teaming is. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

An inside look at how ERPfixers hopes to impact SAP consulting - with an on-demand platform

Sun, 15 Oct 2017 04:07:50 -0600

In this in-depth conversation with Paul Ovigele of ERPfixers, Ovigele gives an frank look at his goal of using an Uber-like platform to provide SAP customers with a new option to get their questions answered. Jon Reed of diginomica.com talks with Ovigele about the challenges ERPfixers has faced during a live sit down at SAP Controlling 2017. They also discuss the need for consulting to change - just like cloud has changed software business models. Jon also gets Ovigele's answers to reader questions from a diginomica piece on ERPfixers - and the guys kick around the potential of the platform, for SAP and beyond, until they run out of time. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Talking Acumatica, modern ERP and business change with Brian Sommer

Sun, 17 Sep 2017 03:08:47 -0600

During this informal chat after the Acumatica analyst and R2 launch event, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer of diginomica delve into the role of modern ERP in the push towards business model change. After hashing out the latest Acumatica announcements, the guys talk about the components of modern ERP (UX, platform, data visibility) and why ring fending ERP is problematic when it comes to pursuing digital projects and integrating new external data sources. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Growing your business with content - an interactive Podcamp presentation

Thu, 29 Jun 2017 01:22:24 -0600

In this edited version of his Western Mass Podcamp 2017 session, Growing your business with content, Jon talks about the power of content and the impact of the digital economy on how content is consumed. The key question: how can you use content to win business by earning trust, opt-ins, and audiences? Session participants, including Claudia Gere, chime in here and there and pose questions. Note: there are a few swear words on this podcast so it's not safe for certain workplaces. Also check the itunes channel for the full podcast archives. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

FinancialForce Community Live - the podcast review

Sun, 25 Jun 2017 19:33:07 -0600

During this live on-site podcast with Jon Reed of diginomica and the usual suspect Brian Sommer (also a diginomica contributor), the guys hash out what they learned from a newsworthy FinancialForce user conference. This was the first time media/analysts were invited to a FinancialForce user conference, which generated plenty of discussions on customer value and sparks on the ADP partner announcement. Jon gets into highlights from the slew of customers FinancialForce lined up for him. Sommer shares why he was looking for more on big data and AI, and the guys discuss partner strategy, verticals, and yes - revenue recognition - aka "The CIO's Y2K." Brian also explains his mysterious lack of suit and tie and why he was spotted in a Las Vegas golf shirt. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

SAP UX from the inside out - Sam Yen on SAP Leonardo, design thinking and the challenges ahead

Thu, 15 Jun 2017 23:00:50 -0600

In part two of their live taping at Enterprise UX 2017, Jon Reed of diginomica.com talks with Sam Yen of SAP about their UX overhaul and the integral role design thinking plays in Leonardo - including project delivery. Yen also gives a glimpse into Hasso Plattner's passion for design and how this impacts SAP's UX challenges ahead. Also check the itunes channel for the full podcast archives. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Enterprise UX as a change driver - live from #EUX17 with Sam Yen

Sun, 11 Jun 2017 16:36:38 -0600

In this impromptu. on-site podcast, Jon Reed of diginomica.com talks with Sam Yen of SAP about his presentation on driving organizational change through design. In this first of two podcasts with Reed and Yen, the guys hit on issues like the (relative) maturity of enterprise UX, and the big themes from Enterprise UX 2017, including breaking down silos. Yen critiques incremental innovation and makes the case for organization-wide design culture. Yen also gives his advice for non-designers who want to bring a design mentality to their work - and why that matters. In part two of their podcast, the guys will take a harder look at SAP's UX approach and get Yen's Leonardo/UX status report. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Sapphire Now 2017 in review - disruption and being disrupted edition

Sat, 20 May 2017 09:20:59 -0600

In their traditional post-Sapphire Now live recording, Jon and Dick once again grab an empty meeting room, but this time, they are - fittingly enough - disrupted. But the taping goes on, as Jon and Dick talk through the major themes of the show, kicking off with the diginomica.com story Dick published before Sapphire Now 2017 on multi-cloud that caused a stir. The guys hit on Sap Cloud Platform and Cloud Foundry, debate whether S/4HANA Cloud was overlooked, and break down Leonardo. Dick also gets into SAP Hybris, microservices, and the guys talk about the SaaS standardization dilemma for customers. They also explain why they chose NOT to talk indirect access. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Your tech keynote survival guide - a satirical riff with Brian Sommer

