The Future of ERP

Everyone is talking about AI adoption. But there is one question that boardrooms are quietly avoiding: where is the profit? This episode goes straight at it, and the answer will make you rethink every AI pilot you have ever run.

=====

The episode opens with a question that should make any CFO uncomfortable: if AI is this powerful, where exactly is the profit? Roman Krohman, SAP Go-To-Market practice leader at HCLTech, brings over 25 years of enterprise transformation experience and a refreshingly honest take on where the industry is getting it wrong. The numbers are sobering: 88% of companies use AI regularly, yet fewer than 40% can point to any real impact on the P&L. Roman introduces a critical distinction between being human in the loop versus human on the loop, a small preposition shift that signals an entirely different operating model. The pilot to production gap is named for what it really is: a leadership problem, not a technology problem, with most pilots designed as procurement exercises dressed up as innovation. Roman and Oyku unpack the BCG 10/20/70 rule, where 70% of AI value comes from people and process, yet most organizations pour all their energy into the 10% that is the algorithm. A new definition of finance value is proposed, moving beyond cost efficiency toward speed, accuracy, working capital, and resilience as the metrics that actually matter. The Finance Mission Control concept emerges as a practical way to link AI-enabled workflows directly to P&L impact and make value visible before any narrative solidifies. Roman argues that AI agents should be treated exactly like employees: onboarded with defined scope, given guardrails, supervised closely, and retired without hesitation if they underperform. The episode closes with a striking vision of ERP becoming invisible but more critical than ever, no longer a system of record but a system of action.

Useful Links:
⁠SAP Cloud ERP⁠

Follow Us on Social Media!
SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

=====

Guest 1: Roman Khromin

Host 1: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Follow Richard Howell on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Host 2: Oyku Ilgar, SAP
Oyku Ilgar is a marketer and thought leader specializing in SAP’s digital supply chain and ERP solutions since 2017. As a marketer, blogger, and podcaster, she creates engaging content that highlights innovative SAP technologies and explores key topics including business trends, AI, Industry 4.0, and sustainability.

Follow Oyku Ilgar on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SAP Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

AI is changing everything; so why does ERP keep coming up as the thing that makes it all work? This episode gets real about what actually happens when you put AI on top of your core business systems.

=====

ERP is not dying and if anything, AI is making it more important than ever. Benjamin Krischer from cbs answers that question without hesitation and builds a compelling case from there. The episode unpacks why ERP remains the foundational data layer that every AI decision ultimately depends on. A new architectural reality is emerging where data, front-end, and AI are separating into distinct layers, reshaping how enterprise systems are built. The autonomous enterprise is closer than people think, but Benjamin is clear that humans must stay in the loop because someone still has to sign off the year-end results. Data quality is the make-or-break factor since bad data fed into AI does not produce bad outputs, it produces confidently wrong ones. Structured ERP data and messy external sources need to be governed, semantically aligned, and treated as real business assets. Greenfield implementations offer a clean AI-ready start, but Benjamin notes that most companies are navigating selective data transitions from existing landscapes. Transformation is not a project with an end date. It is a continuous journey, and as Benjamin puts it, it never truly ends.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download Episode Transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Useful Links:
SAP Cloud ERP
Explore cbs System Landscape Transformation  

Follow Us on Social Media!
SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

=====

Guest 1: Benjamin Krischer, Global Head of System Landscape & Transformation and Member of the Executive Board at CBS

Benjamin Krischer is Global Head of System Landscape Transformation (SLT) at cbs and a member of the Executive Board. With more than 20 years of experience inSAP and business transformation, he has dedicated his career to helping organizations align data, processes, and technology. After starting his professional journey with database development and SAP data migration projects, he went on to lead complex transformation initiatives across industries. Today, he heads the global Landscape Transformation practice of cbs, supporting customers worldwide in SAP S/4HANA transformations, data migration, and system landscape optimization through a unique combination of process and data expertise.
 
