Figuring Out IT’s Future in an Organization

By |October 23rd, 2012|

"What is the value proposition for IT in your organization?" IT can be just a service organization that provides a commodity service (and is outsourced to a cheaper provider), or it can identify where to add value to an organization, to the business, and to business leadership. Hallmark does not sell greeting cards-- you can buy the same card cheaper at the grocery store. Rather, Hallmark sells an environment of empathy and customer intimacy. Similarly, exemplary restaurants do not sell food. R [...]

SAP Change Management Program Success

By |July 30th, 2012|

Lots of literature, information, and resources focus on change management for successful enterprise application projects. To address SAP change management, the SAP Activate Methodology provides resources, tools, and templates, along with guidance for Change Management during your SAP project. Even though the Activate methodology and various other resources provide some great information, the high-level guiding framework always seems to be somewhat vague. For example, businesses receive a consta [...]

Achieve Business Benefit Through SAP Prototype Demonstrations

By |July 16th, 2012|

SAP Conference Room Proof of Concept Pilots Proof of Concepts with frequent early prototyping drive project costs down. Consider the old saying: “an ounce of prevention can avoid a pound of cure.” Proof of concept pilots during the project are a rarely mentioned SAP critical success factor. Early in my SAP career, the disruption these prototype sessions, conference room pilots, etc. would cause used to frustrate me. My thought was, "I have a job to do and don't have time for this." No one ever [...]

Untangle SAP Software Licensing

By |July 9th, 2012|

A while back, I read a self-serving post on LinkedIn from a company that promoted how “wonderful” Oracle is for having a public price list, and how terrible it is that SAP and others do not. The main complaint was that SAP lacks transparency. However, while SAP does not publicly publish a price list, the company does have a pricing structure that is regularly updated and quite thorough. Additionally, the post failed to mention Oracle sales tactics. The company virtually gives their software awa [...]

Investigative Report: Enterprise Application Guest Worker Fraud in America

By |June 18th, 2012|

My last post on why Guest Worker IT Firms Crash Then Burn When Investigating Visa Fraud provided some background on guest worker fraud that has been investigated. The whistle-blowing activity of a Jack Palmer about Infosys created much of the spark to light this match. However, Infosys should not be considered an isolated incident. As Jack Palmer’s case demonstrates, consultants who are tired of the fraud have options. His conviction and dedication indicates that you must be willing to stand up [...]

Guest Worker IT Firms Crash Then Burn When Investigating Visa Fraud

By |June 11th, 2012|

Several years ago, a gentleman by the name of Jack Palmer blew the lid on the entire Guest Worker scam at InfoSys. Anyone who has worked hard to establish their career in SAP (or other IT areas) the old-fashioned way, through hard work and perseverance, owes this man a huge debt of gratitude. He exposed how the whole guest worker program can be abused as he presented evidence on how one of the biggest guest worker companies routinely committed fraud. His complaint even alleges how the company b [...]