TCS Australia chops 15 staff
Citing a slow down in financial services, IT outsourcing firm Tata
Consultancy Services has chopped 15 SAP specialists from its Australian
financial services division.
Showing posts with label ERP/SAP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ERP/SAP. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
SAP INFO , power search and archives
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SAP :: >> Gain Visibility and Control over Your Trade Promotion Processes Webcast
Gain Visibility and Control over Your Trade Promotion Processes Webcast | ||||
| September 8, 2008 Headlines The Business Process Expert Community: Here to Help you Resolve Business Process Challenges Learn how the Florida Department of Revenue (FDOR) is one of many customers the Business Process Expert community has enabled to resolve business process challenges through peer-to-peer collaboration in an online Web 2.0 environment. Seeking to extend its SAP tax and revenue management solution, FDOR leveraged the expertise of the Business Process Expert community, which helped the agency model its new business process (PDF, 252 KB). Continue Betting on SOA Can Pay Big Dividends for SMEs Read how, although the business-empowering benefits of service-oriented architecture (SOA) have been readily embraced by many of today's leading global corporations, small and midsize enterprises (SMEs) have generally remained reluctant to jump on the SOA bandwagon. To CEOs with limited IT budgets, an investment in the promise of SOA often looks like a particularly risky gamble. Marcia Kaufman, a partner at Hurwitz & Associates and one of the coauthors of "SOA For Dummies", explains why the greater risk for SMEs may lie in rejecting today's strategy of choice for achieving sustainable agility and competitive advantage. Continue Points North Contracting Gains New Visibility into Operations with SAP Business One Discover how Points North Contracting Ltd. (PNC), of Fort St. John, Canada, installs 400 km to 500 km of pipeline and completes about 150 facility projects each year. Projects range from a one-day fix to a full-season construction project employing over 200 people. PNC's area of operations extends from the Canadian Rockies to the northern boundaries of British Columbia and Alberta. To gain better visibility into its business operations, Points North Contracting turned to the SAP Business One application. Continue In-Person Events Planning and Implementing New Shared Service Center September 24 - 25, 2008, London, UK Register now SAP TechEd 2008 Berlin October 14 - 16, 2008, Berlin, Germany Register now SAP Insider Events on Reporting & Analytics, BPM, Data Management October 28 - 30, 2008, Marseilles, France Register now SAP TechEd 2008 Shanghai November 5 - 6, 2008, Shanghai, China Register now SAP TechEd 2008 Bangalore November 12 - 14, 2008 Bangalore, India Register now | FREE ON-DEMAND WEBCASTS Please use your email address to log in: Managing Global Industrial Manufacturing Operations for Efficiency and Growth Webcast Continue Attracting and Acquiring Top Talent Webcast -- SAP E-Recruiting at BMW Manufacturing Continue Ateeco, Inc Webcast – A Recipe For Long Term Growth Continue FEATURED WEBCAST | |||
Monday, August 25, 2008
Future of SAP in India
SAP All in One implementation at low costs and good quality would determine SAP in India especially in SMB segments
Special Report: Breaking into SAP consulting
So you've heard that SAP consulting can be a challenging and fulfilling career. The money's good. The work is interesting. The technology has a fairly solid future. Ready to jump ship and rush to find the nearest SAP opening? Join the club. At the moment SAP consulting is a challenging market for new consultants, but as with anything, a determined person can break into the market. The key is to find the right balance of timing, knowledge, and strategy.
Also, don't miss the companion article: Tips and tricks for SAP consulting success
The right time
"The first step is to understand that you don't just jump into independent SAP consulting," says Jon Reed, vice president of SAPtips (www.saptips.com). You have to make sure you're at a point in your career that consulting is a realistic option. While a few exceptions exist, having the right qualifications is far from a guarantee that you can find work.
"The aspiring SAP consultant is up against veterans, and few areas are so new that someone more experienced than you isn't on the case," says Reed. And SAP handles more of its consulting business than it used to, so independent consultants with senior level experience tend to score the open positions. In the past, certification was enough to get started, but Reed says that is no longer true. "Breaking into consulting now requires a lot of strategy and determination," he says.
According to Reed, the best time to try to break into consulting is when you already have a number of years of experience working with SAP technology. Reed advises breaking your plan into steps. "Don't expect 'today this, tomorrow SAP consulting,'" he says. Expect to spend a few years as a full-time employee to get exposure to SAP and develop a track record.
