Expert insights. Personalized for you.
With seven books under the belt, a number of first-time authors ask me for advice about book-writing. I am honest with them. I tell them to me the most enjoyable part is the extensive research, interviews for case studies etc MORE
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft kicked off NRF 2020 Vision, the annual retail industry mega event in New York yesterday. He had some great sound bites "There’s death, there’s taxes and there’s ever-increasing online advertising spend. There’s not much we. Vertical Markets (Banking, Retail etc MORE
Francine McKenna is a prolific commentator on the accounting, audit, and corporate governance issues affecting public and pre-IPO private companies. Since 2006, McKenna has been an investigative reporter and feature writer for publications including Dow Jones MarketWatch, Forbes, American Banker, Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP) Industry Commentary Outsourcing (IBM, Accenture, EDS MORE
Dan Patrick, the sports talk host; Home Depot and the recently announced union between Kronos and Ultimate Software inspire this post. I have heard Dan tell the world his Sleep Number bed setting. I have heard people share their What. Cloud Computing, SaaS Enterprise Software (other vendors MORE
I have heard Zoho talk about doing business in UAE and Nigeria. That is so different from other cloud vendors which tend to mostly focus on N. America and Europe. Over the last decade, their US revenues have steadily declined. Cloud Computing, SaaS Globalization and Technology MORE
Part 2 of my conversation with Francine McKenna. Part 1 focused on independence issues at accounting firms. The world has done over a million ERP, CRM, other enterprise software projects. With cloud implementations, it's like a second wave of projects. Outsourcing (IBM, Accenture, EDS MORE
I kept thinking of Southwest Airlines while I was at the Workday Innovation Summit in CA this week. I had read this tribute to the legendary founder, Herb Kelleher on the flight over and it reminded me how revered he. Cloud Computing, SaaS Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP MORE
John Sumser, aka HR Examiner, has been focusing on "intelligent technology" including AI and machine learning as it morphs the HCM function. Trends in that function are a forerunner of what we will see across the enterprise. I recently caught. Analytics, Big Data Cloud Computing, SaaS MORE
Many vendors talk about the "Future of Work". It's usually in the future tense. They forget that the future is already here. The BLS adds many brand new occupations in its listings every few years. We glibly talk about the. Cloud Computing, SaaS MORE
Somebody once told me I could make a brown paper bag sound interesting. Not sure if that was a compliment but I do find interesting aspects to most anything. While there is so much doom and gloom around the coronavirus. Industry Commentary MORE
Let's face it - industry events are increasingly formulaic. Most vendor conferences are predictable - keynotes and product futures, rock bands, large partner booths. Most research firm events tend to be siloed around their category definitions and what currently excites. Industry Commentary MORE
So many data points cannot be wrong, can they? Larry Ellison talks about SAP's customers moving away during the Oracle earnings call. IFS runs a billboard ad suggesting the same. I get whispers from several other competitors suggesting SAP is. Industry Commentary MORE
Cognizant is a regular at the annual WEF event in Davos, Switzerland. I requested Alan Alper, VP Corporate Marketing, keep good notes on everything he observed during this year's event. Here's an excellent ground level report - you can feel. Globalization and Technology MORE
I have spent a fair amount of time in the last few months talking to enterprise tech companies about verticalization and globalization. I recently talked to Mike Sicilia at Oracle and will be hearing more about their industry strategy later. Cloud Computing, SaaS Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP MORE
Zoho is a remarkably different enterprise software company. It has no VC investment, it has an inbound, web-centric sales model which allows it to reverse the industry spend on sales/marketing v. product , it runs its own data centers, it. Cloud Computing, SaaS Globalization and Technology Sustainability, Green Computing MORE
Apologies to Julius Caesar for mangling his famous quote but a few years ago my colleagues used to call me Vinnie Maintenance for my frequent pointers of low value from software maintenance. Nowadays, some of them call me Vinnie Vertical. MORE
