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Mar 232011
 

New Version of SAP BusinessObjects GRC Launches

Is SAP’s new GRC release 10.0 really the most comprehensive GRC suite in the market?  I heard this marketing phrase thrown around at SAP and wanted to know if there is validation behind this claim.

Jim Dunham, the solution manager for SAP BusinessObjects GRC solutions, gave me the download about the new version. And in fact there are a lot of enhancements.  More importantly the solution brings together three critical components of managing risk and compliance:

  1. Manages compliance
  2. Monitors the enterprise 
  3. Gathers the data from 1 and 2 for analysis

From the backend customers of the SAP BusinessObjects GRC system hook into other systems a customer might run, as well as SAP systems this is possible via an OEM link

This seems pretty comprehensive to me and these are only the highlights. I am not an expert in risk and compliance; I’m adverse to risk and tend to be conservative (especially when it comes to money)!  So what I found interesting about the new 10.0 release was “bow-tie builder,” a drag and drop tool. What a perfect name! Jim explained that this is a feature that risk managers can use to explain the steps they have taken to mitigate risk to the line of business.  Check out the demo Jim gave me of the bow-tie builder.

SAP has enhanced over 20 areas of its GRC version 10.0 where there are updates in the individual solution areas: Access Control, Global Trade Service, Risk Management and Process Control. Here is a summary of the enhancements:

  • The solution now has a common look and feel that is easier to navigate and easier for customers to train their organization.
  • SAP Business Intelligence is embedded into SAP BusinessObjects GRC for visualization of compliance across the enterprise.
  • Through the SAP Ecohub, customers can pull content provided from partners to let the customers tailor the solution for their specific industry needs.
  • The bow-tie builder gives the risk manager a graphically pleasing visual tool that is easy to display.

I wanted to know how many customers are moving to version 10.0 and Jim did not hesitate to answer that over 50 customers are already ramping up. Right now only existing SAP customers can get the new version, but come June the version will be generally available.

Three SAP customers claim that because of only one new feature they will upgrade to version 10.0.  I will follow-up to this blog with some of the customers he mentioned.  They will upgrade because of the cost saving from efficiency gains made to the upgrades of SAP BusinessObject Access Control solution. 

Here is what sold them.  Within SAP Access Control there is a component called super user privilege manager, AKA Firefighter (another creative name!). Rules are set-up in the system to protect a company of risk, i.e. segregation of duties. If a company needs to change the rules because of an issue or emergency they now can, but only through a monitoring capability, allowing the company to watch any changes being made.  This created a lot of log of changes, which takes a lot of time for an organization to review.  With version 10.0 this log is now segment- able and can be made into a workflow for distribution to the organization for assistance in resolving the issue. This will save companies tons of time and money in tracking all changes made to rules.

In my opinion, the new version does create a comprehensive GRC suite that addresses a lot of the demands from SAP’s customers.

What do you think? Is this the most comprehensive GRC solution in the market?

SAP launched the SAP BusinessObjects GRC new release today.

SAP Launches Next-Generation GRC, Enabling Unified View and Greater Control Over Risk

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Mar 222011
 

SAP today announced its newest release of governance, risk and compliance (GRC) software, providing a single, unified environment for the most comprehensive support for management, monitoring and analysis of enterprise risk and compliance activities. Nearly three years in the making, the new release integrates GRC capabilities into everyday business processes, helping make risk management, regulatory compliance and safe, productive operations a standard and a consistent practice. Read the press release.

SAP Announces New Generation of In-Memory Applications

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Mar 092011
 

SAP today announced a new road map of in-memory applications that will help customers to become real-time businesses, transforming the way they think, plan and operate. Based on a foundation of SAP In-Memory Computing technology, SAP will  deliver a new reality for enterprise software. The company introduced entirely new types of applications that were unimaginable before in-memory computing, and plans to renew existing SAP solutions with in-memory computing technology. The announcement was made during the SAP Run Better Tour, being held today in Boston.

Customers and Partners Recognize the Power of Business Analytics From SAP

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Feb 232011
 

Here’s what customers, partners and industry analysts are saying about the 4.0 releases of business intelligence (BI) and enterprise information management (EIM) solutions from the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio:

For Lionsgate, the 4.0 releases combined with the SAP BusinessObjects analytics applications help the company compete against bigger production companies, improve revenue and sharpen the bottom line. “One of the things that’s very exciting to me – opportunities that are provided by things like SAP BusinessObjects [software] – is that we’re able to use all these new tools, things like the iPad and the new smartphones, we’re using those tools to drive sales that we didn’t anticipate before,” said Leo Collins, executive vice president and chief information officer, Lionsgate Entertainment Corp. “We’ve implemented [SAP NetWeaver] BW and [SAP NetWeaver] BW Accelerator – systems that pull data directly out of the core financial systems. We’re focused on the new SAP BusinessObjects modules that SAP has acquired, working with SAP directly, and seeing these new products and figuring out together how we can use them – new products like SAP HANA – and that makes for a really valuable partnership. We do have phenomenal amounts of data. We know how every motion picture has done in every theatre, we know all of the expenses at a very granular level, and these new tools we’re getting from SAP allow us to have better revenue streams and better control of costs.”