Fri, 10 Mar 2017 16:59:54 -0600

In this brief satirical effort, Brian and Jon present to you their "Vendor Innovation Keynote Survival Guide" and BS Detector. Advice for vendors on what not to do, advice for attendees, e.g. "bring your safety glasses." The guys cover drones delivering pizza, auto-driving cars on stage, celebrity keynotes, stand-up comics from hell, and other keynote mishaps. We also cover all the hot topics that all vendor will suddenly be doing incredible amazing things with, e.g. the blockchain. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Acumatica '17 in review - cloud ERP gut check with Brian Sommer

Mon, 06 Feb 2017 11:46:26 -0600

In this on-site podcast, live from the annual Acumatica Summit, Brian Sommer and Jon Reed discuss the latest moves from this high growth cloud ERP upstart. The guys discuss Acuamtica's multi-cloud message, their surprise integration with Salesforce, and whether their "deploy anywhere" architecture might prove to be problematic at scale. They also discuss the vertical approach to cloud ERP, and their pulse on Acumatica customers. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

How to build an enterprise tribe - tips and reflections with Mark Finnern

Sat, 04 Feb 2017 17:08:57 -0600

In the audio-only version of this informal video hangout from Mark Finnern's departed treehouse, Finnern reflects with Jon Reed of diginomica on what he learned at SAP in the early days of building enterprise tribes. Now a consultant, Finnern explains why companies should be passionate about communities - not just for customers, but for competitive edge. Finnern also makes his case playfulness as a way of energizing companies and breaking down silos. The guys also discuss Finnern's keys to a successful enterprise communities, and where companies run into trouble. They move into the tricky territory of KPIs, and measuring the results of community investments. The podcast closes with Finnern's take on how SAP has handled community - and the SAP Mentors - after his departure. es, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Acumatica's Jon Roskill on cloud ERP, the multi-cloud, and Acumatica's direction

Tue, 31 Jan 2017 14:12:50 -0600

In this live, on-site podcast from the Acumatica Summit, Jon Reed of diginomica talks to Acumatica CEO Jon Roskill about the state of cloud ERP and Acumatica's direction. Roskill shares his views on the multi-cloud and why customers expect to combine/integrate clouds without being tied to one vendor. The guys also discuss why open APis are key to modern ERP. Then there is the problem of project failure/cost overruns due to excessive customization. But can SaaS ERP, criticized as inflexible, offer an alternative to a "lift and shift" approach? Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Hyperledger hacking and enterprise blockchain potentials - an informal chat

Tue, 03 Jan 2017 14:56:09 -0600

In this informal, audio-only Hangout, Jon Reed of diginomica talks with two enterprise blockchain enthusiasts about the potential of blockchain in the enterprise. Fresh off a Hyperledger hackathon event, Clive Boulton and Greg Misiorek share what they've learned, and why a couple of enterprisey dudes think that the enterprise is due for some enterprisey disruption. The guys also touch on Ethereum and why Hyperledger, a Linux project heavily supported by IBM and other players, seems to have the most potential right now for enterprise blockchains. NOTE: recommend headphone listening as Greg's audio was not optimal. Did my best to improve it. I'll also be writing about this discussion on diginomica.com, so if you missed anything on the audio, check and/or search http://www.diginomica.com on "blockchain" for more. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes

Talking IoT use cases, smart cities and security - with Mrinal Wadhwa

Wed, 16 Nov 2016 14:15:33 -0600

In this live podcast from SAP TechEd Barcelona, Jon finally gets his schedule aligned with Mrinal Wadhwa of Fybr, which has a very interesting IoT play underway. The guys talk about Wadhwa's career shifts, before moving to a deeper talk on Internet of Things use cases. Wadhwa shares customer projects with cities, and how those projects are designed and funded.

The guys discuss what the IoT value is underneath the hype, and wrap with some words on IoT security. There is a bit of wind noise at the beginning as the guys taped outside, but otherwise this should be a good listen. Note: though this podcast was taped at an SAP show, there is not much SAP talk in this podcast. The guys delved into SAP's IoT plays in a shorter, companion podcast. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The SAP TechEd Review - Cloud and Devops with Dick Hirsch

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 03:58:11 -0600

In this SAP TechEd 2016 Barcelona review podcast, Jon Reed talks with cloud and DevOps expert and SAP Mentor Dick Hirsch about his reactions. The guys break down the high points of their meetings, with a look at digital transformation, Hybris and micro-services, IoT, and progress with SAP's Apple iOS development partnership. They also explore the question: why isn't there more DevOps at SAP TechEd? The impact of DevOps and pros/cons of micro-services are other topics the guys explore from their outdoor - though slightly chilly - poolside taping. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