Benjamin’s LinkedIn

Host 1: Richard Howells, SAP

Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Follow Richard Howell on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Thinking about moving from a single, tightly coupled ERP to a modular, composable setupwithout slowing the business? Explore how a shift to a “system of intelligence,” with AI orchestrating processes across applications, unlocks agility and resilience.

=====

This episode explores how enterprises can evolve from monolithic ERP to a composable, modular landscape without disrupting operations. It explains the shift from a system of record to a system of intelligence, with AI as the connective tissue across processes and applications. It also highlights governance must haves, central guardrails with federated innovation, governed extensions, reversible AI actions, cost governance, and consistent global templates. Finally, it covers change practices that stick, from reframing “one system” to “one platform” to building champion networks and sustaining adoption after go live.
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Useful Links:
⁠SAP Cloud ERP⁠https://atos.net
https://atos.net/en/services/smart-platforms/sap-services
https://atos.net/en/blog/fast-tracking-ecc-to-sap-s-4hana

Follow Us on Social Media!
SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

=====

Guest 1: Andy Brown, Global CTO at Atos
Andy is the Global CTO for the SAP Business within Atos. He’s been in the SAP ecosystem for over 30 years, always in a technical role. He believes the impact of AI on SAP will be the most significant since the launch of R/3 and the client-server architecture of the 90’s.

Host 1: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Follow Richard Howell on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes!

Is AI eliminating jobs or creating better ones? Join us as we unpack how ERP roles, leadership, and skills are being redefined, and what it truly takes to thrive in the era of the autonomous enterprise.

=====

AI and automation are fundamentally changing what ERP expertise looks like, from entry-level roles to senior leadership. Trijoy Saikia from HCLTech shares how organizations are rethinking talent models, upskilling strategies, and management structures to keep pace. The conversation covers real-world human-AI collaboration, the barriers slowing AI adoption from pilot to production, and what SAP's Autonomous Enterprise roadmap means for every professional working in the ERP space today.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download Episode Transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Useful Links:
SAP Cloud ERP
https://www.hcltech.com/

Follow Us on Social Media!
SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

=====

Guest 1: Trijoy Saikia, HCLTech Business Acceleration Center for SAP

Host 1: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Follow Richard Howell on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Host 2: Oyku Ilgar, SAP
Oyku Ilgar is a marketer and thought leader specializing in SAP’s digital supply chain and ERP solutions since 2017. As a marketer, blogger, and podcaster, she creates engaging content that highlights innovative SAP technologies and explores key topics including business trends, AI, Industry 4.0, and sustainability.

Follow Oyku Ilgar on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SAP Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Your cloud ERP holds the keys to your entire business: finance, HR, supply chain. But who actually controls the locks? This episode exposes the identity access gaps most organizations never see coming, and why AI is making them more dangerous than ever.

=====

Identity and access management (IAM) is often misunderstood. But getting it wrong can cost millions. EY's Joe Surmeier breaks down IAM in cloud ERP: from the most common mistakes organizations make during migration, to navigating the shared responsibility model between vendors, SIs, and customers. The conversation also explores how AI is reshaping both threats and defenses, and shares three actionable priorities for any organization starting its cloud ERP journey, and why cybersecurity must have a seat at the table from day one.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download Episode Transcript⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Useful Links:
 ⁠⁠SAP Cloud ERP⁠⁠

Follow Us on Social Media!
SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

=====

Guest 1: Joe Surmeier, Senior Manager, Cybersecurity at Ernst & Young LLP
Joe Surmeier has spent more than a decade at the intersection of cybersecurity, business transformation, and risk management. He works with organizations to integrate security into complex transformation programs, helping leadership teams navigate evolving cyber risks while accelerating innovation, compliance, and operational resilience.

Host 1: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Follow Richard Howell on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Host 2: Oyku Ilgar, SAP
Oyku Ilgar is a marketer and thought leader specializing in SAP’s digital supply chain and ERP solutions since 2017. As a marketer, blogger, and podcaster, she creates engaging content that highlights innovative SAP technologies and explores key topics including business trends, AI, Industry 4.0, and sustainability.

Follow Oyku Ilgar on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SAP Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