Every article on this topic.
23 articles, newest first
StrategyERP modernization in 2026: cloud, AI, and clean core
With SAP ECC mainstream maintenance ending in December 2027, ERP modernization is now execution, not analysis. This covers clean core, the backbone-plus-satellites architecture, AI readiness, and a risk table for the next 18 months.
· 8 min read
StrategySAP ECC to S/4HANA migration: Middle East retail case study
A Middle Eastern retailer with 1,200+ outlets and 44 percent custom ECC objects moved to S/4HANA. Month-end close went from weekends to before lunch, and custom code fell by nearly half.
· 8 min read
StrategyCitizen engagement with SAP CX in Europe's public sector
Citizens wanted public services to work like online banking. How a European agency used SAP Service Cloud, Customer Data Cloud, Emarsys and Commerce Cloud to get there, and what mattered most.
· 8 min read
StrategyERP contract negotiation: MENA CFO saves $850K
A MENA manufacturing CFO's 120-page ERP proposal looked solid, but its structure hid the risk. Three weeks of SOW review and contract changes avoided $850,000 before kickoff.
· 8 min read
StrategySAP Ariba in UAE public sector: procurement case study
A UAE federal ministry moved paper tendering onto SAP Ariba. Tender cycles fell 30 to 40 percent, but the hard parts were data residency, supplier confidence and officers who kept paper going.
· 7 min read
StrategyFMCG ERP recovery: unified reporting via SAP Analytics Cloud
A Singapore FMCG group ran Oracle while its UK energy drinks business ran SAP, and the numbers never matched. This is how governance, scope control and SAP Analytics Cloud turned a stalled reporting project around in six months.
· 10 min read
StrategyFinance modernization for a family-owned conglomerate
A family-owned group running businesses across the UK, Africa and Asia cut its monthly close from 15 days to 5 by moving consolidation out of Excel into SAP S/4HANA Group Reporting. Here is what it did, in what order, and what I would change if it started today.
· 8 min read
StrategyERP system selection: mid-sized manufacturer case study
A mid-sized manufacturer in Poland had nearly committed to the wrong ERP under vendor pressure and internal politics. A structured process, scripted demos and a five-year cost model led to a clean decision in twelve weeks.
· 10 min read
TechnicalOracle ERP vs SAP: what CEOs, CFOs, and CIOs need to know
There is no clean winner between Oracle and SAP. Oracle wins on speed and standardisation, SAP on depth and operational control; this is how the choice looks under real project pressure, with a decision guide and the cost questions vendors skip.
· 10 min read
TechnicalSAP Integration Suite: decisions and production trade-offs
SAP Integration Suite is not just a renamed CPI, and the decisions teams get wrong are rarely about technology. This guide covers the components, PI/PO migration, legacy limits, testing and the ownership gaps behind most interface failures.
· 10 min read
ERP modernisation10 ERP modernization mistakes to avoid
ERP modernization mistakes rarely show up in real time; they surface after go-live, when the efficiencies don't appear and the workarounds come back. These are the ten I see most, with the early warning signs and who should own each fix.
· 10 min read
Small business ERPBest ERP for small business operations: how to choose
There is no perfect ERP, but there is a right one for your size, your industry and the way your team works. This guide compares seven options with real examples and gives you a decision table to shortlist two.
· 9 min read
ERP modernisationERP modernization with SAP and ServiceNow
ERP modernization is more than an SAP upgrade. SAP runs the structured transactions, ServiceNow runs the workflows around them, and the value comes from connecting the two.
· 10 min read
Manufacturing ERPBest ERP for manufacturing in 2026: a practical comparison
There is no single best ERP for manufacturing. The right choice depends on whether you run discrete, process or mixed-mode production, how many plants you run and what your shop floor will actually use.
· 11 min read
SAP Customer Experience5 best CRM systems for SAP in 2026: a practical comparison
If your CRM and SAP don't share data, sales promises stock you don't have and finance invoices orders that don't match. Here is how the five main CRM options compare for an SAP landscape in 2026, and which integration pattern each needs.
· 10 min read
Supply chainTrump tariffs and ERP cost configuration: 2026 update
US tariffs changed legal basis three times between 2025 and 2026, yet import costs stayed high. What happened, who ends up paying, and what finance and procurement teams should change in their ERP.
· 8 min read
SAP SuccessFactorsSAP Conversational AI and SuccessFactors: what works for HR
SAP Conversational AI has been in maintenance mode since 2023, so new HR chatbots on SuccessFactors now start with Joule and its HR agents. Here is what worked in a Qatar deployment, what changed, and how to scope an HR assistant so people trust it.
· 7 min read
SAP PPSAP in manufacturing: what actually makes it work
SAP manufacturing projects fail in predictable places: master data, routings, deep BOMs, shop floor integration and shop floor adoption. Here are the modules you need, the seven challenges that cause delays, and a master data readiness checklist.
· 8 min read
ERP for CFOsThe $66B ERP industry and why CFOs still reach for Excel
A logistics supervisor told me his team exported ERP data to Excel every week for inventory planning, after the company had paid a fortune for planning modules. That gap, not the go-live, is the real ERP failure story, and AI does not close it on its own.
· 8 min read
StrategySAP Ariba in 2026: sourcing, supplier management, what works
SAP Ariba delivers when processes are clean first and suppliers are genuinely enabled; otherwise teams end up live on Ariba and still tracking suppliers in spreadsheets. Here is what it covers, what it costs, how it compares, and a go-live readiness plan.
· 9 min read
Public sectorSAP implementation in public sector: compliance and risks
In public sector SAP, compliance has to be configured into the system from day one. Retrofitting it after go-live is how audits, overruns and headlines happen.
· 11 min read
SAP JouleAI governance in SAP: compliance, security, accountability
AI is running finance approvals, supplier selection and HR screening inside SAP. When something goes wrong, the question is always the same: whose name is on the line?
· 9 min read
SAP JouleSAP generative AI is redefining Middle East careers in 2026
A finance manager in Dubai now produces in minutes the reports that used to take three days. Here is what SAP generative AI means for SAP careers in the Gulf in 2026, which skills are in demand, and a 90-day plan to build them.
· 8 min read
Written by Noel D'Costa
25 years in ERP delivery across SAP, Oracle and Microsoft, now a chief technology officer. I write from the programmes I have run, for the people making these decisions.
Tell me what you're working on.
A 30-minute call. You describe the programme, the decision or the problem. I'll tell you whether I can help, and if I can't, who might.