HR tech review - problems in analytics and recruiting

Fri, 16 Sep 2016 15:56:24 -0600

At the Acumatica analyst day, Jon Reed sat down with world class event troublemaker Brian Sommer not long after blowing a fuse. Jon sees if he can get Brian worked up again as the guys review current issues in HR tech, with the HR tech event season about to hit. The guys hit on problems in HR analytics and recruiting in this fairly short conversation. The guys also taped a separate cloud ERP review and closer look at Acumatica. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Acumatica - reviewing their cloud ERP pursuits with Brian Sommer

Fri, 09 Sep 2016 09:50:44 -0600

After Acumatica's analyst day, prior to the next-day launch of Acumatica 6, Jon Reed and Brian Sommer convene for an informal review of what they learned about Acumatica's cloud ERP pursuits. After a bit of fun at the expense of non-disclosure agreements, Jon and Brian hit on the areas that stood out from the show, including a different approach to IoT and machine learning, the emphasis on a platform partners can build on, and the merits of a vertical cloud strategy. The guys also kick around the long term future of multi-tenant/public clouds - and why Acumatica is optimistic about their midmarket cloud ERP approach. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

SuccessConnect 2016 in review - pesky questions with Jarret Pazahanick

Sun, 04 Sep 2016 21:52:32 -0600

In this live conference wrap, taped on SuccessConnect day two, Jon Reed and SuccessFactors consultant Jarret Pazahanick kick around the key themes of the conference and provide a gut check. Pazahanick is known for his pesky questions, but this review catches Pazahanick in an upbeat mood. Pazahanick explains why his views on SuccessFactors have shifted, and the guys hit on multiple themes of the conference, including diversity and business without bias, Intelligent Services. mobile UX and more. The guys hit on under-reported news, keynote reviews, and Pazahanick detailed his biggest concerns going forward. Jon does manage to get Pazahanick in a feisty mood regarding ASUG's announcement of their "Partner Place" program for evaluating SAP consulting partners. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Brian Sommer on the radical future of finance - impact of big data and robotics

Sat, 23 Jul 2016 19:20:12 -0600

In the second of their seat-of-the-pants Inforum 2016 podcasts, Jon and Brian Sommer discuss the radical future of finance, based on Brian's recent posts on radical EPM on diginomica.com. Brian makes his case for why big data threatens spreadsheet culture, and how robotics is changing the finance profession. He brings in real world examples on social media sentiment analysis, and why finance people and CIOs have to get on the same page. The guys wrap with a preview of Brian's piece on how the airlines can redeem the customer experience with applied analytics - the topic of a recent multi-part series, "The Right Stuff" - now up on diginomica.com. Listeners who make it to the end get to sample Brian's Rodney Dangerfield "no respect" impersonation, dedicated to frequent flyers everywhere. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Robotics and jobs - what lies ahead, with Silicon Collar author Vinnie Mirchandani

Sat, 16 Jul 2016 04:10:41 -0600

Jon Reed and Vinnie Mirchandani have their differences when it comes to the outlook for robotics and jobs. At Inforum 2016, they sat down for a podcast taping where Vinnie explained the motivations behind his soon-to-be-released book and why he is optimistic about robotics and how workers can find new ways of working with tech and alongside the robots of the future. Vinnie made his case for why alarmists aren't helping us and the guys do some back and forth over the responsibilities of workers and employers and our educational system for adapting to the changes that automation brings.Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The evolution of Infor - a cloudy chat with Brian Sommer

Thu, 14 Jul 2016 19:03:22 -0600

In this live chat from Inforum 2016, Jon talks with Brian Sommer about Infor's evolution, and how Brian sees Infor's cloud play based on his view of cloud business. The guys cover the takeaways from the show, and Infor's strengths and potential pitfalls. Brian closes with advice to customers on assessing Infor. Note: part two of this podcast, to be released soon, will look at radical enterprise performance management, data science, and the change in the accounting profession. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Inforum 2016 in review - with Vinnie Mirchandani