But just how much time do you need to put in before making the leap to consulting? That depends heavily on the type of work. "The less specific to the consulting target the consultant's past experience is, the more time is going to be needed." Bill Scheer, a research analyst with Kennedy Information, Inc., points out that a person working in automotive onboard diagnostics for a leading company might be able to translate that experience into consulting fairly quickly. Because longevity in the industry breeds networking and contacts, expect an average of ten years in the industry as being a good benchmark for being able to break into consulting, Scheer says. "Some can break in sooner, but lots do it later."
Reed agrees, pointing out that few universal truths exist regarding when and how individuals can break into consulting. "Whether or not you can break in in one step depends mostly on the overlap between your current skills and SAP," he says. Certain Web-based programmers may be able to break in right away because SAP is emphasizing programming in its new release. But people working on the business side may have difficulty finding such an overlap. "Just because you have a finance background doesn't mean you can suddenly become an SAP consultant in that area," Reed says. "You need a transitional opportunity with a company in order to get that exposure. Companies are much more willing to expose people to new skills development when they are permanent employees than when they are consultants."
Is consulting for you?
Is consulting even right for you in the first place? Reed offers the following checklist to help determine:
Do you like having control over what kind of project to work on and when?
In pursuing a higher income potential, are you willing to take on a bit more risk?
In independent consulting, finding the next project is often up to you. Are you comfortable with the sales and marketing component?
Are you comfortable with the financial management part of being your own boss?
The right knowledge
According to Scheer, the most important piece of expertise for would-be consultants is vertical expertise and industry knowledge. "There's significant play for consultants who have deep industry knowledge and expertise with clients in the same industry," he says. Consulting firms want to have the engagement team stacked with the best thought leaders and those who know the industry best, and this is important for independent consultants to keep in mind as well. The client needs to feel that the consultant or firm understands the client's needs and can deliver them, he says.
Narrowing in on the right area of focus can be a challenge for some consultants. "The relevant skills you need depend on which area of SAP you are trying to break into," Reed says. "What I encourage people to do is to study SAP's product in order to map your current skills into the product." Many new consultants don't recognize the marketability of their existing skills. For example, Reed points out that some people with a terrific background in finance chase CRM instead of doing their homework to determine how their skills best synch up with SAP. He advises choosing both a core and a cutting edge area of SAP to focus on. "An HR consultant, for example, might target core areas in payroll but look for cutting edge things like internationally based management, self service or succession planning or workforce management."
Scheer agrees that specializing is key. "Anyone considering going into consulting on SAP modules really needs to have a very tight focus," he says. Focus almost needs to be by industry sub-segment, he recommends. "It's almost not good enough to be an automotive specialist. You need to be sub-assembly transmission builder or electronics subcontracting specialist. That's the type of expertise that clients are expecting." Companies look for people who really live and breathe the industry to understand both sides of meeting the business needs.
If you wonder whether certification would make it easier to break into consulting, Reed says not to expect miracles. "There are good reasons to consider training and certification, but it doesn't have the immediate gratification aspect that it should," he points out. Taking training does allow you to begin the process of learning the application and making connections, but experience and paying your dues are key. "I think the people with the most luck are not those who go and get certified but those who take it upon themselves to do that good old fashioned networking."
The right strategy
Many people who aspire toward SAP consulting make a key error from the start. "They understand that SAP rates are really good, so they just want to jump ship to that higher rate application but really haven't looked hard at where the application is going." Reed advises staying up to date on SAP's direction through webcasts, product overviews, and following the industry as a whole. Having your finger on the SAP industry's pulse is key in your attempts to plan your strategy. "Don't try to break into where SAP is now. Imagine yourself meeting SAP further along the path as it's moving ahead." If you try to intersect further along, you'll be competing with more, and more experienced, consultants.
Wondering if a staffing agency might be a shortcut into the consulting world? "That would really depend on the consultant's goals," Scheer says. In terms of getting started, most consultants find the most direct route is to go back to the people they knew in the industry while working as a full-time employee. Then, it's word of mouth. "An outside agent is not going to have the first hand knowledge of where the consultant is trying to play," he says. "Consultants are really their own best representatives, so I really bet they are best off going to beat the bushes themselves."