Geoff Scott, CEO of ASUG, wrote this in his foreword to SAP Nation 3.0 "For For many years, licensing was a “third rail” topic: look at it, discuss it among yourselves but don’t ever collectively — as a customer contingent —. Cloud Computing, SaaS Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP MORE
My first exposure to a software “platform” was back in 1983 when McCormack and Dodge introduced Millennium and started to migrate all its modules to have the same look and feel, extensibility, queries and other features. I was part of. MORE
I find Frank Scavo a great sounding board. He has a way of simplifying things and pushing back when things are buzzword-y. I have quoted him in several books. He has introduced me to case studies I have profiled in. Industry Commentary MORE
I have been reading Marc Benioff's new book and also factoring what I heard at the latest Dreamforce, Salesforce's annual conference. At times, I felt like I was re-reading Frederic Laloux's "Reinventing Organizations" and his points about companies like Patagonia. Cloud Computing, SaaS MORE
227 Ray Lane, a top-notch tech executive and investor over decades, said this about my new book "Don't be fooled by the title—the book is not just about SAP. It's about drama in enterprise computing." I then used "drama" in the. Cloud Computing, SaaS Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP MORE
I had been invited to an SAP Analytics influencer summit earlier in the year. Many of the sessions were under NDA, so I had not written about it. However, my notes showed: Ambitious, exciting vision, but fragmented execution across portfolio. MORE
Talking about the heady days in the late 90s, one of SAP's best salespeople had reminisced: "It was a truly transformational time for the technology industry. We replaced thousands of departmental and mainframe systems. We put MSA, M&D, and many. Cloud Computing, SaaS Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP MORE
As part of my series of posts on vertical solutions, I had an excellent briefing this week from Neeracha Taychakhoonavudh, EVP of Industries at Salesforce. I am also impressed at the wide range of sessions by industry that are being. Cloud Computing, SaaS Vertical Markets (Banking, Retail etc MORE
It is the start of the new decade. Which means the beautiful town of Oberammergau in Bavaria, Germany will be hosting its 42nd once-a-decade Passion Play this summer. It is also the 15th anniversary of both my blogs, Deal Architect. Industry Commentary MORE
This continues my conversation with Workday’s Emily McEvilly and Webb Armentrout on Workday’s SI partner ecosystem. Post implementation services In the heyday of legacy software, post-implementation upgrades, hosting, application management turned out to be a fairly sizable long-tail expense for. Cloud Computing, SaaS Outsourcing (other vendors MORE
I was talking to a vendor exec last week and I mentioned the agility and innovation I am seeing in various sectors - agile manufacturing, re-jigged supply chains, reshaped shopping experiences, last-mile delivery, telework, telemedicine, teleschool- as we are fighting. Industry Commentary MORE
In interviewing SAP customers for the upcoming book, I ended up classifying them broadly into four groups. I termed the first three: a) Risk-takers who are trying out new Leonardo ML or IoT projects, developing new functionality with its Cloud. MORE
Unlike the hard Y2K wall, we knew SAP's 2025 Business Suite 7 wall was a soft one. They have just pushed it back till the end of 2027 followed by optional (and more expensive) extended maintenance until the end of. Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP) Outsourcing (IBM, Accenture, EDS MORE
214 Over the last couple of weeks, as we get ready to welcome the 20s, I have been reviewing blog posts, books I have written and notes from advisory work helping clients pick vendors, negotiate contracts, review vendor performance etc from MORE
This was my sixth trip to Vegas this year. Coming from humid Florida, I have a routine for that city. Gallons of water and lotion to compensate for the heat and dryness. Gear to protect against the excess of artificial. Cloud Computing, SaaS MORE
This continues a series of interviews with tech executives who have seen the industry evolve over a minimum of two decades. They have helped analyze, envision, develop and take to market some of the most influential technology the world has. Tech Marathoners series MORE
When you think of automation on the shop floor you think robotics, IoT and AR/VR. On the other hand, when you talk to executives in white collar industries about automation, the conversation usually drifts to bots. Most SIs now have MORE
269 
When I joined Gartner in 1995, I was part of the AAS (for Administrative Application Systems) service which largely covered accounting, financial planning and hcm applications. We gradually expanded the AAS scope to also cover procurement, order management and other. MORE
