Enterprise Apps Unpacked

The affordable connected sensors made possible by the internet of things seem tailor-made for supply chain management. IoT sensors are ideal for collecting and transmitting the data that companies need for numerous supply chain processes, from traceability and procurement to inventory optimization and logistics. But has IoT lived up to its initial growth spurt and hype of a decade ago? Recent indications are that it is beginning to show clear value and positive ROI at companies that have implemented IoT in their supply chains. In this episode, we examine trends in IoT in general and in supply chains, the challenges of deploying IoT, and why widely available AI is boosting IoT's practicality as a business tool. Featuring: Subodha Kumar, Distinguished Chair and Professor of Statistics, Operations, Data Science and Information Systems, Temple University In today's episode, we'll also cover: References: Walmart deploys sensors to boost inventory tracking, AI effortsGuide to supply chain managementJournal article co-written by Kumar on IoT in intralogistics To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP.

The evidence that AI can eliminate jobs is piling up. Amazon said recently it would lay off 14,000 corporate workers in an effort to become more nimble. The cuts weren't directly tied to AI, but the CEO previously said the workforce would shrink as Amazon continues to embrace AI. Target and UPS announced similar layoffs. Meanwhile, software vendors announced reductions that were explicitly caused by AI. For example, Salesforce cut 4,000 customer support positions weeks after its CEO said AI was already doing nearly half the work. In this episode, we examine AI's impact on jobs from the worker's point of view, with insights from people who maintain AI data centers, test the accuracy of search engines and use AI to automate some of their tasks. Featuring: Shannon Wait, Senior Organizer, Alphabet Workers Union-CWA In today's episode, we'll also cover: References: Amazon to cut 14K roles in effort to stay 'nimble'AFL-CIO report, "Artificial intelligence: Principles to protect workers"AWU-CWA report: "Ghost workers in the AI machine" To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP.

There's little doubt that AI is starting to eliminate jobs. Recent headlines confirm it. The trend presents a special risk to the manufacturing sector just as baby boomers retire in droves and more companies seek to build up their workforces and reverse the decades-long preference for cheap overseas labor. But there are positive aspects to AI's impact on manufacturing jobs. Many workers are learning to use it to do their jobs more effectively and prepare themselves for an AI-centric future. Companies are training AI to do work that might not get done at all amid the labor shortages. In this episode, we explore how using AI to capture and encode the skills of factory workers who are leaving the workforce could keep manufacturers in business, counteract the baby boomer brain drain and make industrial jobs more attractive to young workers. Featuring: Alex Sandoval, CEO and Co-founder, Allie Systems In today's episode, we'll also cover: References: How manufacturers are reskilling factory workers for AI adoption5 challenges of using AI in manufacturingAn overview of Allie's manufacturing software To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP. To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

ERP sustainability software mostly focuses on data collection and reporting requirements of environmental, safety and governance (ESG) policies and typically isn't intended to control the business processes that impact the physical environment. But other digital technology has been used for years to monitor and optimize resource use. Now IoT sensors are increasingly paired with digital twins and AI, and linked with ERP and other enterprise applications, to form a complete digital ecosystem for environmental sustainability. In this episode, we explore digital sustainability technologies, their benefits and challenges, and whether more use of the technology will be a net benefit for addressing climate change. Featuring: Peter Weckesser, Chief Digital Officer, Schneider Electric In today's episode, we'll also cover: References: ESG strategy and management: A guide for businessesTech a double-edged sword in race to sustainabilityNext-gen energy: Reimaging the grid of tomorrow To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP. To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

The internet transformed corporate learning from a paper-based, in-person process to one that is largely delivered in digital form, on demand from nearly any device or location. More recently, generative AI has provided learning and development (L&D) teams with a tireless assistant that can crank out educational content in minutes. Now AI-powered search is sparking another transformation as employees increasingly use it to find quick answers while they work, learning gradually in ways that suit their personal styles. In this episode, we examine the evidence for the trend, what L&D professionals should do differently, and how the search technology could affect legacy software, especially learning management systems. Featuring: Josh Bersin, Founder and CEO, The Josh Bersin Company In today's episode, we'll also cover: References: Workplace learning: A complete guide for businessesWhat is GenAI? Generative AI explainedGalileo Learn, Bersin's AI-driven HR training tool To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP. To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

