The recent annual SAP Sapphire 2024 in Orlando had its largest post-pandemic attendance to date, with approximately 12,000 people. I had the pleasure of attending as a guest of the Americas SAP User Group (ASUG) where I serve as the HCM Chairperson. If you did not have a chance to attend, be sure to check out the replay of the keynote and all other SAPPHIRE sessions when you get a chance. There were some big announcements - read more in this blog.
The recent annual SAP Sapphire 2024 in Orlando had its largest post-pandemic attendance to date, with approximately 12,000 people. I had the pleasure of attending as a guest of the Americas SAP User Group (ASUG) where I serve as the HCM Chairperson.
If you did not have a chance to attend, be sure to check out the replay of the keynote and all other Sapphire sessions when you get a chance. There is also a helpful summary site which you can access here. You can also visit the SAP News Center to see all the announcements and key innovations launched this year by visiting https://news.sap.com/topics/sap-sapphire/.
As SAP does every year, there were some big announcements including:
- Intelligent Applications in SAP Business Data Cloud | SAP Sapphire | SAP News Center
- SAP and AWS Introduce AI Co-Innovation Program | SAP Sapphire | SAP News Center
SAP introduced the Flywheel
CEO Christian Klein unveiled the idea of a “Business AI Flywheel” – a powerful synergy that emerges when SAP’s enterprise applications, deep business data, and AI technologies work in concert. This isn’t about adding AI as a flashy afterthought; it’s about purposefully weaving AI into the fabric of real, day-to-day business operations to drive lasting impact and momentum.
The importance of Apps + Data + AI was a consistent theme across the event.
Learn more in SAP’s announcement here.
Top five updates for HCM SAP SuccessFactors
1. Launch of SAP People Intelligence
On the HCM and Payroll front SAP SuccessFactors, CEO Dan Beck gave updates about the exciting innovations around Artificial Intelligence (AI). But the HCM related item that got the most attention was the launch of SAP People Intelligence in SAP Business Data Cloud which you can learn more about from my blog here.
2. An update on Employee Central Service Center (ECSC)
It was announced that SuccessFactors Employee Central Service Center (ECSC) was removed from the price list. Existing contracts will be honored, with support extended until at least 2028. No further updates or improvements are planned.
In SAP’s view, in the last few years the world has changed significantly, as have the needs of their customers; and standalone ticketing solutions such as SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Service Center are becoming outdated.
As a result, SAP made the strategic decision to focus on the AI-driven HR Services market with a forward-looking, and industry-leading solution, SAP SuccessFactors Enterprise Service Management. Learn more here.
3. WalkMe is now available in SAP SuccessFactors
SAP has integrated WalkMe, a leading Digital Adoption Platform, directly into SAP SuccessFactors, enhancing the user experience through in-app, role-specific guided tours and contextual assistance. This integration streamlines onboarding, boosts productivity, and reduces training time by helping users navigate HR tasks like goal setting and feedback with step-by-step guidance.
Organizations benefit from improved user adoption, reduced support needs, and actionable insights through analytics. With multiple deployment options available, including browser extensions and script-based integration, this move underscores SAP’s commitment to digital transformation and delivering more intuitive, user-friendly enterprise software. Availability: Embedded by default effective 1H 2025, with upgrade options to Platform and Premium WalkMe licenses. Learn more here.
4. Performance & Goals has a new AI Agent
The Performance and Goals Agent received its announcement at SAP Sapphire 2025 as a major advancement for employee-manager relationships. The AI-powered tool provides managers with actionable insights to enhance their performance management practices. The agent uses data-driven methods to help managers recognize individual strengths and identify growth opportunities while creating personalized development plans for one-on-one conversations. The general availability of SAP's intelligent talent management solution will become available in Q4 2025 according to the company's plans. Learn more here.
5. New SAP Business Suite Packages for HCM
SAP is making it easier than ever for HR leaders to accelerate transformation with new modular Business Suite Packages for HCM. These pre-integrated bundles, built on SAP BTP, are designed to streamline deployment and speed up time-to-value – something every CHRO can appreciate. The packages cover everything from Core HR and workforce planning to service delivery, analytics, and AI-driven automation. What I like most is the flexibility: you can start with what you need today and expand as your organization grows. It’s a smart move for any HR team that wants powerful capabilities, fast implementation, and deep integration without the complexity.
SAP Sapphire 2025: My focus
And below is a recap of where I focused my energy onsite at the event.
EPI-USE Labs
I was truly delighted to attend SAP’s Sapphire 2025 last week alongside my colleagues from EPI-USE and EPI-USE Labs. The energy at the event was incredible, and it was inspiring to see so many passionate conversations centered around innovation and client success. Our team came to Orlando with a clear focus: putting our clients first. From engaging with SAP leaders to connecting with clients and partners, every moment reinforced our commitment to delivering value and building lasting relationships.
At this year's Sapphire conference, themes we focused on included:
- Seamless PRISM migrations to the cloud, both HR and Payroll, and S/4HANA
- Test data automation alongside our partner Worksoft, with our Data Sync Manager (DSM) Suite
- AWS Cloud hosting and managed services
SAP Mentors
Sapphire is a great opportunity for me to spend some quality in person time with my fellow SAP Mentors and the Executive leadership teams at SAP and the Product owners for the various solutions. You can see that post here.
SAP Community
I had the opportunity to speak again this year at Sapphire, this time as part of the SAP Community. Our session focused on the many resources available to the SAP Community as described in this article Stop Googling SAP Questions: Here's Where the Real Experts Hang Out. I also had the opportunity to record some promotional videos to SAP that I look forward to being published on sap.com in the coming weeks.
The feedback from the session has been very positive. It's wonderful how the SAP community pulls together to educate each other on a wide variety of topics!