It’s an annual ritual. A Workday executive does our readers a favor and shares a curtain raiser on their Rising event, which this year is expected to draw over 10,000 attendees. This time it is Barbry McGann, senior vice president MORE
I am stealing words about silliness from my friend, Bob Evans as he recounts here Larry Ellison's comments about competitors during the recent Oracle earnings call. Larry was particularly vocal about SAP's vulnerability. My response to SAP competitors (many whisper. Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP MORE
237 I recently sat down with Workday’s newly minted Chief Customer Officer, Emily McEvilly and Webb Armentrout, VP of Global Services Alliances for an in-depth conversation on Workday’s services ecosystem. Workday approaches the management of their ecosystem - at the core. Cloud Computing, SaaS Outsourcing (other vendors MORE
I heard someone recently say we have seen more digital transformation in the last month than we had in the last decade. Matthew Price, CEO of Cloudflare summarized it nicely for Jim Cramer of CNBC "while the real heroes of MORE
I have had a few days to reflect on the Zoho Analyst Summit. There were so many varied perspectives but a few things really jumped out as I looked at my notes Productivity From last year's analyst day, I had. Cloud Computing, SaaS Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP MORE
A guest column from Steven ZoBell, Workfront Chief Product and Technology Officer. In his role at Workfront, Steve leads the engineering and platform hosting and operations organizations and works closely with the product and services teams to evolve the technology. Future of Work MORE
deal architect
MARCH 31, 2020
I was talking to a vendor exec last week and I mentioned the agility and innovation I am seeing in various sectors - agile manufacturing, re-jigged supply chains, reshaped shopping experiences, last-mile delivery, telework, telemedicine, teleschool- as we are fighting. Industry Commentary
deal architect
MARCH 19, 2020
Somebody once told me I could make a brown paper bag sound interesting. Not sure if that was a compliment but I do find interesting aspects to most anything. While there is so much doom and gloom around the coronavirus. Industry Commentary
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
deal architect
APRIL 1, 2020
I heard someone recently say we have seen more digital transformation in the last month than we had in the last decade. Matthew Price, CEO of Cloudflare summarized it nicely for Jim Cramer of CNBC "while the real heroes of
deal architect
FEBRUARY 16, 2020
When I joined Gartner in 1995, I was part of the AAS (for Administrative Application Systems) service which largely covered accounting, financial planning and hcm applications. We gradually expanded the AAS scope to also cover procurement, order management and other.
Speaker: Nick Noreña, Innovation Coach and Advisor, Kromatic
In this webinar, Nick Noreña will walk through an Innovation Ecosystem Model that he and his team at Kromatic have developed to help investors, heads of product, teachers, and executives understand how they can best support innovation in their own ecosystem. He'll also go over metrics we can use to measure the health of our ecosystems as we build more resources for innovators.
deal architect
MARCH 25, 2020
The one thing I vividly remember from my first few days as an audit rookie at PwC was a class where the instructor said "never forget - an internal control should deliver more savings than the burden it puts on. Industry Commentary
deal architect
FEBRUARY 4, 2020
Cognizant is a regular at the annual WEF event in Davos, Switzerland. I requested Alan Alper, VP Corporate Marketing, keep good notes on everything he observed during this year's event. Here's an excellent ground level report - you can feel. Globalization and Technology
deal architect
JANUARY 18, 2018
My first exposure to a software “platform” was back in 1983 when McCormack and Dodge introduced Millennium and started to migrate all its modules to have the same look and feel, extensibility, queries and other features. I was part of.
deal architect
NOVEMBER 15, 2019
As part of my series of posts on vertical solutions, I had an excellent briefing this week from Neeracha Taychakhoonavudh, EVP of Industries at Salesforce. I am also impressed at the wide range of sessions by industry that are being. Cloud Computing, SaaS Vertical Markets (Banking, Retail etc
deal architect
DECEMBER 12, 2019
I had been invited to an SAP Analytics influencer summit earlier in the year. Many of the sessions were under NDA, so I had not written about it. However, my notes showed: Ambitious, exciting vision, but fragmented execution across portfolio.
