Insiders Connection with SAPinsider

What does it take to move a mainframe-based SAP core banking platform that touches around 40% of all money movements in the Australian economy onto a cloud‑enabled S/4HANA foundation, while the bank stays live? In this episode, Simon Davies, General Manager Core Banking at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, shares how his team replatformed CBA’s mission‑critical SAP core in 18 months across 50+ lines of business, balancing 2027 end‑of‑service risk with the opportunity to modernise resilience, scalability and data flows for 17 million customers. He explains how they framed the stakes for non‑technical executives, built “Everest‑level” engineering discipline, and used cloud and SAP capabilities to turn a rock‑solid core into a more flexible “bionic heart” for future customer experiences.

How do you run a 24x7, high‑volume e‑commerce business and still deliver a brownfield move to SAP S/4HANA, three upgrades, and continuous innovation without trashing clean core? In this episode, Sriram Rekapalli, Principal SAP Financials and Analytics at Vistaprint, shares how his team cut an ECC to S/4HANA conversion downtime to 18 hours during COVID, then built a three‑tier extensibility strategy that favours standard first, on‑stack Fiori adaptations for tightly coupled finance processes, and BTP only where it really fits. He explains why IT must understand the business, why finance needs to be more tech‑savvy, and how to use guardrails, business champions, and MVP-style iterations to keep customisation debt under control while still delivering the differentiating features the business demands.

Moving to cloud ERP does not mean you have outsourced security. In this episode, Gaurav Singh, Senior Manager SAP Security at Under Armour and co‑author of the bestseller “Cybersecurity for SAP,” explains why infrastructure and cloud security, shared responsibility and SAP Integration Suite should be top of mind for every SAP customer. He shares what he learned writing a 400‑plus‑page book on SAP security, why SAP Integration Suite is effectively “the heart” of your S/4HANA and BTP landscape, and how to put governance in place early so APIs, service keys and non‑human identities do not become the weakest link.

What really separates leading finance, tax and GRC teams from everyone else in the SAP ecosystem? In this episode, SAPinsider Vice President and Research Analyst Susan Galberaith shares fresh research on organisational maturity, governed AI and why most organisations are still stuck at “level 3” without properly connecting data, processes and systems. She explains how CFOs, tax leaders and GRC professionals can work together to build a stronger data foundation, apply human‑centred AI to real use cases and give tax a genuine seat at the strategic table, while GRC helps the business think more holistically about risk from fraud to cybersecurity.

What happens when a renewable energy company with 95+ entities, four disconnected finance systems and piles of spreadsheets decides to stand up SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud in just four months? In this episode, Tuan Tran, Head of Enterprise Solutions at Squadron Energy, shares how a non‑SAP IT leader led a greenfield public cloud ERP program under extreme time pressure to satisfy investors, replace “spaghetti” systems and build a digital core for AI. You will hear why public cloud was the only viable option, how his team managed stakeholder availability while keeping the lights on, and the lessons he learned about change, continuous improvement and closing the SAP knowledge gap along the way.

December 2027 is closer than it looks, and many SAP ERP teams are quietly realising they may not make the deadline. In this episode, SAPinsider Chief Research Officer Robert Holland shares what he is seeing in the data and in conversations with hundreds of SAP customers: why more than 90% are planning for private cloud, what all the new names (RISE, GROW, SAP Cloud ERP) actually mean in practice, and the three non‑negotiable actions ERP owners should start now. You will hear how to get real about timelines, tackle decades of custom code and messy data, and choose a way forward that balances risk, cost and internal politics, whether you stay on ECC, move to SAP S/4HANA, or consider third‑party support.

When AI, analytics and SAP Joule collide with elite esports, what really changes in the locker room and on game day? In this episode, Team Liquid’s Senior Director of Sports Science and Analytics, Jesse Hart, shares how his team turns billions of in game data points into tiny performance edges that win championships. You will hear how SAP HANA, BTP and Joule let coaches self serve insights in real time, shift debates from gut feel to data driven, and keep the world’s most decorated esports club one step ahead. Expect practical, human stories about change, buy in, and using AI to help experts do what they already do best, only better.