At Sapphire NOW 2013, the JD-OD team sat down with Ralph Steinbach, Director Software Architecture of Danone Group – known in the U.S. for making Dannon yogurt – to ask what cloud could do for the world’s market leader in dairy products.

In Ralph’s view, cloud matters because his company is a loosely coupled one with a lot of local business units. Since Danone places emphasis on cash flow management, they’re not interested in investing in significant CapEx upfront.

But why the  HANA Cloud? Ralph likes the convergence of technologies at SAP.  Through HANA, SAP focuses on big data. Their cloud platform allows you to run your IT business outside your own company. And they have a solution for mobile, which means you can address your consumers globally – all while staying on the same platform. Which is exactly what Danone needed. Further down the road, Ralph has found that the  major benefit, other than farming out IT, comes back to mobile, which allows Danone to address a billion or more consumers with the same cloud apps.

Danone’s first cloud project built on the HANA Cloud, presented by Ralph at Sapphire, is a customer call center. Why build it on the cloud? Because it was faster. And they could leverage the latest SAP UI5  technology. The advantage to having CRM on the cloud? Ralph says that today, they can use it in-house. Tomorrow they might want to use it in a remote call center. Or to extend the access to their hotels. With a cloud deployment, everyone can use the same application.

The guys talk about old-school versus new-school developers. Jon has a hard time imagining the old school ABAPpers easily making the transition to  Java. On the contrary, Ralph says, the old schoolers at Danone were more than happy to embrace something new, working practically day and night to master the code. Perhaps even more important, Ralph adds, marketing and IT are doing more than finally saying “Good morning” in the elevator. They’re working together because each side sees the benefits in using the latest technologies.

Show Notes

:43 Danone’s global footprint

1:48 Why cloud?  Because it lets companies start small and then pay as you go

3:01 HANA Cloud’s features fit with Danone’s digital marketing strategy

4:22 SAP’s shift into B to C helped Danone in its quest to reach customers; so did mobile

4:57 Danone’s new CRM system was built on cloud because it was faster

5:59 Having CRM call system on cloud allows for in-house use today, flexible tomorrow

6:37 Next cloud project is a web app where customers can buy medical products online

7:40 Old-school developers embraced the challenges of working in a new environment

8:12 Marketing and IT finally see the opportunities in working together

Mobile challenges continue to abound, says “Mr. Mobile” himself, John Moy, co-founder of BlueT. And there’s no easy path to a successful solution. If there were, everyone would be there by now.

Dennis caught up with John at the Mastering SAP Technologies 2013 to get a better feel for what’s changed on the enterprise mobile landscape. And, just as importantly, what’s gotten more complicated. In this two-for-one video special, John gives an update on his own startup and explains why enterprise mobile development is picking up.  He also gives his view on how SAP’s investment in its own mobile community is going.

This year, as opposed to the uncertainties of last year, John sees much more mobile activity. Some customers are in the midst of building apps; others are actively looking for options around platform. Given the state of play, John advises action over discussion: First, look at the wealth of business logic that’s encapsulated in your enterprise system. Then, unlock that logic so it can be tapped into a  multi-channel context, not just a mobile one. Oh, and prepare to be disrupted by the quick evolution of UI technologies.

Show Notes

:57 John’s startup update

1:47 Mobile challenges are everywhere

2:40 Compared to last year’s uncertainty,, John sees more activity this year

3:33 SAP’s investment in the community is bringing more innovation

4:03 Some customers are actively building apps; others looking for options around platforms

4:52 Proliferation of platforms amounts to “a real dog’s breakfast”

6:07 John’s advice: tap into the wealth of business logic in your system first

6:35 The evolving landscape of UI technologies.

For the second video shoot, John talks about the cool mobile apps he saw at Mastering SAP Technologies. John tells Dennis about having previously attended an Apple for Enterprise workshop in Melbourne, where the Apple rep said that the best enterprise they’d seen had been developed by game developers.

People are thinking fundamentally differently, Dennis adds, which means that the coolest apps aren’t necessarily coming from the usual places. The guys talk about the possibility of 2013-2014 being the year when things begin to take off in mobile. John thinks SAP is on the right path, in terms of where these trends are headed. If SAP’s plans come to fruition, there should be a very good story to tell:

:35 John’s seen quite a few cool new mobile apps of late

1:08 The  best developers aren’t found in the usual places

2:30 John’s view of SAP’s mobile progress

3:31 Mobile apps are moving fast – skills can become outdated very quickly

4:04 If SAP’s plans come to fruition, there should be a very good story to tell

Disclosure: This video is part of a project commissioned by SAP to amplify startup activity and developer innovation on HANA, mobile, and the SAP cloud.

