SAP Labs India is working with customers to jointly design technology-agnostic solutions that deliver business outcomes, a strategic bet to help companies who are seeing disruptions to business models due to rapid changes in technology.
For companies, the biggest shift has been a move to the Cloud, where the ability to rent software, analytics and storage on the internet allows smaller and nimbler firms to complete with established players with newer products and services, and at a fraction of the cost.
“Customers are also kind of trying to grapple (with the shifts). So, it's not about going in there with (us saying) here's the consulting project, this is your statement of work. It's really about sitting at the table with the Chief Innovation Officer, the Chief Digital Officer, working hand-in-hand with them,” said Sindhu Gangadharan, Managing Director of SAP Labs India.
Gangadharan, a SAP veteran who took up the position last month, is planning for its India labs to take up end-to-end ownership of engineering products that focus on business outcomes for customers.
“Finally, it's really to work together; we need to break those silos, right? And we need to just come together, because for a customer, it's all SAP,” she said. “The focus is about driving that transformation to India. And, if the more customers you talk to, they are also looking into how they can transform their businesses?”
SAP has over 11,000 customers in India and it plans to take the local knowledge to its global customers.
“Customers are also in that mode, they are really looking into ‘how can I transform my business?’ How can I reach customers differently? What kind of revenue models? Do I see differently? ...How can we influence that change from India out of this location?” Gangadharan said.
SAP and rival Oracle are increasingly using the Cloud to rent their software to customers, shifting from the traditional model of selling licences alone.
This shift helps in predictable revenue from clients, as it becomes increasingly critical to keep using its functions to drive their business.
“We recently had a supervisory board meeting focused on India. We also articulated very clearly to the board that for the next five years, the government is very stable (in India). In that sense, whatever we want to drive (focus towards India), this is the right time,” she said.
For companies, the biggest shift has been a move to the Cloud, where the ability to rent software, analytics and storage on the internet allows smaller and nimbler firms to complete with established players with newer products and services, and at a fraction of the cost.
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Gangadharan, a SAP veteran who took up the position last month, is planning for its India labs to take up end-to-end ownership of engineering products that focus on business outcomes for customers.
“Finally, it's really to work together; we need to break those silos, right? And we need to just come together, because for a customer, it's all SAP,” she said. “The focus is about driving that transformation to India. And, if the more customers you talk to, they are also looking into how they can transform their businesses?”
SAP has over 11,000 customers in India and it plans to take the local knowledge to its global customers.
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“Customers are also in that mode, they are really looking into ‘how can I transform my business?’ How can I reach customers differently? What kind of revenue models? Do I see differently? ...How can we influence that change from India out of this location?” Gangadharan said.
SAP and rival Oracle are increasingly using the Cloud to rent their software to customers, shifting from the traditional model of selling licences alone.
This shift helps in predictable revenue from clients, as it becomes increasingly critical to keep using its functions to drive their business.
“We recently had a supervisory board meeting focused on India. We also articulated very clearly to the board that for the next five years, the government is very stable (in India). In that sense, whatever we want to drive (focus towards India), this is the right time,” she said.
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