Small and midsize businesses typically bear the effects of external change more than large organizations, a point that held true in our 2020 research with SAP Business One customers. Unlike those functioning in large-scale industries such as automotive manufacturing for example, SAP Business One customers pointed immediately to the effects of tariffs and regulatory changes on their operations this year. No other customer group that we do research with reported this to us as a top issue.
Business Size as an Advantage
The data for our 2020 report came in as we fielded our survey in December 2019—well before anyone expected North America to be shut down for a pandemic. In the current environment, these smaller organizations may find an advantage over their larger peers because they are more nimble and able to quickly evolve. But that depends on whether and how they use technology to capitalize on their market advantages.
Outrunning Technical Debt
We do know that SAP Business One customers struggle with the rapid pace of technology change and managing that change throughout their workforce. That has been a persistent trend year over year as customers recognize their need to digitally transform, but often their employees and customers resist the move away from paper processes, spreadsheets, and phoned-in orders.
One key question for these customers is when they plan to adopt SAP Business One version 10.0. Our report shares what version most customers are using today, how many are moving to the SAP HANA database, and when they had hoped to move to the newest version. Technical debt can also be a heavy burden for many of these customers, as their access to resources to maintain and upgrade their systems tends to be limited—likely even more so now.
Get a Recap of ASUG SAP Business One Research
We have no doubt that there are insights in this report that will remain relevant for SAP Business One customers, though the timeline for addressing them may shift. We encourage you to find out what trends and pressures your fellow customers have been experiencing. We also invite you to listen to our on-demand webcast, The State of SAP Business One Customers in 2020: A Research Recap. We caught up with SAP Business One customer Steven J. Lipton, chief information officer of Scientific Device Laboratory, Inc. to hear about what it’s like to operate as an essential business today and what plans he has on his radar through the rest of the year and into 2021.
Download our complete 2020 research report, The State of SAP Business One Customers.