Accessing enormous amounts of customer data in real-time is exactly what Christian Ritte, head of PCC, Finance, HR and Reporting for Hilti – the Lichtenstein-based technology provider to the global construction industry – is looking for to respond faster to customers. After finishing the pilot phase of SAP HANA, Hilti plans to unite the incredible power of SAP HANA with the easy-to-use reporting of the 4.0 releases from SAP. “Complexity can only be addressed by providing better visualization,” said Ritte, “and we think that with SAP BusinessObjects [software] we can really go a step ahead.”

“Accenture recently launched a new program with SAP to build and deliver advanced analytics and mobility solutions leveraging the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio. This industry-leading effort is available throughout Accenture’s state-of-the-art network of analytics innovation centers and Accenture Technology Labs. At our center in San Jose, for instance, Accenture and SAP specialists are working side-by-side to enhance existing analytics applications and develop the next generation of industry-specific analytics solutions on the newly-announced 4.0 releases. It’s also worth noting that Accenture is active in the SAP Ramp-Up program, which expedites migration to the 4.0 releases. As a result, Accenture has already upgraded its Utilities Asset Management solution, originally built on SAP BusinessObjects XI 3.1 and Xcelsius 2008, to the 4.0 releases.” – Hettie Tabor, global lead for SAP Business Analytics, Accenture

“With the 4.0 releases of the SAP BusinessObjects solutions, SAP is extending access to powerful business intelligence to all business users that need it. It’s a next-generation, intuitive solution that provides easy access to SAP data and unprecedented interoperability between BI tools,” said Andreas Keller, competence team manager, SAP BusinessObjects, cundus AG

“Powerful trends are driving increased emphasis on business analytics in every industry sector. Key among them: unforgiving demands for continued improvements in performance; the need to proactively manage risk in increasingly complex business and stringent regulatory environments; and exponentially increasing amounts of data and new signals to process, analyze and react to. With the right capabilities in place, organizations can gain deeper, more accurate business insights to better inform decision-making, better meet customer needs and gain competitive advantage. Deloitte has been collaborating with SAP to develop and deliver solutions that help our mutual clients improve their analytic capabilities. The 4.0 releases are an exciting development, and will be an important catalyst in our efforts to help Deloitte clients harness the power of analytics.” – Lee Dittmar, principal, Deloitte U.S. (Deloitte Consulting LLP); national sales leader, Deloitte Analytics

“To effectively serve customers, employees, partners and citizens, organizations must reduce regulatory compliance risk, have real time access to information as well as improve collaboration. Combining HP enterprise solutions with new offerings from the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio will help our joint clients rethink how information is gathered, stored and used – harnessing its power, ensuring its protection and delivering it in the context of their enterprises.” – Elke Reichart, vice president, SAP Alliance, HP

“Siemens IT Solutions and Services has a long standing relationship with SAP, investing engineering and entrepreneurial skills to transform business intelligence innovations into measurable value for the customer. Leveraging our profound IT knowledge and business expertise gathered in global projects across various industries, we work as ‘business technologists’ to integrate the4.0 releases from SAP into business processes. Clients will achieve substantial cost savings using the integrated business analytics and reporting structures designed for easy handling by end-users. Always considering new trends such as online access to information from mobile devices anytime anywhere or social media analytics.” – Carl-Rainer Stetter, head of Global Competence Center Business Intelligence, Siemens IT Solutions and Services

SAP Unveils Future of Analytics: Real-Time, Mobile, Social

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Feb 232011
 

The world of business is becoming increasingly global and marked by virtual organizations using mobile technology and social networks. Organizations must be equipped to better assess and act decisively on huge volumes of data both from within and outside their businesses. In response to this transformation, SAP today launched the 4.0 releases of business intelligence (BI) and enterprise information management (EIM) solutions from the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio, harnessing the advances of three years of software development.

SAP Adds New Analytic Applications for Industries

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Feb 232011
 

SAP today introduced six new SAP BusinessObjects analytic applications tailored to help address the needs of organizations in the media, oil and gas, healthcare, insurance, life sciences and public sector industries. These new applications join the family of analytic applications launched in fall 2010 that target business intelligence (BI) use cases in specific industries. The announcement was made during the SAP Run Better Tour. Read the press release.