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Date: 2024-11-21 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00001600

Technology, Society and Economy
63% of corporate economic transactions may be passing over SAP systems

SAP acquires US-based SuccessFactors for $3.4 billion ... further strengthening its corporate system stranglehold!

COMMENTARY
This posting thread makes reference to this:

According to SAP, 63 percent of the “world’s transaction revenue” touches an SAP system
This caught my attention. I was involved in the early days of corporate computerization and the expansion of accounting into other aspects of business management like integrated resource management and planning which eventually spread to every labor, material and money transaction in the enterprise.

But what is interesting is that the people that buy SAP systems have as their goal the optimization of performance so that the business profit increases, and that is it. I have argued for a very long time that the goal of all economic activity should be above all else to satisfy an important need of society, and also to make a satisfactory profit. Maximising the satisfaction of important needs takes precedence over making more and more profit. Profits should be constrained as long as there are important needs that are unsastified.

I would love to have a little 'add-on' that would convert the SAP systems to reflect this modest change in business goal prioritization.
Peter Burgess

TechCrunch trumpeted an odd lack of interest in SAP’s acquisition of human capital management vendor, SuccessFactors, for $3.4 billion. The popular technology startup blog offered these choice comments:

In what is perhaps the most boring piece of tech news to come out of this week, German software giant SAP has today announced that it will buy the US-based SuccessFactors….

I think this means that it provides enterprise software for human resources, but you can never be too sure with these incredibly dull companies. I am too bored to Google it.

If you are actually interested in finding out more, or having trouble sleeping and need something to push you over the edge, SAP will be holding a conference call….

Even the carefully chosen web address for the TechCrunch article speaks volumes:

http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/03/zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz/

Now, I totally get that enterprise software is not exciting. But let’s remember two facts:

  • -- This deal is worth billions and is about the cloud. Regardless of your opinion good or bad, it’s important.
  • -- According to SAP, 63 percent of the “world’s transaction revenue” touches an SAP system
The SAP acquisition demonstrates the mainstream importance of cloud computing; it’s good for everyone involved in the cloud ecosystem. From startups, which are TechCrunch’s usual fare, to the largest players in the world this acquisition says: CLOUD HAS ARRIVED.

TechCrunch puts down SAP's $3.4B billion cloud acquisition | ZDNet

SAP’s huge acquisition is important to the entire cloud computing ecosystem. It’s a big deal!

2 comments

Roshan Ramachandran - All the comments (booing) in that TC post say it all. 1:02 PM

Jason Teske - The fact that ZD Net's post is not about the acquisition, but about TechCrunches reaction to it... pot or kettle? 1:52 PM

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