The impact from offshore outsourcing
The rise in offshore outsourcing has led to an interesting challenge for prospective consultants. The most promising area, says Scheer, is consulting in business processes and functions. Consultants will find less opportunity on the programming side. "The technical side can be and is being offshored," he states.
That's not to say technical consulting can't be done, says Reed, but know that programmers face a special set of strategic considerations. One key tactic is to understand SAP's new technology architecture and the new development tools that come along with it. By gaining skills in new development and platforms, technical consultants face a better chance of success than if they focus on skills like ABAP programming, which is commonly outsourced.
"The cubicle coder is an endangered species," says Reed. "No longer can programmers show up, duck into a cubicle, and crank out code. They have to be on the cutting edge or just genius level talent, and there's not a lot in between." Those consultants finding success tend to find it in SAP projects with knowledge transfer. Companies are more sophisticated about in-house staff and look for someone that really understands how to work with functional teams and to identify issues with customizations.
"Soft skills may make you a little more marketable," Reed advises. Be prepared to do team leadership and training. To succeed as a technical consultant, expect to need broader skill sets than just technical programming. But Reed cautions against abandoning technical for functional consulting prematurely if programming is your true passion. "There are exceptions to every trend," he says "Although there's not a lot of room for average programmers in consulting, if you're super talented and super committed, I'm not sure you should bail out too soon. The areas that you are most passionate about are the ones about which you're going to put in the extra hours reading the latest book or manual on the plane."
Looking to the future
What can you expect regarding pay as a consultant? Reed says he can only speak in generalities and they don't necessarily apply across the board, but he estimates most salary-based SAP employees can expect compensation around $60-80,000 per year, and the consulting side might be more like $60-100,000, although finding jobs can be tricky. On the contracting side the rates tend to be around $60-90 per hour. Obviously those numbers are general and depend on skill and experience, he points out.
As far as prospects for future consultants, Reed points out that because most SAP customers are still running on R/3 4.6C, many are in the process of upgrading right now. 2009 is the last year that version is supposed to be on standard maintenance. Expect to see companies looking to upgrade to 5.0 or mySAP ERP with the NetWeaver release. "The pending upgrade activity bodes well for those who can find jobs with SAP customers who are planning upgrades." When companies are more in maintenance mode, less opportunity exists for interesting skill exposure, but the coming upgrades carry the potential for more action and activity for those who want to break in.
The choice is individual. If you prefer to focus exclusively on your passion for implementing SAP and stay focused on core technical skills, you may be best off working in an employee scenario or full-time for a consulting firm, Reed says. But if you prefer the freedom and additional responsibility of finding projects, attending conferences, and making decisions on where to go next, consulting may be the right choice for you.
Also, don't miss the companion article: Tips and tricks for SAP consulting success
The right time
"The first step is to understand that you don't just jump into independent SAP consulting," says Jon Reed, vice president of SAPtips (www.saptips.com). You have to make sure you're at a point in your career that consulting is a realistic option. While a few exceptions exist, having the right qualifications is far from a guarantee that you can find work.
"The aspiring SAP consultant is up against veterans, and few areas are so new that someone more experienced than you isn't on the case," says Reed. And SAP handles more of its consulting business than it used to, so independent consultants with senior level experience tend to score the open positions. In the past, certification was enough to get started, but Reed says that is no longer true. "Breaking into consulting now requires a lot of strategy and determination," he says.
According to Reed, the best time to try to break into consulting is when you already have a number of years of experience working with SAP technology. Reed advises breaking your plan into steps. "Don't expect 'today this, tomorrow SAP consulting,'" he says. Expect to spend a few years as a full-time employee to get exposure to SAP and develop a track record.
But just how much time do you need to put in before making the leap to consulting? That depends heavily on the type of work. "The less specific to the consulting target the consultant's past experience is, the more time is going to be needed." Bill Scheer, a research analyst with Kennedy Information, Inc., points out that a person working in automotive onboard diagnostics for a leading company might be able to translate that experience into consulting fairly quickly. Because longevity in the industry breeds networking and contacts, expect an average of ten years in the industry as being a good benchmark for being able to break into consulting, Scheer says. "Some can break in sooner, but lots do it later."