deal architect
FEBRUARY 17, 2020
Zoho is a remarkably different enterprise software company. It has no VC investment, it has an inbound, web-centric sales model which allows it to reverse the industry spend on sales/marketing v. product , it runs its own data centers, it. Cloud Computing, SaaS Globalization and Technology Sustainability, Green Computing
deal architect
MARCH 15, 2020
It is the start of the new decade. Which means the beautiful town of Oberammergau in Bavaria, Germany will be hosting its 42nd once-a-decade Passion Play this summer. It is also the 15th anniversary of both my blogs, Deal Architect. Industry Commentary
deal architect
JANUARY 22, 2020
Part 2 of my conversation with Francine McKenna. Part 1 focused on independence issues at accounting firms. The world has done over a million ERP, CRM, other enterprise software projects. With cloud implementations, it's like a second wave of projects. Outsourcing (IBM, Accenture, EDS
deal architect
FEBRUARY 21, 2020
With seven books under the belt, a number of first-time authors ask me for advice about book-writing. I am honest with them. I tell them to me the most enjoyable part is the extensive research, interviews for case studies etc
deal architect
FEBRUARY 19, 2020
Talking about the heady days in the late 90s, one of SAP's best salespeople had reminisced: "It was a truly transformational time for the technology industry. We replaced thousands of departmental and mainframe systems. We put MSA, M&D, and many. Cloud Computing, SaaS Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP
deal architect
NOVEMBER 9, 2019
Let's face it - industry events are increasingly formulaic. Most vendor conferences are predictable - keynotes and product futures, rock bands, large partner booths. Most research firm events tend to be siloed around their category definitions and what currently excites. Industry Commentary
deal architect
JUNE 7, 2019
Many vendors talk about the "Future of Work". It's usually in the future tense. They forget that the future is already here. The BLS adds many brand new occupations in its listings every few years. We glibly talk about the. Cloud Computing, SaaS
deal architect
DECEMBER 14, 2019
A guest column from Steven ZoBell, Workfront Chief Product and Technology Officer. In his role at Workfront, Steve leads the engineering and platform hosting and operations organizations and works closely with the product and services teams to evolve the technology. Future of Work
deal architect
FEBRUARY 26, 2019
In interviewing SAP customers for the upcoming book, I ended up classifying them broadly into four groups. I termed the first three: a) Risk-takers who are trying out new Leonardo ML or IoT projects, developing new functionality with its Cloud.
deal architect
FEBRUARY 4, 2020
Unlike the hard Y2K wall, we knew SAP's 2025 Business Suite 7 wall was a soft one. They have just pushed it back till the end of 2027 followed by optional (and more expensive) extended maintenance until the end of. Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP) Outsourcing (IBM, Accenture, EDS
deal architect
JANUARY 13, 2020
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft kicked off NRF 2020 Vision, the annual retail industry mega event in New York yesterday. He had some great sound bites "There’s death, there’s taxes and there’s ever-increasing online advertising spend. There’s not much we. Vertical Markets (Banking, Retail etc
deal architect
JANUARY 31, 2020
Apologies to Julius Caesar for mangling his famous quote but a few years ago my colleagues used to call me Vinnie Maintenance for my frequent pointers of low value from software maintenance. Nowadays, some of them call me Vinnie Vertical.
deal architect
DECEMBER 19, 2019
I am stealing words about silliness from my friend, Bob Evans as he recounts here Larry Ellison's comments about competitors during the recent Oracle earnings call. Larry was particularly vocal about SAP's vulnerability. My response to SAP competitors (many whisper. Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP
deal architect
JANUARY 21, 2020
Francine McKenna is a prolific commentator on the accounting, audit, and corporate governance issues affecting public and pre-IPO private companies. Since 2006, McKenna has been an investigative reporter and feature writer for publications including Dow Jones MarketWatch, Forbes, American Banker, Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP) Industry Commentary Outsourcing (IBM, Accenture, EDS
deal architect
MARCH 10, 2020
I have spent a fair amount of time in the last few months talking to enterprise tech companies about verticalization and globalization. I recently talked to Mike Sicilia at Oracle and will be hearing more about their industry strategy later. Cloud Computing, SaaS Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP
deal architect
JUNE 20, 2019
I have heard Zoho talk about doing business in UAE and Nigeria. That is so different from other cloud vendors which tend to mostly focus on N. America and Europe. Over the last decade, their US revenues have steadily declined. Cloud Computing, SaaS Globalization and Technology
deal architect
MAY 2, 2019
