Transformation Ground Control: Digital Transformation, ERP Implementation, Change Management, and Digital Strategy Building an AI-First Strategy, What's REALLY Behind the Downfall of SAP, Blockbuster, and BlackBerry?
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Oct 15, 2025 
Brian Perkins, Director of IT at Sumitomo Drive Technologies, leads the charge on an AI-first strategy, cleverly opting to augment existing systems instead of a disruptive ERP overhaul. He shares insights on aligning executives and users with a data-first approach, prioritizing specific AI use cases, and conducting cautious pilots for risk management. The discussion also dives into the downfall of industry giants like SAP, Blockbuster, and BlackBerry, highlighting complacency and strategic missteps that could threaten their futures.
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Augment Before Replacing ERP
- Pilot focused AI solutions that augment existing ERP instead of replacing it immediately.
- Scale only after demonstrable user value to avoid disruptive, costly ERP overhauls.
AI Needs Data First
- Treat AI initiatives as data-first efforts, not magic features.
- Clean, harmonized data across systems is the gating factor for AI value.
Start With Specific Use Cases
- Target specific use cases and align only the necessary datasets for each.
- Avoid dumping all sources into one lake before proving value for chosen use cases.