Wed, 13 Jul 2016 01:03:03 -0600

In part one of his two part podcast with Vinnie Mirchandani, the guys review Inforum 2016 near the end of day 2. Mirchandani has been tracking Inforum for years, and weighs in on Infor's digital transformation and cloud transition themes. The guys weigh Infor's success in moving customers to a pure SaaS model, and Jon presses Vinnie on whether digital transformation is vendor BS or customer reality. In part two of this podcast, to be issued soon, the guys delve into the theme of Vinnie's new book on robotics and the future of work, Silicon Collar. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Cloud HCM from the field - bad vs good practices, SuccessFactors certification and more

Wed, 22 Jun 2016 07:28:42 -0600

In part two of their informal video hangout, Jon Reed of diginomica.com, Jarret Pazahanick and Luke Marson shift their focus to cloud HCM in the field. Using their recent podcast with Steve Bogner's SAP HCM Insighs as a starting point, Jarret and Luke talk about bad versus good practices in SuccessFactors consulting. the guys hit on the demand for SuccessFactors skills, the need for independent experts, and they hit the always-hot issue of SAP certification. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The problem of IoT security - a live discussion with Giesecke & Devrient

Sun, 12 Jun 2016 03:43:05 -0600

At the day one LiveWorx keynotes, Internet of Things security was an overlooked topic. Jon set about to correct that by sitting down with Volker Gerstenberger and Tomi Ronkainen of Giesecke & Devrient, a firm with a deep history of security everything from bank notes to, now, the IoT. The guys talk about the thorny security issues raised by IoT, and how they can be addressed during the design process. Autonomous/smart cars are one hacking controversy the guys cover. They also discuss the tensions between airtight security and great UX, and what they tell end customers about security preparedness. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

On digital transformation, the SAP user group perspective - with ASUG CEO Geoff Scott

Sun, 05 Jun 2016 05:07:03 -0600

During this candid interview with ASUG CEO Geoff Scott, Jon gets the skinny on ASUG's latest collaboration with DSAG - a position paper on digital transformation that is a key issue for SAP customers. Scott shares the story on how the collaboration came about, and Jon presses to find out if ASUG endorses S/4HANA and SAP's view of S/4HANA as the digital core. Taped live in Orlando the day before ASUG Annual Conference and Sapphire Now, Scott shares his goals for the show and beyond. He also gives the view on ASUG's surprise acquisition of the U.S. division of The Eventful Group. This is the audio of a video shoot - you can check the companion analysis Jon wrote of this shoot on diginomica.com. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Inside the evil plans of Steemit - a blockchain powered social media platform

Sun, 05 Jun 2016 04:36:34 -0600

During this live interview, taped in the midst of a bustling Consensus 2016, Steemit co-founder Ned Scott gives Jon the inside view on the creation of Steemit, and their unique approach to rewarding/paying content creators and curators through their blockchain-based platform. He also announces the launch of Steemit.com. Ned talks about Steemit's different asset classes, including Steem dollars, and how they've sparked their launch with a Slack-based community. The guys also get into the failure of existing networks to compensate content creators, and create a civil environment for discourse. Jon also vows to jump off a bridge it companies like Steemit can't build new media models as viable alternatives to living on Facebook. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Sapphire Now in Review - breaking it down with Dick Hirsch

Sun, 22 May 2016 13:52:54 -0600

Jon Reed and Dick Hirsch steal an empty room - or in this case, a (mostly) empty hallway - for a review of the news and events of Sapphire Now and the ASUG Annual Conference, 2016. Hirsch shares his investigations, and the guys compare notes on topics such as the HANA Cloud Platform, the SAP-iOS partnership, and S/4HANA clarifications. The guys discuss S/4HANA's viability as a digital core, SAP's cloud positioning, and how attendees reacted. Customer feedback to SAP on integration, a big theme of the conference, is addressed. This podcast leans on the technical side, which was surprising given Sapphire Now is a business conference - but even Hasso Plattner's final day keynote had an in-depth S/4HANA migration demo. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Designing for consent, and AI chatbot myths - live with Caroline Sinders

Wed, 04 May 2016 15:07:49 -0600

During this live taping at Collision 2016, Jon talks with "User researcher, artist, and digital anthropologist" Caroline Sinders about the intersection of UX design and machine learning. Sinders shares key points from her Collision talk on design for consent, and whether online harassment can be reduced via design. Sinders gives her assessment of Facebook's chatbots and explains why calling such chatbots "AI" is inaccurate. Finally, Sinders sets the record straight on the panel controversy at SXSW and what conference organizers should learn from that brouhaha.Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Live views on enterprise security and encryption - with Mike Janke of Silent Circle