Do platforms matter? And if they do, why?

The JD-OD team sat down with Aiaz Kazi, SVP for Platform Strategy at SAP, at Sapphire NOW 2013 to get Aiaz’s take on how platforms change the game for both partners and customers in terms of building apps.

Aiaz says platforms absolutely matter. Looking at any successful company in practically any space proves the point. Whether it’s consumer products,  enterprise software or hardware, if you don’t provide a platform that others can build on, you won’t have a long-term sustainable company

A classic case? The return of Apple in rolling out the iPod and the iTunes marketplace – bold moves that transformed a hardware company into a platform company. Aiaz goes on to say that, for him, a platform has two key components. One is the technology that people build on. The second piece involves monetizing the applications that are being built.

When it comes to how people perceive SAP’s platform, Jon points out there are some varied opinions, as well as a degree of confusion. What does SAP plan to do about this? Aiaz says that with HANA having matured rapidly since it was introduced, HANA now provides both the application development and the data management capability at the foundation. This eliminates the forced choices of the past. The essential message needs to be further spread — HANA is both a database and a platform.

Aiaz emphasizes that the true way to look at HANA is as a platform, the core foundation of all the applications that SAP will be delivering on top. Nowhere is that seen more clearly than in the energy of the startups that are using HANA. The way Aiaz sees it, a platform isn’t a platform until you have many thriving applications on it. Aiaz needs 5 million applications on his platform. Doing that means fueling the imagination of the startups.

But as Aiaz sees it, you don’t do it by pushing the platform in a conventional marketing sense. You do it by enabling the ecosystem, which means re-thinking and re-inventing it, as well. Startups are bringing an entirely new base to SAP — with 60% to 70% of them, perhaps more, building for net-new SAP scenarios.

Show Notes

:52 Successful companies provide a platform others can build on

1:56 Platforms give customers a chance to rethink processes

2:30 Platform’s two key components: buildable tech and potential for monetization

3:16 Varied opinions exist on  SAP’s platform strategy

4:40 Why HANA, which is a database and a platform, eliminates forced choices of the past

5:42 Generating 5 million apps on HANA depends on fueling the imagination of startups

7:50 SAP’s intent is not to sell the platform, but to enable the ecosystem

Disclosure: SAP paid most of Jon’s travel and expenses to Sapphire Now 2013.

Outside of SAP, the future of  Business ByDesign is much-debated. As for Financials OnDemand, now “SAP Cloud for Financials”, there are plenty of questions. Who better to clear it up than Rainer Zinow, SVP of the Cloud Unit at SAP.

Zinow  sat down with the JD-OD team at Sapphire NOW 2013 to provide an update on how things have been going over the last year or so. He also sets the record straight regarding some tweeted info on Cloud for Financials that was heavily discussed.

The guys kick it off by talking about how ByDesign, which started out as a pure mid-market solution, has found its way into two new additional markets: 1) Subsidiaries of SAP’s Business Suite install base, and 2) Very large professional services deals, which were unexpected as wins when ByDesign was solely SME-focused.

Given that a number of  ByDesign subsidiary projects have gone live, Jon asks what kind of feedback SAP has received. Rainer cites a recent article in CIO Magazine in which the CIO of HILTI, Dr. Martin Petry, says he’s found a way to roll out a new country in 8 weeks – a real breakthrough compared to on-premise ERP (see the JD-OD interview with HILTI on ByD). Petry’s overall point? ByD is a lot faster to rollout, and, given the built-in mobility and cloud access, it’s well suited to subsidiary units. Last but not least, Rainer notes, Petry doesn’t depend on SAP to provide a country-specific version. ByDesign customers can now customize their own country-specific versions.

As SAP’s customers continue to customize ByD, the country count is going up – 20 SAP-created versions are expected by the end of the year, along with 26 additional country versions built by SAP customers. As for development resources, Rainer estimates that about 80 partners are building last-mile capabilities for customer-specific projects.

As for any confusion about ByDesign versus Financials OnDemand, Rainer has this to say: Financials OnDemand is nothing else than the kernel of financials in ByDesign. SAP then adds additional interfaces to Cloud for Financials,  so that other applications can feed into the sub-ledgers, which wouldn’t be needed in a ByDesign world. And SAP builds other applications on top of Cloud for Financials, some of which may be available to ByDesign customers in the future.