Generative and agentic AI are rapidly infiltrating enterprise software. But both are prone to data management issues that can hobble their effectiveness and lead to AI hallucinations and faulty decision-making that carry significant risks for businesses. In this episode, we examine an innovative approach that aims to solve these data problems by basing AI models on standard, industry-specific business processes and compliance guardrails while using agentic AI to automate data orchestration across enterprise applications. Featuring: Geraldine McBride, CEO, MyWave In today's episode, we'll also cover: References: MyWave video case studiesWhat is agentic AI? Complete guideAgentic AI governance strategiesSAP sits Joule at the helm of apps, data "flywheel" To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP. To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

Procurement has become a strategic priority with significant impact on the bottom line. It's a data-intensive process that requires communicating with large numbers of suppliers, products and services – the kind of complex, transaction-heavy workflow that is uniquely suited to being automated with generative and agentic AI. In this episode, we examine how AI can make procurement more effective and efficient, where it fits in the procurement technology landscape and how it assists – but doesn't replace – humans in the loop. Featuring: Keith McFarlane, CTO, Globality In today's episode, we'll also cover: References: McFarlane explains why agentic AI may herald a golden age for procurement10 real-world agentic AI examples and use casesGlobality CEO on agentic AI and the future of procurementWhat is GenAI? Generative AI explained To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP. To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

AI's growing ability to take over human tasks has many people worried about losing their jobs. Some companies are addressing these concerns by educating employees on how to instead use AI as a helper that frees them for more creative work and adds value. In this episode, we explore ways to encourage AI use without mandating it, the kinds of training that work best and how to develop a curriculum that covers different experience levels and jobs. Featuring: Joe Depa, global chief innovation officer, EY In today's episode, we'll also cover: References: What is GenAI? Generative AI explainedThe AI skills gap and how to address itWorkplace learning: A complete guide for businessesHow to implement generative AI for 400,000 employees To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP. To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

Digital twins – virtual representations of real-world things – are a hot topic, and they're becoming more capable with the addition of AI and geospatial awareness. In this episode, we explain how AI-enhanced spatial digital twins work, how they're being used today, what it takes to deploy them, and their potential uses. Featuring: Eric Liu, founder and CEO of TwinMatrix Technologies In today’s episode, we'll also cover: References: What is a digital twin?Advantages and disadvantages of digital twin technology How digital twins can help support sustainabilityDebunking the myth: Digital twins are more than just 3D models To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP. To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

What separates successful enterprise technology implementations from costly failures? Here on Enterprise Apps Unpacked, we’ll do a deep dive into strategies that actually deliver results. Every other Monday, veteran IT journalist David Essex interviews corporate leaders, industry experts and vendors—the people who are truly in the know—about important developments in ERP, HR and supply chain systems and the other applications that run the business. For business and IT leaders, these conversations cut through the chatter to help them make smart decisions about how they buy, deploy and use enterprise software. Episode 1 drops on August 11, 2025 at 5am ET. Rate and review the podcast to tell us how you like this new content. Find us on YouTube at Eye on Tech or explore our written work on Search ERP.

SAP has faced numerous challenges in recent years, but three big ones stand out: moving its on-premises products to the cloud; convincing customers to adopt its current ERP platform, S/4HANA Cloud; and meeting the unprecedented demand for artificial intelligence by developing practical AI applications. SAP touted significant progress on all three fronts at its annual Sapphire conference, which was held on consecutive weeks this month, first in Orlando and then in Madrid. It repositioned S/4HANA Cloud ERP as a mix-and-match, AI-infused "business suite" – a throwback to the brand name of its previous ERP flagship. It augmented its primary data platform, Business Data Cloud, with prebuilt, composable applications that combine data products with AI and simulation features. And it embedded the Joule AI co-pilot in more business processes across the application suite, making it more autonomous and omnipresent as a user-friendly interface to ERP. The result, SAP claimed, is an integrated "flywheel" of AI, data and apps that feed off each other to accelerate digital transformation. While reaction was generally positive, it was leavened with the wait-and-see attitude that is typical after the ambitious promises and glitzy presentations of a software conference. SAP still has integration and data management work to do if the components of the business suite – especially cloud platforms like Ariba and Concur that it acquired – are to work seamlessly together. In the podcast, three Informa TechTarget editors offer their analysis of Sapphire developments and observations from the Orlando and Madrid events: Jim O’Donnell, news director at SearchSAP; Brian McKenna, enterprise applications editor at London-based ComputerWeekly; and industry editor David Essex. Other topics discussed include: Host: David Essex, Industry Editor, Informa TechTarget Subscribe via Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TakQHezOu42MCKSQRigDv Subscribe via Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/erp-confab/id1669762576 Subscribe via YouTube Music: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5OdmBrO1LpmcDea2Zb-8mNQt0nLg-3SK