Sun, 01 May 2016 03:49:16 -0600

In this frank/informal chat, recorded live at Collision 2016 in New Orleans, Mike Janke, Co-founder and Chairman of Silent Circle, shares his field views on enterprise security, starting with the advice and wake-up calls he gives to customers. Janke also gives a blunt take on the FBI vs Apple encryption controversy. The issue of user experience design versus security is addressed. The guys wrap with some reflection from Janke on his prior work as a Navy SEAL, and what he learned about risk that carries over into his work with Silent Circle. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

MongoDB's Kelly Stirman on database streaming, security, and the rapidly changing DB market

Thu, 17 Mar 2016 12:40:10 -0600

In this on-site podcast, live from MongoDB Palo Alto, Jon Reed talks with MongoDB's Kelly Stirman about his database research obsessions. Stirman hits on key trends pertaining to data streaming, analysis, graph databases, and cloud adoption. He also explains why he doesn't like it when MongoDB winds up in the NoSQL database bucket. Finally, Jon and Kelly discuss the potent issue of data security, including MongoDB's responses to recent industry security events. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

ZERO ad budgets and the brand zealots debate - with Joseph Jaffe

Sun, 13 Mar 2016 23:41:55 -0600

Live from Advocamp 2016, Jon Reed catches Joseph Jaffe in a spirited mood after his keynote, "Using your brand to create an army of zealots." This frank/informal chat debates the pros/cons of brand zealotry, with Jaffe explaining why politicians like Trump and Obama have changed the marketing discourse. Jon worries this groundswell marketing has a dark side - Jaffe responds. Jaffe also hits on key concepts from his last book Z.E.R.O., which explores the futility of paid media. The guys also kick around the viability of customer advocates and advocate-driven marketing - a key theme of Influitive's Advocamp event. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes

Talking enterprise buyers and digital change with Brian Sommer

Wed, 10 Feb 2016 03:27:40 -0600

Live from the Acumatica Summit 2016, Jon talks to fellow diginomica contributor Brian Sommer about enterprise buyers and digital change. Brian shares some recent digital turbulence and stories of how companies are losing the plot. He also reflects on recent projects to discuss what enterprise buyers need. The guys then hit on why sales and marketing is too often out of step with today's enterprise buyer. Note: part two of this podcast gets into specifics on Acumatica's cloud ERP play. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Acumatica Summit - the cloud ERP review with Brian Sommer

Sat, 06 Feb 2016 19:29:48 -0600

In this on-site podcast with a (hopefully) relaxing fountain providing the background, Jon and fellow diginomica contributor Brian Sommer discuss the 2016 Acumatica Summit and Acumatica's cloud ERP play. The guys explore the unique attributes and challenges of this rapidly growing firm. This podcast is the second from the topic - also check out the first on enterprise buyers and coping with digital change. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The realities and potential of experience design - with Brian Solis

Sun, 31 Jan 2016 03:54:22 -0600

In this unscripted chat with Brian Solis, author of a new book on experience design, Jon asks Brian about whether experience design can be a reality given the data silos and culture issues that prevent this from happening. Brian shares his research and provides a view on why user and customer experience can - and must - change. Jon aired out a number of cynical views on customer experience. Brian's answers included starting points for customers on this new "experience architecture." Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes

Talking white hat hacking, ERP and HANA security with Onapsis

Sun, 15 Nov 2015 17:25:50 -0600

During this informal, on-site podcast taping in Boston, Jon Reed of diginomica.com talks with three members of the Onapsis team (Alex, Alex, and Dave) about what "white hat hacking" means for today's enterprise. The guys also talk about how Onapsis identifies ERP security breaches, and how they work with Oracle and SAP to make sure those companies have appropriate patches before taking security issues public. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Geoff Scott talks turkey on SAP, S/4HANA and DSAG

Sun, 15 Nov 2015 13:16:26 -0600

In this frank video chat from Jon and Den's studio at SAP TechEd Las Vegas, ASUG CEO Geoff Scott offers up strong opinions on ASUG's relationship to SAP and to the German user group DSAG. Scott also shares customer views on S/4HANA and SAP's digital themes. He responds directly to criticisms that ASUG is "soft" on SAP and reacts to Jon's views on customer discounts for S/4HANA migration. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

SAP TechEd 2015 in review - the Hirsch Reed chat - short version

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 01:51:46 -0600

in the short version of this SAP TechEd 2015 on-site podcast, Jon Reed and Dick Hirsch kick around the main conference takeaways and the S/4HANA challenge. Dick shares the main themes he was investigating and the latest on the SAP HANA Cloud Platform. SAP's open source initiatives, particularly Cloud Foundry via Hybris YaaS (Hybris as s service), are briefly discussed. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Extended cut - can social customer service ease our CX pain?