Show Notes

:32 ByDesign, moves into two new additional markets

2:13 HILTI’s ByDesign for subsidiaries experience

3:08 By year’s end, ByD will be in 20 countries; customers have customized 26 other country versions

4:11 80 partners have development capabilities to build ByD add ons

5:26 ByDesign vs. Financials OnDemand

At the end of all three Sapphire NOW 2013 conference days, Jon gathered a rotating cast of characters to assess the week’s events. The day 1 shoots are broken into three segments: the keynote assessment (above) and also a look at SAP mobility and the HANA startup program. On day 1 Jon was joined by John  Appleby, Harald Reiter and Graham Robinson.

The first item at hand? Scoring the Day 1 keynote address delivered by co-CEO Bill McDermott.

We join the conversation with Harald saying that a message from previous years rang truer than ever this time around: “This is a new SAP. Not old-school SAP.” John adds that SAP wants it known that they are reaching the end consumer – part of SAP’s attempt to position itself as a B to B to C company.

However, the guys discuss the issue of geographic and gender diversity as a downside.  Graham translates that to mean there was too much testosterone on the stage. Plus, he jokes, they missed out big time by not having a cricketer up there. John says that, for him, it was a very male, American-vibe on day 1. He wants to see if that is balanced out on day 2 and day 3.

Show Notes – Clip #1  (above)

:21 Two main messages: SAP is a B-B-C company that is also very human

2:00 ”A little too much testosterone on the stage”

2:58 NFL/NBA theme underscored emotional loyalty enterprise companies need with customers

The guys shifted gears to discuss SAP’s Afaria cloud announcement that came later in day one:

Show Notes – Clip #2

:30 Day 1 highlights – rapid fire

1:34 Afaria cloud announcement: significant, if underplayed. Pricing is clear – for a change

2:37 Afaria, SAP’s “rough diamond”, costs users a flat charge of one euro per month

3:12 Partnership with Mocana keeps private and business phone lives separate and secure

The second video kicks off with quick takeaways from Day 1.  The guys then hash out the Afaria cloud announcement as significant, but surprisingly underplayed. The big thing for Graham is the pricing, which, unlike previous SAP ventures, is transparent, clear, easy to find – and, at a euro per user per month, competitive, as well.

The conversation turns to how SAP is addressing the security issues, as well as the partnership with Mocana, a mobile security vendor. Harald explains that upside this way: You have a private life and a business life on your phone. And, with Mocana, the business life gets secured and controlled. But your private phone life is essentially untouched.

Next up – assessing the SAP HANA Startup Program:

Show Notes – Clip #3

:20 Startup program is well on its way, though issues remain

1:14 Some startups, with 300+ customers, are startups only in a HANA context

2:36 Are enough startups saying, “I want to use HANA because it’s the best”?

3:32 With no downloadable option, HANA remains hard for some developers to use

The guys agree on one point at the outset: With 400+ startups participating and a $30 million funding pipeline, the program makes for a good story. But for building apps on HANA, a couple of key developer issues remain. Jon points out that startup and developer engagement is a little bit different, only because a lot of the startups involved have significantly more resources than an individual developer on their own steam.

Jon notes that, with some of the startups having as many as 300 customers already, it’s hard to consider them all classic startups – though they are new to HANA. Still, as Graham says, with no downloadable option, it’s hard for developers to get their hands on HANA. So there is work still to do on HANA developer engagement, despite the significant progress made. The guys also touch on the relevance of developer topics to SAPPHIRE Now – a conference with a business user focus.

Disclosure: SAP paid most of Jon’s travel and expenses to Sapphire Now Orlando. 

When it comes to the needs of manufacturers and SMEs, NetSuite recently announced expanded solutions that look promising – if some challenges can be overcome.

While attending the NetSuite SuiteWorld 2013 conference in San Jose, CA, Dennis sat down with Frank Scavo, CEO of Computer Economics, to talk about NetSuite’s attempts to meet manufacturers’ needs in a cloud ERP solution. They also riff on NetSuite’s multi-books solution, which brings new international accounting capabilities. But what are the cost/benefit tradeoffs?