Reed agrees, pointing out that few universal truths exist regarding when and how individuals can break into consulting. "Whether or not you can break in in one step depends mostly on the overlap between your current skills and SAP," he says. Certain Web-based programmers may be able to break in right away because SAP is emphasizing programming in its new release. But people working on the business side may have difficulty finding such an overlap. "Just because you have a finance background doesn't mean you can suddenly become an SAP consultant in that area," Reed says. "You need a transitional opportunity with a company in order to get that exposure. Companies are much more willing to expose people to new skills development when they are permanent employees than when they are consultants."
Is consulting for you?
Is consulting even right for you in the first place? Reed offers the following checklist to help determine:
Do you like having control over what kind of project to work on and when?
In pursuing a higher income potential, are you willing to take on a bit more risk?
In independent consulting, finding the next project is often up to you. Are you comfortable with the sales and marketing component?
Are you comfortable with the financial management part of being your own boss?
The right knowledge
According to Scheer, the most important piece of expertise for would-be consultants is vertical expertise and industry knowledge. "There's significant play for consultants who have deep industry knowledge and expertise with clients in the same industry," he says. Consulting firms want to have the engagement team stacked with the best thought leaders and those who know the industry best, and this is important for independent consultants to keep in mind as well. The client needs to feel that the consultant or firm understands the client's needs and can deliver them, he says.
Narrowing in on the right area of focus can be a challenge for some consultants. "The relevant skills you need depend on which area of SAP you are trying to break into," Reed says. "What I encourage people to do is to study SAP's product in order to map your current skills into the product." Many new consultants don't recognize the marketability of their existing skills. For example, Reed points out that some people with a terrific background in finance chase CRM instead of doing their homework to determine how their skills best synch up with SAP. He advises choosing both a core and a cutting edge area of SAP to focus on. "An HR consultant, for example, might target core areas in payroll but look for cutting edge things like internationally based management, self service or succession planning or workforce management."
Scheer agrees that specializing is key. "Anyone considering going into consulting on SAP modules really needs to have a very tight focus," he says. Focus almost needs to be by industry sub-segment, he recommends. "It's almost not good enough to be an automotive specialist. You need to be sub-assembly transmission builder or electronics subcontracting specialist. That's the type of expertise that clients are expecting." Companies look for people who really live and breathe the industry to understand both sides of meeting the business needs.
If you wonder whether certification would make it easier to break into consulting, Reed says not to expect miracles. "There are good reasons to consider training and certification, but it doesn't have the immediate gratification aspect that it should," he points out. Taking training does allow you to begin the process of learning the application and making connections, but experience and paying your dues are key. "I think the people with the most luck are not those who go and get certified but those who take it upon themselves to do that good old fashioned networking."
The right strategy
Many people who aspire toward SAP consulting make a key error from the start. "They understand that SAP rates are really good, so they just want to jump ship to that higher rate application but really haven't looked hard at where the application is going." Reed advises staying up to date on SAP's direction through webcasts, product overviews, and following the industry as a whole. Having your finger on the SAP industry's pulse is key in your attempts to plan your strategy. "Don't try to break into where SAP is now. Imagine yourself meeting SAP further along the path as it's moving ahead." If you try to intersect further along, you'll be competing with more, and more experienced, consultants.
Wondering if a staffing agency might be a shortcut into the consulting world? "That would really depend on the consultant's goals," Scheer says. In terms of getting started, most consultants find the most direct route is to go back to the people they knew in the industry while working as a full-time employee. Then, it's word of mouth. "An outside agent is not going to have the first hand knowledge of where the consultant is trying to play," he says. "Consultants are really their own best representatives, so I really bet they are best off going to beat the bushes themselves."
The impact from offshore outsourcing
The rise in offshore outsourcing has led to an interesting challenge for prospective consultants. The most promising area, says Scheer, is consulting in business processes and functions. Consultants will find less opportunity on the programming side. "The technical side can be and is being offshored," he states.
That's not to say technical consulting can't be done, says Reed, but know that programmers face a special set of strategic considerations. One key tactic is to understand SAP's new technology architecture and the new development tools that come along with it. By gaining skills in new development and platforms, technical consultants face a better chance of success than if they focus on skills like ABAP programming, which is commonly outsourced.