I find Frank Scavo a great sounding board. He has a way of simplifying things and pushing back when things are buzzword-y. I have quoted him in several books. He has introduced me to case studies I have profiled in. Industry Commentary
deal architect
JUNE 28, 2019
Geoff Scott, CEO of ASUG, wrote this in his foreword to SAP Nation 3.0 "For For many years, licensing was a “third rail” topic: look at it, discuss it among yourselves but don’t ever collectively — as a customer contingent —. Cloud Computing, SaaS Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP
deal architect
JANUARY 21, 2020
So many data points cannot be wrong, can they? Larry Ellison talks about SAP's customers moving away during the Oracle earnings call. IFS runs a billboard ad suggesting the same. I get whispers from several other competitors suggesting SAP is. Industry Commentary
deal architect
JANUARY 27, 2020
I recently sat down with Workday’s newly minted Chief Customer Officer, Emily McEvilly and Webb Armentrout, VP of Global Services Alliances for an in-depth conversation on Workday’s services ecosystem. Workday approaches the management of their ecosystem - at the core. Cloud Computing, SaaS Outsourcing (other vendors
deal architect
MARCH 3, 2020
Dan Patrick, the sports talk host; Home Depot and the recently announced union between Kronos and Ultimate Software inspire this post. I have heard Dan tell the world his Sleep Number bed setting. I have heard people share their What. Cloud Computing, SaaS Enterprise Software (other vendors
deal architect
JANUARY 28, 2020
This continues my conversation with Workday’s Emily McEvilly and Webb Armentrout on Workday’s SI partner ecosystem. Post implementation services In the heyday of legacy software, post-implementation upgrades, hosting, application management turned out to be a fairly sizable long-tail expense for. Cloud Computing, SaaS Outsourcing (other vendors
deal architect
DECEMBER 3, 2019
I have been reading Marc Benioff's new book and also factoring what I heard at the latest Dreamforce, Salesforce's annual conference. At times, I felt like I was re-reading Frederic Laloux's "Reinventing Organizations" and his points about companies like Patagonia. Cloud Computing, SaaS
deal architect
OCTOBER 15, 2018
John Sumser, aka HR Examiner, has been focusing on "intelligent technology" including AI and machine learning as it morphs the HCM function. Trends in that function are a forerunner of what we will see across the enterprise. I recently caught. Analytics, Big Data Cloud Computing, SaaS
deal architect
APRIL 25, 2019
I kept thinking of Southwest Airlines while I was at the Workday Innovation Summit in CA this week. I had read this tribute to the legendary founder, Herb Kelleher on the flight over and it reminded me how revered he. Cloud Computing, SaaS Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP
deal architect
APRIL 14, 2019
Ray Lane, a top-notch tech executive and investor over decades, said this about my new book "Don't be fooled by the title—the book is not just about SAP. It's about drama in enterprise computing." I then used "drama" in the. Cloud Computing, SaaS Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP
deal architect
AUGUST 19, 2019
I have analyzed Oracle applications business since the early 90s - first at PwC, then Gartner, now at Deal Architect. I have long been a Larry Ellison admirer, much less so of his company's applications. It has been a perennial, Enterprise Software (IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP
deal architect
MARCH 5, 2020
I kept asking that question during a family trip to Italy in 2004. That puzzle led me to consider writing the New Florence, New Renaissance blog, in addition to the Deal Architect blog. Both blogs are celebrating their 15th birthday. Industry Commentary
deal architect
OCTOBER 31, 2018
This continues a series of interviews with tech executives who have seen the industry evolve over a minimum of two decades. They have helped analyze, envision, develop and take to market some of the most influential technology the world has. Tech Marathoners series
deal architect
JUNE 17, 2019
When you think of automation on the shop floor you think robotics, IoT and AR/VR. On the other hand, when you talk to executives in white collar industries about automation, the conversation usually drifts to bots. Most SIs now have
deal architect
DECEMBER 6, 2019
Over the last couple of weeks, as we get ready to welcome the 20s, I have been reviewing blog posts, books I have written and notes from advisory work helping clients pick vendors, negotiate contracts, review vendor performance etc from
deal architect
OCTOBER 6, 2018
This was my sixth trip to Vegas this year. Coming from humid Florida, I have a routine for that city. Gallons of water and lotion to compensate for the heat and dryness. Gear to protect against the excess of artificial. Cloud Computing, SaaS
deal architect
SEPTEMBER 30, 2018
It’s an annual ritual. A Workday executive does our readers a favor and shares a curtain raiser on their Rising event, which this year is expected to draw over 10,000 attendees. This time it is Barbry McGann, senior vice president
Let's personalize your content