Business Objects - Case Studies and Events

[Steve Bennett]

Just gave a speech at the The Sydney Technology & Innovation for Banking and Financial Services Conference. The blurb from the event was:

Transforming Data into Actionable Information with Business Intelligence

Business Intelligence is touted by vendors and consultants alike as the new ‘new thing’. In the real world, actionable intelligence is a lot harder to achieve. The secret to unlocking the promise of Business Intelligence is a complex challenge that most large organisations are facing today. ING Direct's Business Intelligence and Analytics Manager, Steve Bennett – has built Business Intelligence capabilities for Financial Institutions in Europe, the US and Australia – and he will reveal the management toolkit required to develop truly actionable intelligence within the local financial services sector.

• What does Business Intelligence (BI) mean for us in Australia?
• Funding and supporting BI initiatives
• Practical strategies
• Tip and tricks
• Hard lessons learnt in BI success stories

Of more interest to this forum was a discussion of some actual Business Objects applications I have created. If anyone is interested in the presentation I will post it online. Let me know.

[Steve Bennett]

Anyone else going to the annual user conference?

I am planning to be there for most of it (work permitting). I'm even giving a talk. Happy to meet anyone else attending.

Details of the conference are available here

[Jo Vincent]

Business Objects gets new APAC chief

Fran Foo | September 09, 2008 | Australian IT

BUSINESS Objects, now an SAP company, has appointed an internal executive to run its Asia-Pacific and Japan business in place of Australian IT industry veteran Keith Budge.

Michael Morini, a senior executive with Outlooksoft, also owned by the German software giant, is in the midst of relocating from the US to Singapore.

Last year SAP acquired the privately held Outlooksoft, a provider of web-based planning, budgeting, forecasting and consolidation software.

Mr Morini was appointed to the role on September 1, a local SAP spokesperson confirmed. The executive is expected to visit Australia next month.

He will replace Mr Budge who parted ways with Business Objects in April, a few months after it was gobbled up by SAP.

Rob Wells, who runs the Australian arm of Business Objects, was the interim Asia-Pacific head.

Prior to joining Business Objects, Mr Budge was Oracle Asia-Pacific senior vice-president. He also held several high-level roles at the database giant including managing director for South Asia and Singapore's country head.

His roots can be traced back to Australia where he spent eight years with Telstra in business development, sales, and marketing management positions before joining Oracle.

Mr Morini will inherit a company largely in the midst of consolidation after SAP paid more than $7 billion to acquire Business Objects last October.

In June Business Objects global chief executive John Schwarz said the two brands would rely on a common back office operation to reduce costs.

"The cost focus is primarily on finance, legal, human resources and IT, where we're trying to develop a common backbone, which already exists inside SAP," Mr Schwarz said.

[Steve Bennett]

Sydney Water and BOBJ in the news here.