Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

Today's buzz: Technology startups. Some entrepreneurs soar to success right from the get-go. How? They simply deliver something the world really needs - and they do it uniquely well. Our in-the-trenches start-up experts share first-hand insights on vision, planning, brains, teams, funding and other challenges. Frantisek Vrabel, Semantic Visions: "I can think. I can wait. I can fast. (Herman Hesse, Siddhartha, Chap. 6) Rick Dutta, Nextvisionix: "We should not only use the brains we have, but all that we can borrow." (Woodrow Wilson) Dan Somers, Warwick Analytics: "Many entrepreneurs, particularly first-timers, believe that money is the answer to all their prayers and do whatever it takes to raise it." Kaustav Mitra, SAP: "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." (George Bernard Shaw) Join us for Start-Up Insider: From What-if to Wow!

Today's buzz: Banking fraud. Show me the money! Earlier this year, a band of "cashiers" swiped prepaid debit cards at ATMs in NY City and 25 countries – and made off with $45 million in cash. The problem: they didn't own the cards or the money. What are we doing to detect emerging fraud patterns and stop these emboldened outlaws and their sophisticated cyber-criminal organizations before they dig even deeper into our pockets? The experts speak. Nuno Sebastiao, FeedZai: "Flash attacks are a new threat in the online world. Imagine a version of the ATM attacks a couple of months ago, but in real/time, distributed and targeting many online merchants." Prakash Santhana, Deloitte: "It is 10 p.m. Do you know where your credit card is shopping?" Eric Stine, SAP: "We're faced with an increasingly demanding legislative and regulatory environment - and a creative class of criminal that keeps getting smarter." Join us for more insights on Banking Fraud: Can Technology Outsmart the Bad Guys?

Reality check: Health matters. More than your job, social status, money, car, house. But health is elusive. So much so that 65 million U.S. caregivers provide weekly care to the ill, disabled, aged. How can technology help? The experts speak. Robert M. Miller, National Fragile X Foundation: "Technology will never replace the caring spirit, but technology can provide the necessary tools for caring to make a real difference in the lives of those with special needs." Louise W. Gane, MS, M.I.N.D. Institute: "Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries." (Corita Kent) Cheryl Pray, Els for Autism Foundation: "Autism: It's not game over. It's GAME ON!" Faheem Ahmed, SAP: "Social networks have already transformed how we find music, discover restaurants, compare prices, and plan vacations. Isn't it about time that we apply this technology to transform how we care for our loved ones?" Join us for People Who Need People: Caregiving Goes Social and Mobile.

Today's buzz: Mobility. The world loves mobile devices. One could say wireless is the new de rigeur accessory for every hat you wear: business, consumer, personal. Your company can't fight this trend, so you'd better know how to mobilize your workplace smartly and securely, and create loyalty-sustaining mobile customer engagement. The experts speak. Philippe Winthrop, VeliQ: "Dear MDM, we hardly knew you…." Sheryl Kingstone, Yankee Group: "It's not just about having an app for that -- it's about personalization strategies, mobilizing the customer journey; it's an entertainment/information/consumption hub. But consumers also are still looking for the basics of simplicity and convenience; many also seek personalization and the advantages of location, while wanting their privacy protected." JP Finnell, SAP: "Forget about the consumerization of IT. The real trend is the ITization of the consumer." Join us for more insights on Mobility Enablement: Getting Personal with Your Customer.

Today's buzz: The IT Brain. Whoosh! Faster benchmarks. Hybrid cloud computing. Big Data. Analytics for the whole company. Wait a sec. Even the most exciting new technology is doomed to fail unless your IT department assesses its challenges and opportunities to develop a viable strategy and bring back office to front office. Think about it. The experts speak. Ben Kepes, Diversity Limited: The organization of the future will look radically different from that which has gone before. IT departments face unrelenting pressure to innovate, deliver agility and stop being seen as the Department of No." Dr. Richard Goodwin, IBM: "If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative." (Woody Allen) Dale Young, IBM: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." (Newton's Third Law of Motion) Swen Conrad, SAP: "The digital storm: Take advantage of the opportunity or be blown away!" Join us for IT Professional Brain: Secret Sauce for Success.

Today's buzz: HR. Talent, talent everywhere, yet so many candidates still can't find a job. With droves of companies expanding their geographic footprint, the ongoing skills vs. talent paradox merits fresh examination since we covered it in Feb. 2013. What is HR doing about this? The experts speak. Dr. Katherine Jones, Bersin by Deloitte: "'Growing local' when going global: skill gaps take on a whole new meaning for multinational companies seeking indigenous leaders." China Gorman, CMG Group: "A shift in postsecondary education is coming. It has to. It's being forced by the demand side (employers) while the supply side (education providers) is slowly beginning to take note. A focus on competence is taking hold, providing hope for employers and consternation for education providers." Susan Bor, SAP: "The stakes are getting higher for attracting and retaining the right talent to deliver future business strategies." Join us for HR on Alert: Leadership in the Headlights – Part 2.

Today's buzz: Your health. When choosing a physician, hospital, insurance plan, or treatment, you must be a smart consumer. This means having the right information whenever, wherever, however you need it, so you can make informed decisions that yield the best possible outcome. Can mobility help? The experts speak. Devin Virta, SAP: "You've got to start with the customer experience and move back toward the technology – not the other way around." (Steven Jobs, Apple) David Delaney, MD, SAP: "The only real chance we have to bend the healthcare cost curve is to shift our efforts from trying to make pounds of cure cheaper to applying ounces of prevention, and engaging the patient as an active and invested agent in the improvement of their health." Dan Mahowald, SAP: "We believe, in healthcare, that the (medical) record will start living with the consumer...where I can take it anywhere I go in the world and always have access to it." Join us for Power to the Patient: Medical Info Goes Mobile.

Today's buzz: SMEs - small and medium enterprises. Does size matter when it comes to data management? Besides an SME's smaller budget and resources, their challenges are similar to larger companies'. So how can SMEs gain competitive advantage? Consider in-memory technologies. The experts speak. Jorge Garcia, TEC: "If the processing of data is going to drive better execution, higher performance, and increased profit for SMEs, an organization considering in-memory technology needs to acknowledge a number of essential principles for turning data into information." Curtis Fry, Navigator Business Solutions: "For the average SME company, one of the biggest inefficiencies is that the data they put into their system stays buried there and does not adequately help them guide business decisions on a day-to-day basis." Puneet Suppal, SAP: "Once we rid ourselves of traditional thinking, we can get on with creating the future." (James Bertrand) Join us for In-memory for SMEs - Real Possibilities.

Today's buzz: "BI" – business intelligence. Oxymoron or game-changer? Can BI really enable your company to be smarter, respond to global market forces with true agility, and ultimately leap tall competitors in a single bound? On our fourth peek into this evergreen topic, we'll take a fresh look at Big Data, analytics, mobility, the critical need for visionary leaders with intellectual curiosity, and more. The experts speak. Brian S. Sommer, TechVentive: "'Think Big, Be Big' is sort of an unofficial motto for Texas. With BI initiatives, the motto should be 'Think Big, then Think even Bigger'." ... Josh Greenbaum, EAC: "There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love data and those who don't." ... Jason Rose, SAP: "Technology is an enabler. Having a strategy sets your roadmap for success." ... Pour a cup of whatever you're drinking and join us for Part 4: How Smart Is BI without A Strategy?

SAP GameChangers Radio from SAPPHIRE NOW Orlando: Day 2. LIVE interviews with Game changers from SAPPHIRE NOW 2013.