One of the conference’s big announcements centered on a partnership with Autodesk, which is integrating their cloud-based PLM system with NetSuite. One of the issues in manufacturing companies is that engineers already have PLM or CAD systems that they’re very comfortable with. As it turns out, with a couple of the companies that Frank talked to, they’re already doing integration with other PDM (product data management) systems. The Autodesk Fusion 360 product does a lot more than that. It’s used for ideation, requirements gathering – the whole lifecycle of product development.  But is it ahead of what most NetSuite customers need now? Frank gives his take.

The guys switch gears to talk SMEs and multi-books, which in theory would help SMEs to move upmarket by helping them maintain multiple sets of books in different currencies. Frank is concerned about, 1) the price of the application; and, 2) the footprint size. It’s a fine line to balance global functionality with price and ease of implementation. Frank and Den think the success of multi-books  might come down to NetSuite’s partners.  Bottom line:  there are a lot of other cloud-based entrants out there eager to fit the bill. Which, Dennis and Frank agree, is good for customers.

Show Notes

:30 NetSuite announces expanded functionality for manufacturing

1:06 The manufacturing solution builds out from the core

2:20 Partnership with Autodesk’s Fusion 360 product will fit very well with NetSuite

4:26 Multi-book accounting product looks promising

6:03 Competition from other cloud-based entrants is good for customers

Most of Infor’s customers are evaluating the cloud in one form or another. What can be done on it that’s real, that’s safe, that’s production-grade? What’s more, who they should use, and what are Infor’s plans?

To get a better grasp on those ideas and concerns, the JD-OD team caught up with Ali Shadman, SVP for Business Cloud and Upgrade/S at Infor, at the recent Inforum 2013 in Orlando.

The guys discuss a couple of major announcements that came out of the conference, including a new relationship with IBM, where Infor will partner with Big Blue to move their applications to the SmartCloud platform. Another bit of news — Amazon Redshift will support Infor’s newly-announced SkyVault.

But what about cloud outages? Amazon has certainly had a few. Is this something Infor’s customers need to worry about? Ali points out that if, say, Netflix crashes and you can’t watch a movie for an hour or two, your world is not going to stop. But if you’re running a manufacturing floor and the floor goes out for three or four hours, it’s serious. Ali explains how Infor is approaching these issues to make sure its customers are not on the wrong side of cloud outages.

Show Notes

:37 What can be done on the cloud that’s real, safe and production-grade, customers ask

1:19 Clients see edge applications as easier to move than transactional systems

1:51 Partnership with IBM SmartCloud will span a range of Infor systems

3:22 Cloud outages influence Infor’s choice of vendor, and how they provide systems

3:47 The use of Amazon Redshift, and Ali’s detailed criteria for deciding who to go to

With Dennis behind the camera, Jon sat down with Nick Borth, Product Manager at Infor, to see where his customers are with mobility and what they were saying during the recent Inforum 2013 event in Orlando.

Nick says that, surprisingly enough, customers want to roll out their own mobile apps — despite the learning curve involved. Nick also reports receiving a lot of enhancement requests for Infor’s mobile apps. Which suggests an evolving ecosystem that combines Infor’s apps with those that customers develop

The guys talk about the double-edged idea that customers want others building apps for them while also wanting to take on that job themselves. Also surprising? It’s not just larger companies that want to build their own apps. A number of smaller companies are asking Infor for that capability. Nick’s approach? Deliver, but do it simply and quickly.

For the wrap, the Jon delves into consumer tech banter and asks Nick who comes in second after iOS and Adroid, Nick’s take? In the enterprise space, Microsoft will play a significant role. But here’s the catch: more often than not, though, the third option is actually web. As a result, Infor looks to support HTML5 and Javascript before it goes to a third native platform.

Show Notes

:34  Customers want to build their own mobile apps?

1:12  Ecosystem evolving to include Infor-built and customer-built apps

1:57  One key: giving developers security and integration tools

2:41  Road Warrior app is a success story

3:52  Customers’ desire to build their own apps is more prevalent than many thought

4:37  Apps are a quick way in  - and an easy way for customers to get value

5:23 Why Infor looks to support HTML5 and Javascript before going a third native platform

Disclosure: Infor paid Dennis and Jon’s travel and hotel for Inforum 2013.

Duncan Angove, President of Infor, says his company is one of the few in enterprise software that can scale up to the really big companies, and scale all the way down to the really small ones.

