In the modern-day world characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), Klein displays impressive optimism. His keen focus on India’s future prospects is particularly noteworthy. His recent diplomatic visit with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to India was a testament to this, underscoring the enormous potential for innovative technology to catalyze transformation across various sectors – from renewable energy and mobility services to small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Klein gave credit to India’s ambitious goals towards sustainability and decarbonization, highlighting the critical part that technology could play in this journey. He spoke of SAP’s Green Ledger, a powerful tool for tracking greenhouse gas emissions throughout supply chains, as one such potential solution. In contrast to common worries about potentially shrinking IT budgets, Klein argued that there is a distinct inclination towards increased investment, particularly within the Indian market.

India’s Role in the Next Phase of Globalization

Regarding India’s role in the forthcoming phase of globalization, Klein’s optimism remains strong, even amidst growing geopolitical tensions worldwide. He pointed out how India, with its rich talent pool and welcoming investment climate, is becoming increasingly popular among global CEOs and investors. Klein believes that India’s unique blend of required infrastructure, forward-thinking government vision, and sustainability initiatives make it an appealing investment destination.

“What companies are looking for is a market where you have great talent and an environment to invest. You have to have the infrastructure, and the government needs to have a vision when it comes to sustainability, making it easier for companies to invest. And when you look at all of that, I feel India will be the winner because a lot of companies are choosing to invest in countries where they see all of these, to be successful in the future,” he remarked.

Klein candidly acknowledged the transformation that has taken place within SAP’s own operations, transitioning from being primarily an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software company to a cloud-focused organization. Looking ahead, he foresees Generative AI playing a significant role in aiding businesses with intelligent recommendations and informed decision-making, leading to better overall business management.

SAP CEO Christian Klein Discusses Future Strategies

According to Klein, SAP’s future technological direction aligns well with India’s commercial demands. He mentioned the potential of the SAP Business Network to revolutionize operations and cited a growing demand for technology in industries such as automobile manufacturing and retail. He highlighted how SAP’s solutions could support Indian farmers, making agricultural processes more sustainable and efficient.

Klein considers India a vital market for SAP, noting the vast talent pool, the significant number of SMEs, and the broad partner ecosystem. He stressed the need for further investments in education and skill development to propel India’s future growth.

His meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left him particularly impressed with the government’s commitment to digital transformation and using technology as a lever for economic growth. Their discussions touched on a range of topics from digitizing railways to promoting green energy transitions and enabling SMEs to digitize their operations and thrive.

Concluding the interview on an optimistic note, Klein showed confidence in India’s future and its attractiveness as an investment destination. As SAP CEO Christian Klein sees it, he’s betting on India’s growth, development, and increasing global influence. He stands committed to ensuring that SAP continues to be a key player in this promising narrative, thus reaffirming his belief that India is a clear winner in the next phase of globalization.

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According to an IDC InfoBrief commissioned by SAP India on the “State of Indian Mid-Markets”, 74% of mid-market enterprises are anticipated to shift their applications to the cloud by 2022. The expanding trend of digital resiliency among SMEs demonstrated increased confidence to make more investments in cloud computing, cybersecurity, analytics, and business intelligence, among other fields. The ability to orchestrate and interoperate across many cloud landscapes is regarded to be one of the most important drivers of cloud-related efforts in 2022, according to analysts. In addition, the study also revealed that 68% of mid-market businesses aim to either raise (5-10%) or maintain their IT spending this year.

In order to respond to the needs of the SME sector, the German enterprise software giant’s “cloud on wheels” initiative dubbed “Transformation Express” was recently launched to equip mid-market organisations with the latest technologies and allow them to have a first-hand experience in harnessing the power of the cloud. Subramanian Ananthapadmanabhan, who was recently appointed as Senior Vice President and Head of Mid-Market at SAP Asia Pacific Japan (SAP APJ), said:

“The mid-market sector has embraced technology enthusiastically and witnessed exponential growth. By collaborating with our customers, associations, government bodies, and industry-academia partnerships, we’re building an ecosystem that can co-create, empower, enable these organizations in their digitalization, and fast-track their cloud journey.”

New SAP SME Initiative Powers a Digital India

As India strives to become a US$5 trillion economy, technological advancements continue to fuel the development of a digital India. In line with the government’s focus on cultivating an innovation ecosystem through Atmanirbhar Bharat, organisations are engaging with business process transformation and digitalisation in order to take full advantage of market opportunities, establish resilience, and foster growth. On SAP’s end, the company is initiating a program to support the movement by bringing cutting-edge technologies to the doorsteps of enterprises across all regions in the country.

SAP’s global strategic service partner Tech Mahindra will be joining the German tech giant as the “Transformation Express” makes its way across the country to jointly bring the Business Transformation as a Service (BTaaS) signature cloud offering RISE with SAP to customers who are at various stages of their digital transformation and to provide them with a comprehensive approach for reimagining business processes.

The “Transformation Express” bus will drive across India for 45 days to provide SMEs with an up-close look at how leveraging a digital core in the cloud can help them prepare and respond more quickly to changing business requirements. The mobile experience bus will be complemented with interactive product demonstrations, a virtual reality display, and educational workshops in Delhi, Gurgaon, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Coimbatore, Kochi, and Bangalore.

SAP Indian Subcontinent President and Managing Director Kulmeet Bawa shared during the launch of the SAP SME initiative:

“Indian SMEs are the engines of economic growth and equitable development. They contribute to more than 30% of our GDP. As the sector grows and expands, moving to the cloud is becoming an imperative for organizations to scale. The ‘Transformation Express’ initiative reaffirms our commitment to empower Indian SMEs to improve cost efficiencies and agility, and transition into intelligent, sustainable enterprises.”

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