An emerging technology called spatial computing combines virtual reality and augmented reality to enable location-aware digital interaction with the real world. It has big potential, but practical applications have been slow to arrive. A new offering from Dassault Systèmes, a French maker of 3D design software, could begin to change that. Called 3DLive, the new app, expected in summer 2025, integrates the vendor's 3DEXPERIENCE product development and collaboration platform with the Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality AR/VR headset to create a "virtual" twin of a product -- an immersive, information-rich type of digital twin created in 3DEXPERIENCE -- that appears to exist in the user's physical space. The headset's cameras, sensors and tracking technology collect real-time data and allow the twin to interact with the physical world. Dassault Systèmes claims the result is a scientifically accurate virtual twin that companies can use to test a product's viability. For example, an engineer could use it to confirm -- in actual size -- that a new piece of industrial equipment will fit in the available space or estimate the effect of heating and cooling systems. Besides product development, the technology has other applications, including team collaboration, workforce training and knowledge sharing. In the podcast, Tom Acland, CEO of Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXCITE brand, explains how 3DLive works, shares some likely use cases and gives his take on where spatial computing could go in the future. Acland, based in London, has held the CEO role since 2020 and has a background as co-founder or manager at various startups, including COBI.Bike, which developed IoT mobility systems for bicycles and was later acquired by Bosch eBike Systems, where Acland served as product owner. Other topics discussed in the podcast include: Host: David Essex, Industry Editor, Informa TechTarget Subscribe via Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TakQHezOu42MCKSQRigDv Subscribe via Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/erp-confab/id1669762576 Subscribe via YouTube Music: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5OdmBrO1LpmcDea2Zb-8mNQt0nLg-3SK

For two glorious years, generative AI held sway as the AI darling among ERP vendors. But impressive as Gen AI might be, it's mostly limited to generating content and not really capable of the process management and decision making needed to reach the holy grail of AI: Fully autonomous artificial intelligence. That level of technological innovation is the promise of so-called agentic AI: smart "agents," such as AI-driven chatbots and robotic process automation (RPA), that can perform tasks autonomously, make decisions and learn from experience. In recent months agentic AI has become the new vanguard of AI innovation in business applications. Major vendors, among them Salesforce, Oracle and SAP, have eagerly rolled out agentic AI to their customers. In the podcast, Brian McKenna, enterprise applications editor at Informa TechTarget's London-based ComputerWeekly, reports on the latest AI trends and shares his takeaways from conferences he attended this month: the Salesforce TDX 2025 developer conference in San Francisco, followed by Oracle and NetSuite conferences in London. McKenna covers business applications, information management and cybersecurity topics for ComputerWeekly. He holds a degree in History and English from the University of Glasgow and a doctorate from the University of Oxford. Other topics discussed in the podcast include: Host: David Essex, Industry Editor, Informa TechTarget Subscribe via Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TakQHezOu42MCKSQRigDv Subscribe via Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/erp-confab/id1669762576 Subscribe via YouTube Music: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5OdmBrO1LpmcDea2Zb-8mNQt0nLg-3SK

It's been said that the main job of a chief information officer is "keeping the lights on" – making sure an organization's IT systems are up to date, reliable and running smoothly. But CIOs of software vendors sometimes play an additional role as early users of products under development. The approach is often called Customer Zero, "drinking your own champagne" or "eating your own dog food," and advocates say it can improve innovation and quality control in products and services and boost customer satisfaction. In the podcast, Sumit Johar, CIO of Blackline, a Los Angeles-based maker of cloud-based accounting and finance software, shares his experiences with the Customer Zero method. He also discusses the role of machine learning and generative AI in Blackline's internal IT automation and digital transformation efforts, the insights that were gained and how they affect product development. Johar was previously CIO of Automation Anywhere, a provider of AI-based robotic process automation, and mobile security vendor MobileIron, now part of Ivanti. Other topics discussed in the podcast include: Host: David Essex, Industry Editor, Informa TechTarget Subscribe via Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TakQHezOu42MCKSQRigDv Subscribe via Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/erp-confab/id1669762576 Subscribe via YouTube Music: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5OdmBrO1LpmcDea2Zb-8mNQt0nLg-3SK

