The future, now: Responding to AI, hybrid cloud, and escalating data demands
By Paul Snyman | 02 October 2025
At the INSPIRE Dallas event last Thursday, we did something we don't often do: we opened the doors to our Innovation Kitchen and showed our clients where we're heading as a product organization. Not just roadmaps and release dates, but the fundamental shifts we're making in how we build software for the SAP ecosystem.The combination of AI, hybrid cloud, and escalating data demands isn't just changing what's possible; it's changing what's expected. And if you're not fundamentally rethinking how you build and deliver value, you're already behind.
At the INSPIRE Dallas event last Thursday, we did something we don't often do: we opened the doors to our Innovation Kitchen and showed our clients where we're heading as a product organization. Not just roadmaps and release dates, but the fundamental shifts we're making in how we build software for the SAP ecosystem.
My perspective is that we're at an inflection point in enterprise software – one that demands more than incremental improvements. The combination of AI, hybrid cloud, and escalating data demands isn't just changing what's possible; it's changing what's expected. And if you're not fundamentally rethinking how you build and deliver value, you're already behind.
The provocation
I started the session by being a little controversial. If one were to believe all messages coming from the world's enterprise software vendors over the past 12 months, you might be led to believe that General Artificial Intelligence is almost here; all our clients' problems will be solved; and we all need to start looking for new lines of employment.
Not quite.
However, there is something happening that we cannot ignore. SAP is betting the company on AI. Microsoft, Google, OpenAI – they're all racing to embed intelligence into every workflow. And the enterprises that figure out how to harness this wave without getting swept away by the hype are the ones that will come out ahead.
The message we shared
The core message we wanted to land at our INSPIRE event was simple: you're not alone in this transformation. We are transforming too.
We're pursuing the same goals our clients are: harnessing AI, cloud, and security in a reliable, ethical, secure way. This isn't empty empathy. These are genuinely hard problems. Navigating hybrid cloud architectures, governing data sprawl, integrating AI into mission-critical workflows without creating new risks; these challenges require partnership, not just product features.
The Innovation Kitchen
What do EPI-USE Labs and one of the fastest-growing fast food retail chains in the world have in common?
Fast food chain Shake Shack runs their franchise like a software company – continuously iterating, testing, scaling – using the same processes tech companies employ.
We're doing the same thing. Innovation isn't a side project; it's our core mission. Value through innovation is more than a tagline – it's how we approach every product decision.
At INSPIRE, we gave our clients a look inside that kitchen. Here's what we showed them:
1. Modern APIs as the foundation
We've been extending our existing products with modern APIs that don't just connect systems; they enable strategic integrations. Our partnership with Worksoft is a great example: using our new Data Sync Manager API with integration from Worksoft Certify to deliver measurable value to our clients pursuing test automation and test data provisioning.
But we're not stopping there. We're building APIs that plug directly into your generative AI capabilities – whether that's Microsoft Copilot, SAP Joule, or any other AI platform that enterprises are standardizing on.
The technology we're leveraging? Model Context Protocol (MCP) – released just last November (2024). This isn't vaporware; we demonstrated it live at INSPIRE. Imagine querying your SAP payroll data, triggering Data Sync Manager operations, or analyzing discrepancies, all from within Microsoft Copilot or SAP Joule, without ever opening our UI.
That's what AI-first architecture looks like in practice.
2. Cloud and AI first, not Cloud and AI retrofitted
There's a difference between bolting AI onto legacy systems and designing solutions that are cloud and AI native from the ground up. We're doing the latter.
What this means in practice:
- Semantic masking that works across SAP and non-SAP systems (Salesforce, Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, ADP WorkForce Software)
- Discrepancy detection powered by generative AI that doesn't just flag differences – it explains how they occurred and suggests corrections
- Natural language query interfaces embedded directly into Query Manager, so you can ask questions in plain English and get context-aware responses.
We showed live prototypes of all of this at INSPIRE. Not slides. Not mockups. Working software.
3. Experiences that support your future, not just your present
Here's what should be obvious but often isn't: SAP is rarely your only system. The enterprises we work with run hybrid environments – SAP as the core, but the likes of Salesforce for CRM, Workday for HCM, ADP Workforce Software for time tracking etc.
So we're building integrations that span these environments. At the INSPIRE event, we demonstrated our Query Manager Cloud Connector successfully querying both core SAP systems and data residing in Workforce Software. Same interface. Same workflow. Different systems.
