Welcome to the Cloud Wars Minute — your daily cloud news and commentary show. Each episode provides insights and perspectives around the “reimagination machine” that is the cloud.
AI Copilot Summit NA is an AI-first event to define the opportunities, impact, and outcomes possible with Microsoft Copilot for mid-market & enterprise companies. Register now to attend AI Copilot Summit in San Diego, CA from March 17-19, 2025.
In today’s Cloud Wars Minute, I discuss how the SAP Business Network is revolutionizing supply chains by focusing on delivering superior experiences, executing $6 trillion in transactions, and integrating efficiency with exceptional customer outcomes.
Highlights
00:22 — I spoke with Val Blatt, global head and chief revenue officer of the SAP Business Network. How do you move into the area of efficient, well-run, and low-cost supply chains that also deliver superb customer experiences? The SAP Business Network has helped customers achieve ROIs of up to 404% by having this notion of the essential nature of a customer-centric supply chain.
00:59 — One thing that Val mentioned was efficiency is great, but there is also a powerful focus on delivering superb experiences to customers in terms of time, predictability, visibility, quality, and getting what they want when they want it. So, it isn’t just what happens inside the supply chain and getting those pieces to work together. It doesn’t fulfill its full potential unless the customer experience is terrific.
01:39 — This is one of those areas that gets into companies like SAP that have a complete ERP system to take care of things on the order, finance, building supply procurement, engineering, delivery, and CX. What is the experience customers have?
Ask Cloud Wars AI Agent about this analysis
02:20 — In the last 12 months, according to Val Blatt, the SAP Business Network has executed transactions totaling $6 trillion. Val said, “Many supply chain executives . . . think that the why is, ‘Well, we want to have the absolute best supply chain. That’s true, but we’ve got to think of that as the how. The why has to be the customer. Why are we doing this?”
03:05 — Val described how the data that rolls through these areas from the very beginning of the order all the way out through the customer experience and everything that happens in the center of the supply chain. There’s got to be relentless improvement all the time, and that’s where the interconnection with SAP to its ERP systems and CX and so on comes in.
04:15 — We’ve got some other pieces coming together as we analyze what’s going on with the SAP Business Network, this unique capability they have to connect suppliers and buyers across the world. And as I mentioned, in the trailing 12 months, the SAP Business Network has executed transactions totaling $6 trillion, and it’s something a lot more companies seem to be interested in.