"The cubicle coder is an endangered species," says Reed. "No longer can programmers show up, duck into a cubicle, and crank out code. They have to be on the cutting edge or just genius level talent, and there's not a lot in between." Those consultants finding success tend to find it in SAP projects with knowledge transfer. Companies are more sophisticated about in-house staff and look for someone that really understands how to work with functional teams and to identify issues with customizations.
"Soft skills may make you a little more marketable," Reed advises. Be prepared to do team leadership and training. To succeed as a technical consultant, expect to need broader skill sets than just technical programming. But Reed cautions against abandoning technical for functional consulting prematurely if programming is your true passion. "There are exceptions to every trend," he says "Although there's not a lot of room for average programmers in consulting, if you're super talented and super committed, I'm not sure you should bail out too soon. The areas that you are most passionate about are the ones about which you're going to put in the extra hours reading the latest book or manual on the plane."
Looking to the future
What can you expect regarding pay as a consultant? Reed says he can only speak in generalities and they don't necessarily apply across the board, but he estimates most salary-based SAP employees can expect compensation around $60-80,000 per year, and the consulting side might be more like $60-100,000, although finding jobs can be tricky. On the contracting side the rates tend to be around $60-90 per hour. Obviously those numbers are general and depend on skill and experience, he points out.
As far as prospects for future consultants, Reed points out that because most SAP customers are still running on R/3 4.6C, many are in the process of upgrading right now. 2009 is the last year that version is supposed to be on standard maintenance. Expect to see companies looking to upgrade to 5.0 or mySAP ERP with the NetWeaver release. "The pending upgrade activity bodes well for those who can find jobs with SAP customers who are planning upgrades." When companies are more in maintenance mode, less opportunity exists for interesting skill exposure, but the coming upgrades carry the potential for more action and activity for those who want to break in.
The choice is individual. If you prefer to focus exclusively on your passion for implementing SAP and stay focused on core technical skills, you may be best off working in an employee scenario or full-time for a consulting firm, Reed says. But if you prefer the freedom and additional responsibility of finding projects, attending conferences, and making decisions on where to go next, consulting may be the right choice for you.
Infosys SAP consulting wont do wonders after Axon deal
Infosys has hardly 4-5 SAP implementations to its name. Axon consultants wont stick to Axon for along time. So this all cash deal will not be helpful to Infosys as in SAP consulting the only assets are the knowledge of consultants.
The clients may also seek other options than Axon.
Axon deal to raise our SAP-based solutions abilities: Infy
Infosys has acquired Axon Group, a UK-based company, for £407.1 million. Infosys says the Axon Group deal would be completed by November. The Infosys management said the deal is at 33% premium to the six-month average price of Axon.
S Gopalakrishnan, CEO, Infosys said that his company's SAP practice has been growing about 65%. "We are seeing continued demand for SAP services and we found the right opportunity and so we made the offer today."
"Our desire or our aspiration is to become a trusted transformation for our clients. This (deal) allows us to combine the strengths of both the organisations and become a trusted transformation partner using SAP as the underlying platform for making those transformations," Gopalkrishnan added.
Excerpts from CNBC-TV18’s exclusive interview with S Gopalakrishnan:
Q: There are question marks really on the timing of this acquisition because everyone at this point in time seems to be cutting discretionary spending or at least is going slow on that especially in the Enterprise resource planning (ERP) space. Why the timing?
A: When you look at the SAP practice for Infosys, when you look at the SAP practice for Axon - both of them have been growing and our SAP practice has been growing about 65%. We are seeing continued demand for SAP services and we found the right opportunity and so we are making the offer today.
Q: We have seen the client list that Axon has and an impressive client list at that but outside of that could you take us through the specifics and what really attracted you to Axon? Why the decision to choose Axon over possibly other targets that you might have had on your radar?
A: When we look at a potential acquisition, we want it to be strategic. We want it to enhance our capabilities in a particular service solution etc.
So in this case, our desire or our aspiration is to become a trusted transformation for our clients. This allows us to combine the strengths of both the organisations and become a trusted transformation partner using SAP as the underlying platform for making those transformations. That is the reason why this has attracted us.
Q: Dejargonise this transformational business for us? Could you take us through the actual synergies and also what are the gaps that Axon helps Infosys fill?
A: It is enhancing our capabilities in SAP-based consulting and implementation solutions. Many companies use SAP, as their core infrastructure in application infrastructure and that is what they leverage for transformation also. So, this allows us to enhance those capabilities, allows us to go after large opportunities, and large deals. It allows us to leverage the client base Axon has and cross-sell various other services. It also enhances our delivery capabilities through the centre in Malaysia. So, there are significant opportunities.