This matters because your data strategy can't be constrained by vendor boundaries. You need solutions that meet you where you are, not where a vendor wishes you were.
What's available today
We weren't just showing vision at our event. We announced what's available now:
- Cloud TDM for test data management in SAP Cloud ERP Private. Cloud TDM™ (SAP BTP app) automates on-demand, secure SAP test-data provisioning (with subsetting/masking) to speed QA while shrinking non-production footprints and cloud costs – made for QA leads, SAP Basis, and DevOps teams running SAP Cloud ERP Private.
- Cloud Elevate for legacy SAP migrations to SAP Cloud ERP. Cloud Elevate™ (an app which integrates with SAP BTP) accelerates SAP ECC/legacy to SAP Cloud ERP by mapping active data to S/4HANA migration templates and placing the rest in a secure, read-only archive – made for CIOs, SAP program leads, and partners driving RISE/GROW journeys.
All available today in fully released versions. And we're actively looking for clients to co-innovate with us – to help shape where our beta products go next in the areas of hybrid cloud semantic masking, discrepancy detection and more.
What's coming soon
And here's what's in active development:
- Data privacy and security for SAP SuccessFactors, built as a BTP application
- Cloud comparison capability for cloud migration validation
- Query Manager cloud connector for hybrid environments (already working with ADP Workforce Software, looking for more client validations)
The invitation we extended
At the end of the session, we made a simple offer: we have pilot programs for these new innovations. If you're interested in joining those pilots, we'd love to talk with you.
This is genuinely how we want to build software – in partnership with the clients who will use it. We don't always know what the problems are until we're sitting across the table from the people experiencing them. So: come and talk to us.
If you have a challenge in SAP data management, hybrid cloud migration, SAP integration, AI-powered analytics, and you think there's an opportunity to collaborate, we're interested.
Why we keep it high-level (but not shallow)
One decision we made deliberately for our INSPIRE event: we kept the content high-level. Not because the technical depth isn't there – it absolutely is. But because our clients work in Logistics, Finance, HCM, Utilities, Manufacturing. Their use cases are wildly different.
When you zoom in too tightly on one vertical, everyone else assumes you don't address their industry or unique problem. So we stayed at the level where the principles are universal; API-first, AI-native, hybrid-cloud-ready – and let the conversations go deep in the breakout sessions and one-on-ones.
That's where the real value gets unlocked.
Why INSPIRE events matter
Our INSPIRE events aren’t just marketing events for us. They are how we drive product engagement, which ultimately leads to adoption and sales. But more importantly, they are how we build relationships. We appreciate customers, but we value clients.
Word of mouth is everything in this industry. Someone uses one of our products every day at Company A, moves to Company B, and suddenly we're in a new account because they can't imagine working without it. That's the adoption model we're building for: solutions so valuable that people bring them with them when they move.
Our INSPIRE events give us the opportunity to put those solutions in front of decision-makers, power users, and influencers – and to show them not just what we've built, but why we built it and where we're going next.
What happens next?
If you attended our INSPIRE Dallas event, thank you. You are welcome to download presentations from our after-event page (password on your email).
The conversations we had last week were energizing and gave us clear signals about where to focus next.
If you didn't attend, but you're curious about what we're building, here's what you should do:
- Explore our Learning Management platform: We've made all introductory product courses free because we'd rather have well-trained clients who know how to use our products effectively than monetize training sessions.
- Reach out about pilot programs: If you're interested in co-innovating on hybrid cloud, semantic masking, or AI-powered analytics, let's talk.
- Join us at an upcoming INSPIRE event:
A final thought
The future of enterprise software isn't about replacing people with AI or migrating everything to the cloud for the sake of migration. It's about meeting real business needs – faster analytics, better data governance, seamless integrations, secure transformations – with solutions that are reliable, ethical, and built for hybrid environments.
That's what we're building. That's what we showed at our INSPIRE Dallas event. And that's the conversation we want to continue having with you.
Let's build the future, together.
Interested in learning more about what we're building? Want to join a pilot program?
Reach out directly to discuss how we can help solve the challenges you're facing.
This article reflects insights shared at the INSPIRE Dallas event, held on September 25, 2025.
Paul Snyman
Paul Snyman leads product strategy at EPI-USE Labs, where he focuses on AI-native architectures, cloud migrations, and SAP ecosystem integration. He's been working with SAP systems since certifying as a Basis consultant in Waldorf in 1998, and he's currently obsessed with how Model Context Protocol and agent-to-agent architectures will reshape enterprise software.