A case can be made that for the past decade and a half, SAP has been almost entirely focused on two things: getting customers to adopt its next-generation ERP platform, S/4HANA, and shifting its development efforts from on-premises systems to the cloud – and getting customers to follow. Now, with the calendar turned to 2025, the December 31, 2027 deadline -- when SAP says it will stop supporting legacy on-premises ECC and R/3 systems, in effect requiring most customers to upgrade to S/4HANA -- looms uncomfortably near. A Gartner survey shows most have yet to make the move. SAP enters the new year having struggled through a 2024 that presented its own challenges. The vendor underwent major personnel shakeups as three C-level executives left the company, legendary cofounder Hasso Plattner retired, and 10,000 employees were moved into strategic initiatives – primarily AI -- or left after being bought out. SAP customers and industry analysts will be looking to see if SAP can stabilize its management structure and re-establish trust with its employees. At the same time, SAP will face more pressure than ever to show progress on getting customers to move to S/4HANA and the cloud. In this podcast, Jim O'Donnell, senior news writer at Informa TechTarget's SearchSAP website, joins host David Essex to discuss last year's developments and their impact on SAP and its customers going forward. They also analyze the effectiveness of the Rise with SAP and Grow with SAP programs in guiding customers on a path to S/4HANA Cloud, and what SAP must do to right the ship and show more progress in moving customers to S/4HANA and the cloud. Other topics discussed in the podcast include: Host: David Essex, Industry Editor, Informa TechTarget Subscribe via Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TakQHezOu42MCKSQRigDv Subscribe via Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/erp-confab/id1669762576 Subscribe via YouTube Music: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5OdmBrO1LpmcDea2Zb-8mNQt0nLg-3SK

ERP vendors have been eager to ride the generative AI wave, and it has become commonplace for them to assert that machine learning and other types of AI will revolutionize the way people interact with business applications and data. AI is already enabling natural language data queries and commands and starting to take over workflows that cross ERP modules. Chatbots are evolving from simple logic machines to become "smart" agents capable of communicating and making decisions like humans. The user interface will become so automated and abstracted from the underlying applications, proponents say, that users will rarely need to interact directly with back-end systems. John Bates, CEO of London-based SER Group, sees the next generation of software UIs as centering on the documents and other digital content that are the lifeblood of commerce. He says "sentient" documents will soon be developed that are self-aware enough to communicate what they are and the information they contain. As documents become essentially conscious, they will be able to initiate actions, remove language barriers and glean fresh insights from enterprise data. Sentient documents will be the foundation of anticipatory UIs that can figure out what users need and execute processes for them, often before they have to ask. In the podcast, he explains how sentient documents and anticipatory interfaces will work and the important role of AI. Bates earned a Ph.D. in computer science from Cambridge University in 1994, after which he became a tenured professor leading research on distributed computing. He has held executive positions at Progress Software and Software AG and founded startups in algorithmic trading and the internet of things. He joined SER Group, which sells an enterprise content management platform called Doxis, in 2022, and is the author of the book, Thingalytics: Smart Big Data Analytics for the Internet of Things. Other topics discussed in the podcast include: Host: David Essex, Industry Editor, Informa TechTarget Subscribe via Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TakQHezOu42MCKSQRigDv Subscribe via Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/erp-confab/id1669762576 Subscribe via YouTube Music: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5OdmBrO1LpmcDea2Zb-8mNQt0nLg-3SK

Supply chain sustainability is an ambitious strategy for managing the environmental, social and corporate governance impacts of product sourcing, manufacturing and delivery. But the inherent complexity of supply chains makes it difficult to ensure that each component in a product, from raw materials to subassemblies, finished goods, packaging and transportation, meet the environmental and labor regulations of countries and international organizations. Companies have long used information technology to manage their supply chains, but most still struggle to achieve adequate visibility into the practices of their suppliers. In recent years, the environmental, social and governance (ESG) movement has brought new pressures from shareholders, customers and regulators for companies to collect and report data on their sustainability practices. Artificial intelligence shows promise for helping organizations make sense of the enormous amounts of data needed for supply chain sustainability and for meeting increasingly strict ESG requirements. RobobAI (pronounced "robo buy"), a vendor of spend analysis and procurement management software based in Sydney, Australia, is applying its AI-driven analytics platform to supply chain sustainability. In this podcast, CEO Julian Harris explains how RobobAI works and how it monitors risks, such as raw materials from suppliers sanctioned for modern slavery. He also describes ways it supports diversity by, for example, identifying opportunities to employ indigenous labor. A native of Wales, Harris held executive leadership positions at several IT service companies before co-founding RobobAI in 2017. He is also chairman of Search365, a company with offices in Australia and Singapore offering AI, analytics and search products for the financial services and government sectors. Other topics discussed in the podcast include: Host: David Essex, Industry Editor, TechTarget Subscribe via Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TakQHezOu42MCKSQRigDv Subscribe via Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/erp-confab/id1669762576 Subscribe via YouTube Music: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5OdmBrO1LpmcDea2Zb-8mNQt0nLg-3SK