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 00:09:28 -0600

Jon went on-site to Conversocial's NYC headquarters for an informal chat with Conversocial CEO Joshua March about the viability of social channels for customer service. March shares what his company has been up to since he and Jon first corresponded and they were a "cool vendor" to watch. Jon shares his social service beefs and March talks about how social customer service shouldn't just be lip service, but lead all the way to resolution. March also speaks to CRM integration, always an issue when you pursue a specialized product. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Can social customer service ease our CX pain? Short version

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 00:05:57 -0600

Jon went on-site to Conversocial's NYC headquarters for an informal chat with Conversocial CEO Joshua March about the viability of social channels for customer service. March shares what his company has been up to since he and Jon first corresponded and they were a "cool vendor" to watch. Jon shares his social service beefs and March talks about how social customer service shouldn't just be lip service, but lead all the way to resolution. This is the shorter 13 minute version for those who like a shorter podcast. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Predictive analytics - field views with Julien Delvat

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 13:22:53 -0600

In the short version of Jon's chat with SAP Mentor Julien Delvat, live from SAP Controlling 2015, the guys talk about broader predictive trends in the real world, and why predictive is getting traction. They also hash out issues around training and use cases that customers are sharing. For the extended version, which digs into some new HANA and S/4HANA use cases, check Jon's SAP and Enterprise Trends podcast channel. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

The rise of EPM and Predictive Analytics - with Gary Cokins

Thu, 24 Sep 2015 23:12:49 -0600

Gary Cokins, internationally-recognized expert and author in EPM and predictive analytics, gives Jon some straight talk on analytics after his keynote at the Controlling 2015 conference. Cokins explains the rise of EPM, and the challenges CFOs are facing. Using memorable phrases like "management by embarrassment," Cokins peels behind predictive hype and explains the role of technology, not as a cure-all, but as an enabler. Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Talking Careers and Social Media Disillusionment with Vijayasankar

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 12:08:30 -0600

Vijay returns with Jon Reed to make sense of his adventurous career moves - now full circle and back at IBM. Vijay also expands on a blog post he wrote on social media disillusionment, and the guys hash out options for filtering the enterprise software media noise. A bit more about the problems of predictive and the failings of air travel customer experience, and it's a wrap. Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Analytics and IoT field views - with Vijay Vijayasankar

Thu, 10 Sep 2015 10:26:58 -0600

In the triumphant return of Vijay Vijayasankar to Jon's podcast series, Vijay talks analytics views from the field. Jon also asks for Vijay's help sorting Internet of Things hype from BS. Vijay also shares some surprising views on agile. Part two of this podcast will get into Vijay's career moves and evolving position on social media. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

SuccessConnect 2015 - event wrap with Jarret Pazahanick

Sun, 16 Aug 2015 14:41:38 -0600

In the shorter edition, Jon Reed of diginomica digs into the SuccessConnect 2015 show with outspoken SuccessFactors consultant Jarret Pazahanick. The show wrap finds Pazahanick suprisingly upbeat, but there are still key issues to discuss. This shorter version focuses on event news from the show, including Intelligent Services. Note: if you want to hear the full 30 minute directors cut, download that from Jon's SAP and Enterprise trends series. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Talking SuccessFactors Extensibility and HANA Cloud Platform

Sun, 16 Aug 2015 13:00:28 -0600

In the shorter edition, Jon talks with James Sinclair live at SuccessConnect 2015 about the value of cloud platforms, and specifically extensibility on SuccessFactors, with a focus on building apps on the HANA Cloud Platform (HCP) and why that has such an impact on customers. Note: if you want to hear the full 30 minute directors cut, download that from Jon's SAP and Enterprise trends series. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.

Enterprise mobility - where do we go from here?

Fri, 03 Apr 2015 10:23:51 -0600

In this two-for-one convo with Kevin Benedict, Jon and Kevin review the high ponts from the Mobile World Gongress in Barcelona, and discuss the challenges of enterprise mobility (iincluding TCO). Kevin also shares the mobile trends he has seen in his global travels, and gives his best advice on how customers should approach mobile projects, and how they should think about the Internet of things and other "disruptions." The guys also hash out HTML5 versus buliding device-specific apps. Yes, you can get Busting the Omnichannel on iTunes.