Q: Three large shareholders hold about 18% of Axon, rest by financial institutions as well as the public. You have had a conversation with those three large shareholders. Do you expect any kind of resistance or challenges from the rest?
A: For that we have to wait and see. The Board has supported it. Citi has recommended large shareholders, including the Management who has supported us, with a hard irrevocable. We now have to wait and go through the process.
The plan is that this is a process that is through a Scheme offer, where we have to go through the courts to do that. There is an Extraordinary General Meeting somewhere down the line. That process has to be gone through and we anticipate that this will close by end of November.
Q: Speaking of plans, is there also a plan on the cards to actually merge this with Infosys Consulting because Axon is in the consulting space; would it not make strategic sense then to merge the two?
A: We have not looked at how this structuring etc. would happen because it is too early. We have to make sure that this offer is expected and taken through. So we will talk about those details probably after the deal closes.
Q: When do you actually see this acquisition kicking in as far as the Infosys balance sheet is concerned and what kind of an impact does it really going to have on your guidance following that?
A: Actual numbers - we will have to wait till the deal closes and when we revise guidance etc. What we can clearly talk about today is about the strategic nature of this opportunity.
Q: Give us some sort of a ballpark figure on what you could actually see this do to the balance sheet?
A: We have to go through this process. There are strict guidelines on what we can talk about and things like that. We hope over the long-term this will significantly add to our capabilities on large deals, (and enhance) our capabilities to grow the SAP practice and to cross-sell and leverage each other. The synergy we can talk about is all in terms of the strategic intent to be a transformational partner using SAP as the underlying platform.
Q: You have got about USD 1 billion in cash post this acquisition now. Is there anything more on the horizon as far as Infosys is concerned?
A: No, our focus right now will be to make sure that we close this and we are able to integrate and take this over. If something comes, we will look at it at that point. Right now I cannot comment on this. All I can say is that our principles in terms of what we look for have not changed and that will continue.
S Gopalakrishnan, CEO, Infosys said that his company's SAP practice has been growing about 65%. "We are seeing continued demand for SAP services and we found the right opportunity and so we made the offer today."
"Our desire or our aspiration is to become a trusted transformation for our clients. This (deal) allows us to combine the strengths of both the organisations and become a trusted transformation partner using SAP as the underlying platform for making those transformations," Gopalkrishnan added.
Excerpts from CNBC-TV18’s exclusive interview with S Gopalakrishnan:
Q: There are question marks really on the timing of this acquisition because everyone at this point in time seems to be cutting discretionary spending or at least is going slow on that especially in the Enterprise resource planning (ERP) space. Why the timing?
A: When you look at the SAP practice for Infosys, when you look at the SAP practice for Axon - both of them have been growing and our SAP practice has been growing about 65%. We are seeing continued demand for SAP services and we found the right opportunity and so we are making the offer today.
Q: We have seen the client list that Axon has and an impressive client list at that but outside of that could you take us through the specifics and what really attracted you to Axon? Why the decision to choose Axon over possibly other targets that you might have had on your radar?
A: When we look at a potential acquisition, we want it to be strategic. We want it to enhance our capabilities in a particular service solution etc.
So in this case, our desire or our aspiration is to become a trusted transformation for our clients. This allows us to combine the strengths of both the organisations and become a trusted transformation partner using SAP as the underlying platform for making those transformations. That is the reason why this has attracted us.
Q: Dejargonise this transformational business for us? Could you take us through the actual synergies and also what are the gaps that Axon helps Infosys fill?
A: It is enhancing our capabilities in SAP-based consulting and implementation solutions. Many companies use SAP, as their core infrastructure in application infrastructure and that is what they leverage for transformation also. So, this allows us to enhance those capabilities, allows us to go after large opportunities, and large deals. It allows us to leverage the client base Axon has and cross-sell various other services. It also enhances our delivery capabilities through the centre in Malaysia. So, there are significant opportunities.
Q: Three large shareholders hold about 18% of Axon, rest by financial institutions as well as the public. You have had a conversation with those three large shareholders. Do you expect any kind of resistance or challenges from the rest?
