The Open Source Way

How does SAP approach open source, and how is it perceived by the global open source community? In this episode of The Open Source Way, host Karsten Hohage sits down with Sebastian Wolf, Head of SAP’s Open Source Program Office (OSPO), and Orlin Vasilev, Open Source and Cloud Native Technology Advocate at SAP, to discuss SAP’s evolving open source strategy and its growing role in the global open source ecosystem. Topics covered include: • SAP’s vision for open source and enterprise innovation • The role of the Open Source Program Office (OSPO) • Building stronger relationships with developer communities • Cloud Native technologies, Kubernetes, Harbor, and K3s • The NeoNephos Foundation and European open source collaboration • Open source governance, compliance, and business strategy • Open source AI and future technology investments • How enterprises can contribute back to open source ecosystems • Community building, foundations, and developer advocacy Guests -  Sebastian Wolf Sebastian Wolf is the Head of SAP’s Open Source Program Office (OSPO), where he leads the company’s open source strategy and community engagement efforts. Having joined SAP in 2003, he has held roles spanning software engineering, architecture, and developer ecosystems. Today, he focuses on strengthening SAP’s role as a contributor and leader in the global open source community. Orlin Vasilev Orlin Vasilev is an Open Source and Cloud Native Technology Advocate at SAP. A CNCF Ambassador and Kubernetes Community Days organizer, he brings years of experience from the cloud native ecosystem, including leadership roles at VMware and SUSE. Orlin is passionate about open source communities, developer advocacy, and helping organizations build meaningful engagement in the open source world. 

What is SSL and how does secure internet communication work? In this episode, we explore SSL, encryption basics, and the story behind OpenSSL—from early web security to modern open-source cryptography.In this episode, we break down SSL, TLS, encryption, and secure communication in a simple, practical way, while exploring the history and impact of OpenSSL—one of the most widely used open-source security libraries.We go back to the early internet era of Netscape vs Internet Explorer, when encryption was restricted and controlled, and SSL was just emerging. Learn how OpenSSL was created, how export laws shaped cryptography, and why open source changed everything for web security.We also dive into:🔐 How SSL/TLS encryption works🌐 The evolution of internet security protocols💥 The Heartbleed vulnerability and its global impact🧠 Cryptography basics like randomness and elliptic curve algorithms👥 How the OpenSSL open-source community operates🏢 The structure of the OpenSSL Foundation and commercial supportYou’ll also hear a real journey into open source—from first contributions to becoming part of a core team—giving insight into how major security projects evolve behind the scenes.Guests:Matt Caswell - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-caswell-5a8b14/

Cloud Foundry after Kubernetes: How a lighter community process, growing contributions, and a new path to Kubernetes are shaping the platform’s next chapter. In this episode of the Open Source Way podcast, Karsten speaks with Beyhan Veli about the current evolution of Cloud Foundry and the community behind it. They discuss how the project reorganized its contributor processes to make onboarding easier and more transparent, leading to a significant increase in community participation and RFC-driven innovation. Beyhan also shares updates on recent platform features, including cloud-native buildpacks, improved health checks, configurable routing algorithms, and IPv6 support. The conversation explores how Cloud Foundry and Kubernetes are increasingly seen as complementary technologies rather than competitors, culminating in a new initiative to enable Cloud Foundry deployments directly on Kubernetes. Together, they reflect on the renewed momentum in the ecosystem and what the future may hold for developers and contributors.Guests:⁠Beyhan Veli  (LinkedIn)

In this episode, we delve into the intricacies of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) within the SAP ecosystem, a pivotal component designed to offer domain expertise to LLMs. Join our host alongside Tim Back and Florian Vogt as we unpack the role and significance of MCP in the SAP ecosystem in the world of AI.Guests:Florian Vogt (LinkedIn) and on GitHubTim BackShow Notes:UI5 MCP Server BlogpostUI5 MCP server on GitHub

In this episode of The Open Source Way, Karsten Hohage chats with Sonja Lienard, Senior Vice President and Head of ABAP Platform at SAP SE. They delve into Sonja’s professional journey, her contributions to ABAP development, and the significant role open source technologies play at SAP. The discussion covers Sonja’s involvement with various programming languages, the integration of Eclipse IDE and Rust into ABAP development, and the importance of bottom-up innovation. Sonja emphasizes the value of swarm intelligence and the necessity for senior management to grant developers the freedom to explore open source projects.Tune in for an engaging conversation on how open source drives both external collaboration and internal development at SAP – from a senior manager’s perspective!Guests:Sonja LiénardSonja Liénard is Senior Vice President and Head of ABAP Platform at SAP SE. In her role, she leads a global engineering organization and defines the long-term vision, strategy, and roadmap of the ABAP platform in multiple areas such as Generative Artificial Intelligence, ABAP Cloud, ABAP Platform Infrastructure, and Custom Code Transformation for SAP’s Clean Core strategy.Follow Sonja on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonjalienard/Show Notes:SAP Help Portal | ABAP Development Tools for EclipseSAP Learning | Learn the Basics of ABAP Programming on SAP BTPThe Open Source Way | License Compliance – From risks to developer friendly processesThe Open Source Way | Rust – A Language on the RiseThe Open Source Way | Eclipse Dirigible – An Open-Source Platform for End-To-End Rapid Development of Business ApplicationsSAP Open Source Program OfficeInnovation at SAP | SAP Open SourceSAP Community | SAP Open SourceSAP Open Source Twitter (@sapopensource)Email us: [email protected] DownloadsDownload the transcript as PDF fileTry out an open-source podcast player – find a list here (list not maintained by SAP)Host:Karsten Hohage – Product Expert in Technology and Innovation (T&I)Follow Karsten on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karsten-hohage-0180312/