Скачать или смотреть UKISUG Connect 2025 | Conor Riordan Keynote

In his keynote, UKISUG's chairman Conor Riordan discussed the crossroads many organisations have now arrived at when it comes to their current SAP environments. Today, half of UKISUG members are now on S/4HANA, with more embarking on their S/4HANA journey. However, there are still large numbers of organisations that need to navigate critical end-of-life milestones over the next two years. The message to delegates was act now and ensure you develop a clear migration roadmap or a viable long-term support strategy for ECC 6.0.

To read more about specific maintenance deadlines, check out our latest blog: https://www.sapusers.org/resource/are...

Unsurprisingly, AI adoption was also a big topic of conversation. In his keynote, Conor noted that although the excitement around AI is justified, organisations must manage expectations.

He stressed that technology is not the main barrier to progress. Instead, the real challenge is the lack of unified business processes underpinned by well-governed data models. Three-quarters of UKISUG members believe technology partners and systems integrators are overselling the benefits and potential use cases of AI, while downplaying the complexities involved in implementation.

Here Conor also underlined the importance of use cases that are environmentally sustainable, credible and deliver value. He highlighted the need for “free to use” tools that help organisations govern and standardise their processes and data more effectively. Ultimately, AI journeys will be a marathon rather than a sprint, so the success of AI will rely on the entire SAP ecosystem working together to drive meaningful progress.