A: For that we have to wait and see. The Board has supported it. Citi has recommended large shareholders, including the Management who has supported us, with a hard irrevocable. We now have to wait and go through the process.
The plan is that this is a process that is through a Scheme offer, where we have to go through the courts to do that. There is an Extraordinary General Meeting somewhere down the line. That process has to be gone through and we anticipate that this will close by end of November.
Q: Speaking of plans, is there also a plan on the cards to actually merge this with Infosys Consulting because Axon is in the consulting space; would it not make strategic sense then to merge the two?
A: We have not looked at how this structuring etc. would happen because it is too early. We have to make sure that this offer is expected and taken through. So we will talk about those details probably after the deal closes.
Q: When do you actually see this acquisition kicking in as far as the Infosys balance sheet is concerned and what kind of an impact does it really going to have on your guidance following that?
A: Actual numbers - we will have to wait till the deal closes and when we revise guidance etc. What we can clearly talk about today is about the strategic nature of this opportunity.
Q: Give us some sort of a ballpark figure on what you could actually see this do to the balance sheet?
A: We have to go through this process. There are strict guidelines on what we can talk about and things like that. We hope over the long-term this will significantly add to our capabilities on large deals, (and enhance) our capabilities to grow the SAP practice and to cross-sell and leverage each other. The synergy we can talk about is all in terms of the strategic intent to be a transformational partner using SAP as the underlying platform.
Q: You have got about USD 1 billion in cash post this acquisition now. Is there anything more on the horizon as far as Infosys is concerned?
A: No, our focus right now will be to make sure that we close this and we are able to integrate and take this over. If something comes, we will look at it at that point. Right now I cannot comment on this. All I can say is that our principles in terms of what we look for have not changed and that will continue.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
download sap best practices
How can I order SAP Best Practices Baseline package for India?
How to order SAP Best Practices.
Download SAP Best Practices:
on the website "SAP Software Distribution Center" select the category "Downloads" -> "Installations & Upgrades" -> "Entry by Application Group"; then select "SAP Best Practices". Select the appropriate SAP Best Practices package to download.
How to order SAP Best Practices.
Download SAP Best Practices:
on the website "SAP Software Distribution Center" select the category "Downloads" -> "Installations & Upgrades" -> "Entry by Application Group"; then select "SAP Best Practices". Select the appropriate SAP Best Practices package to download.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
SAP SERVICES: MAXIMIZE YOUR SUCCESS
These are the various categories under which SAP offer services.
Services by Subject
- Consulting services
- Business process outsourcing
- Hosting and application management
- Rapid solution introduction
- Software maintenance and support
- Custom development
- Tools, technologies, and methodologies
Program innovations
- Enterprise SOA Services
- SAP Enterprise Support
- SAP IT Excellence
- SAP MaxAttention
- SAP NetWeaver MDM Services
- SAP Productivity Pak by RWD
- Upgrade to SAP ERP
Services portfolio
Software Life-Cycle Phase
SAP Engagement Level
SAP Education
Events
SAP offers events such as SAPPHIRE, TechEd, and others to provide you with an opportunity to speak with our expert consultants and certified partners about our industry-leading support options, methodologies, and tools. These events can help you get your software up and running fast, enable flexibility and innovation, and keep your IT landscape operating at peak levels.
Customer testimonial presentations and informational sessions provide you with real-world insight and examples that demonstrate how SAP Services can help you turn product vision into reality, maximize business success, leverage IT strategically across your business network – and optimize your SAP investment.
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SAP ABAP: Hide source code
This is the program to hide ABAP Source code.
report zsap_hide no standard page heading.
************************************************** **********************
This program hides any ABAP's source code and protects it with a
password in this source code.
*
After hiding, you can still run the abap (the load version is intact)
but it cannot be displayed, edited, traced, transported or generated.
*
If the ABAP is not hidden, the program hides it, if it is hidden, it
unhide it.
Remember to hide this program first!
************************************************** **********************
selection-screen begin of block block.
parameters: program(30) obligatory.
selection-screen begin of line.
selection-screen comment 1(8) pwd.
selection-screen position 35.
parameters: password(8) modif id aaa.
selection-screen end of line.
selection-screen end of block block.
*
data: message(60) type c.
*
at selection-screen output.
loop at screen.
if screen-group1 = 'AAA'.
screen-invisible = '1'.
modify screen.
endif.
endloop.