Speaking with Dennis at the recent Inforum 2013 in Orlando with Jon behind the camera, Duncan explains that two factors have driven Infor to its current position: First, they have a purpose-built ERP strategy, not just by micro-vertical but by size of customer. Second, the ION platform is very elegant and lightweight, yet also super-scalable. And, Duncan adds, with the release of 10X, Infor expects growth to be exponential, not linear.

Duncan confirms to Dennis that Infor plans to dive into micro-verticals, especially those that are under-served or not served at all. Infor’s equipment cloud, for instance, focuses on the heavy machinery space –a market Infor felt could be served better. The company has also released a micro-vertical called Printing & Packaging – which targets some 400,000 companies globally. The company can now get to market about 12 months after deciding which micro-vertical to target, unlike the old 3 to 5 year cycle.

As for the recently announced SkyVault, Duncan says that Infor wants to leverage the cloud as the world’s supercomputer – not just for storage, but for computing power. That’s in keeping with the bigger picture, which, Duncan stresses, is to pick some really big problems that haven’t been solvable before — and go crack them.
Show Notes

:45  Duncan: Infor can scale its solutions to most any size of company

:57  Specialized programs running on the ION platform deliver simplicity of integration

1:45  With the release of 10X, Duncan expects growth to be exponential, not linear

2:18  Infor focusing on micro-verticals that are under-served or not served at all

3:23  With SkyVault, Infor wants to leverage the cloud as the world’s supercomputer

4:00  Collaborating with customers and solving real-world problems

If only for pulling off the user experience piece, the Inforum 2013 was a success, says Ray Wang, CEO of Constellation Research, who traded chit chat with Dennis at Infor’s annual user group event in Orlando with Jon behind the camera.

The guys talk about the big themes they heard discussed, including how Infor plans to engage business users. Ray sees the company as targeting the CFO sale by going after CMOs, many of whom now report directly to CFOs. Ray’s POV: with Infor managing to prove, over the last 10 years, that their programs are cheaper to run than those of Oracle or SAP, the question of cost savings has already been answered. Now it comes down to innovation.

Dennis and Ray trade information and opinions about ION and Ming.le, as well as recently announced partnerships with IBM and Amazon Redshift. Ray points out that those last two shouldn’t be compared, because IBM and Amazon cloud options are very different.

How does Ray see things 12 months out? Infor is currently targeting market leaders (5% of the overall market) with an appeal to fast followers (15% of the market) close behind. If Infor nails down those two, Ray expects we’ll soon see the long tail. At that point, the competition should start getting worried. If, Dennis adds, they aren’t already.

Show Notes

:42 Ray deems the Inforum a success, if only for pulling off the user experience piece

1:05 Infor is appealing to business users by going after CMOs, targeting the CFO sale

1:28 With Infor cheaper than the competition, what to do with cost savings?

2:12 The pros and cons of ION

2:48 Assessing Ming.le, Infor’s collaboration play

3:34 A roundup of Infor’s cloud announcements, including IBM and Amazon Redshift

4:15 Why Redshift shouldn’t be compared to IBM

5:07 Infor targeting market leaders and fast followers, which should concern the competition

Two-and-a-half years ago, Paul Meissner of Five Ways Accounting came to a crossroads that many accountants face: Do you continue working for corporate? Or do you go out on your own? Dennis sat down with Paul to find out how that crossroads led to the founding of Five Ways Accounting.

Without a single client, Paul started his own business. He implemented up-front, fixed-fee billing that helped him stay cash-flow positive from day one. By relying on a cloud-based solution, Paul believes that he’s removed a barrier – with both clients and financial advisors — as to who holds the data and information. The result is a powerful form of increased communication that helps him grow a lot closer to his clients, and grow his business quickly.

Paul has numbers to back up his model. Example: getting rid of timesheets gave his firm 25% efficiency. Paul figured he was wasting about 3 months of a year doing timesheets. Then, using cloud solutions on top of that has probably given him 30-40% increased efficiency. Translation: get more work done in less time. Paul also reports that he uses a lot of social media and that 80% of his new clients have come from Twitter. Not a bad way to start.

Show Notes

:22 Paul’s dilemma: continue corporate life, or go out on his own?

1:32 Paul switched to the cloud – without having a single client first

3:19 Collaborating online removes the data barrier between accountant and client

4:06 80% of Paul’s new clients have come from Twitter

5:31 Cloud solution adds 30-40% efficiency

The real effect of changing over to a cloud-based accounting system like Xero is not unlike going to a dentist, reports Gavin Waring, CEO of Fresh Numbers. When a client suddenly sees where they’re losing money, or where their weaknesses are, it’s as though a dental probe touches a raw nerve.