Every major ERP vendor has strived to move its on-premises applications to the cloud and entice its customers to follow. Most still struggle to replicate the capabilities of their legacy ERP systems in software as a service (SaaS), and new products built in the cloud from the ground up tend to appeal more to first-time buyers. Cloud migration remains the industry's biggest challenge. Oracle, which in most assessments ranks second to SAP in global ERP market share, appears to be winning the fight for SaaS ERP leadership among vendors with long histories in on-premises ERP. Its Fusion Cloud ERP is the most complete multitenant SaaS suite, bolstered in recent years with dozens of AI apps and a new user interface. What's more, Oracle underpins its applications with AI-infused Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and cloud versions of its flagship Oracle Database. It claims to be the only vendor with the complete cloud "stack," from foundational infrastructure to databases and business applications. At its annual CloudWorld user conference this month in Las Vegas, Oracle wrote a new chapter in its cloud story with a raft of product introductions, including Oracle Database@AWS, which enables customers to access its AI-based Autonomous Database on Amazon Web Services, the leading public cloud. Oracle also unveiled new generative AI agents for Fusion Cloud ERP and supply chain applications, among other notable features. In this podcast, Holger Mueller, vice president and principal analyst at Constellation Research, shares his assessment of what the CloudWorld developments mean for Oracle's cloud strategy and its customers, and where they leave Oracle in its rivalry with SAP. Before joining Constellation Research in 2013, Mueller spent over two decades in consulting and product development, including stints at Oracle, SAP and Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO). His research focuses on next-generation apps, human capital management and the future of work. Other topics discussed in the podcast include: Host: David Essex, Industry Editor, TechTarget

Warehouses have long been the center of some of the most sophisticated information technology. RFID tags and readers, warehouse control systems, automated conveyors, voice picking and mobile devices are all commonly used to move goods and manage inventory with greater efficiency and precision. Nowadays, the emphasis is on adding more autonomous technology that takes over some of the drudgery and risk from warehouse workers. Robots and artificial intelligence play an increasingly important role in warehouse operations. One company on the leading edge is London-based Dexory, which makes what it calls a warehouse intelligence platform that combines stock-scanning robots, analytics software, AI and digital twins. The vendor claims the system provides 99.9% inventory accuracy and significantly improves warehouse efficiency. In this podcast, Dexory CEO Andrei Danescu explains how the platform improves warehouse visibility, automation and efficiency, as well as its broader implications for supply chain management and logistics. Before co-founding Dexory (previously BotsAndUs) in 2015, Danescu held engineering roles in the automotive industry. He developed autonomous vehicle technology for Jaguar Land Rover and was a trackside systems engineer for a Formula One racing team, responsible for sensors, telemetry systems, data analytics and other technologies. Other topics discussed in the podcast include: Host: David Essex, Industry Editor, TechTarget

Artificial intelligence and digital twins are probably the two most hyped information technologies of the 2020s. Yet both are already delivering practical benefits in fields ranging from industrial design and manufacturing to customer service and healthcare. They are especially powerful when used together, with each helping to improve the other. Digital twins – virtual representations of real-world entities or processes – can supply the structured and comprehensive data AI needs for machine learning while AI adds analytical and predictive capabilities and automation that make digital twins more effective. Technology vendors and researchers have been exploring ways AI-enabled digital twins can improve healthcare by, for example, virtualizing pharmaceutical trials, tailoring heart monitors to individual hearts or optimizing medical procedures. Some even envision someday building a digital twin of a patient. In this podcast, Gary Shorter, head of AI at IQVIA, explains the challenges and potential of pairing digital twins with AI in healthcare. IQVIA provides data analytics technologies and clinical research services to the life sciences industry. Other topics discussed in the podcast include: Host: David Essex, Industry Editor, TechTarget