*
initialization.
pwd = 'Password'.
*
start-of-selection.
tables: trdir.
User name and password check
if password 'ABCDEFG'.
write: / 'Wrong password'.
exit.
endif.
SAP owned?
if not program cp 'Z*' and not program cp 'Y*'.
write: / 'Do not hide original SAP programs!'.
exit.
endif.
Exists?
select single * from trdir where name = program.
if sy-subrc 0.
write: / 'Program does not exists!'.
exit.
endif.
Does it have a current generated version?
data: f1 type d, f3 type d.
data: f2 type t, f4 type t.
EXEC SQL.
SELECT UDAT, UTIME, SDAT, STIME INTO :F1, :F2, :F3, :F4 FROM D010LINF
WHERE PROG = :PROGRAM
ENDEXEC.
if f1 < f1 =" f3" new_name =" program." i =" sy-index" j =" 0." j =" j" j =" 1." new_name =" program."> 1.
write: / 'Cannot generate appropriate program name'.
exit.
endif.
Check if it is already hidden
data: f5(30).
EXEC SQL.
SELECT PROG INTO :F5 FROM D010S WHERE PROG = :NEW_NAME
ENDEXEC.
if f5 is initial.
There is no such hidden program, hide it
EXEC SQL.
UPDATE D010S SET PROG = :NEW_NAME WHERE PROG = :PROGRAM
ENDEXEC.
concatenate 'Program' :program 'was hidden.'
into message separated by space.
else.
There is already a hidden program there, unhide it
EXEC SQL.
UPDATE D010S SET PROG = :PROGRAM WHERE PROG = :NEW_NAME
ENDEXEC.
concatenate 'Program' :program 'was restored.'
into message separated by space.
endif.
write message.
report zsap_hide no standard page heading.
************************************************** **********************
This program hides any ABAP's source code and protects it with a
password in this source code.
*
After hiding, you can still run the abap (the load version is intact)
but it cannot be displayed, edited, traced, transported or generated.
*
If the ABAP is not hidden, the program hides it, if it is hidden, it
unhide it.
Remember to hide this program first!
************************************************** **********************
selection-screen begin of block block.
parameters: program(30) obligatory.
selection-screen begin of line.
selection-screen comment 1(8) pwd.
selection-screen position 35.
parameters: password(8) modif id aaa.
selection-screen end of line.
selection-screen end of block block.
*
data: message(60) type c.
*
at selection-screen output.
loop at screen.
if screen-group1 = 'AAA'.
screen-invisible = '1'.
modify screen.
endif.
endloop.
*
initialization.
pwd = 'Password'.
*
start-of-selection.
tables: trdir.
User name and password check
if password 'ABCDEFG'.
write: / 'Wrong password'.
exit.
endif.
SAP owned?
if not program cp 'Z*' and not program cp 'Y*'.
write: / 'Do not hide original SAP programs!'.
exit.
endif.
Exists?
select single * from trdir where name = program.
if sy-subrc 0.
write: / 'Program does not exists!'.
exit.
endif.
Does it have a current generated version?
data: f1 type d, f3 type d.
data: f2 type t, f4 type t.
EXEC SQL.
SELECT UDAT, UTIME, SDAT, STIME INTO :F1, :F2, :F3, :F4 FROM D010LINF
WHERE PROG = :PROGRAM
ENDEXEC.
if f1 < f1 =" f3" new_name =" program." i =" sy-index" j =" 0." j =" j" j =" 1." new_name =" program."> 1.
write: / 'Cannot generate appropriate program name'.
exit.
endif.
Check if it is already hidden
data: f5(30).
EXEC SQL.
SELECT PROG INTO :F5 FROM D010S WHERE PROG = :NEW_NAME
ENDEXEC.
if f5 is initial.
There is no such hidden program, hide it
EXEC SQL.
UPDATE D010S SET PROG = :NEW_NAME WHERE PROG = :PROGRAM
ENDEXEC.
concatenate 'Program' :program 'was hidden.'
into message separated by space.
else.
There is already a hidden program there, unhide it
EXEC SQL.
UPDATE D010S SET PROG = :PROGRAM WHERE PROG = :NEW_NAME
ENDEXEC.
concatenate 'Program' :program 'was restored.'
into message separated by space.
endif.
write message.
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