Gavin describes to Dennis how he’s gone about changing the internal culture of his accounting firm – which, in turn, has caused his clients to change. Switching to Xero involves looking at the business as a whole rather than the mere bookkeeping aspect of it.

As a result, Gavin has his accountants working toward benchmarking particular industries, and using collective data to help clients. Example: telling a plumber that he’s 5% out on his costs by comparing his numbers with data from 30 other plumbers. That’s just one reason why Gavin is sold on Xero to the point that he would not advise competitors to make a similar switch – because he wants their clients.

Show Notes

:40 Moving to cloud accounting is disruptive – in a good way

2:04 How Gavin guided his internal staff – and clients – through the changes

2:51 Gavin would not advise competitors to go to Xero – because he wants their clients

Professional accountancies are increasingly moving to cloud-based systems like Xero. That doesn’t mean the transition is a simple one. Dipping your toes into the Xero cloud accounting system isn’t enough; you have to dive in. That’s the viewpoint of David McPherson, Principal of McPherson Financial, whose firm has transitioned to Xero.

While chatting in Melbourne, David reports that things have finally fallen into place. The firm’s biggest challenge? Not being able to take on the system in bits and pieces. It’s all about embracing and changing the whole process. Was the change worth it? David reports a 40% increase in revenue over the last 8 months. He’s also been picking up clients he wouldn’t have gotten before – because of increased efficiencies using Xero.

David’s verdict? Despite a significant amount of change and a few growing pains, the move onto Xero amounts to a success story.

Show Notes

:37 Wading in to the Xero cloud system isn’t enough; you have to be “right in”

1:38 After a difficult start, the team has gotten things in place within the last 6 months

2:15 For David, the biggest challenge lies in embracing and changing the whole process

3:09 As systems integration progressed, the team realized they’d get a better result in the end

3:54 By using Xero, David’s revenues have grown by about 40% over the last 8 months

5:08 David’s move to Xero amounts to a success story that bodes well for the future

Accountants don’t want to be accountants anymore, says Lisa Stribely, Director of the Australian accounting firm Hansens. Talking with Dennis from Melbourne, Lisa explains that the new breed of accountant looks and behaves differently from the old-school variety – a point that hits home for Dennis himself, who was once a chartered bean counter back in the day.

Lisa goes on to note that accounting graduates today are effectively saying that they want to be business analysts. They want to have people contact with clients, they want to have genuine positive impact on their clients’ business. As for crunching numbers, they want to utilize tools that create efficiencies. The new tools also provide real-time data visibility, which allows for a new kind of client relationship. And yes, they want the job to be fun – and sexy.

While the debate over these new approaches goes on, Lisa confirms that the new outlook has had a positive impact on her firm’s performance. The implications? The accounting profession is no longer one for shy and retiring types that want to sit in a corner.
Show Notes

:39 Accountants don’t want to be accountants anymore

1:41 Today’s accountants would rather be perceived as business analysts

2:27 How real-time accounting tools enable closer relationships with clients

Paris, France-based Hubwoo, a rising star in the procurement space, is looking to compete with the biggest procurement players by building new alliances. Following a recently announced partnership with Microsoft, Dennis met with Rinus Strydom, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Hubwoo, at the Microsoft Dynamics Convergence 2013 in New Orleans.

Hubwoo’s strategy is to be the world’s largest open B2B network, without friction on commerce. As Rinus sees it, that’s a fundamentally different approach than Hubwoo’s competition. Hubwoo doesn’t believe that it’s necessary for a business to pay a tax or a toll in order to post an invoice or receive a purchase order. Payment should only be required if the service is truly value-add.

Rinus predicts that 2013 and 2014 will put Hubwoo head-to-head with procurement’s household names. Hubwoo intends to sell into all large enterprise areas while also working closely with Microsoft and their Value Added Reseller (VAR) community. On  top of their existing commerce base, Hubwoo plans to add an influx of community elements, such as ratings and market-place type buying.

Show Notes

:34  Hubwoo’s procurement plans: changing the market

1:29 The Microsoft Alliance

2:19 Subscription and sell-side services

3:39 The  multi-channel strategy

4:13 Taking on competitors of all sizes

4:53 Future product developments

5:37 Getting the message out: replacing  ”antiquated systems”