A clear view of the way ahead: Q&A with SAP's new UK chief

Noble: SAP’s hybrid approach allows clients to consume its products in different ways

Tim Noble joined SAP last month as the software giant’s new UK managing director, having previously been a senior vice president at analyst Gartner. He spoke exclusively to Computing at SAP’s World Tour customer briefing in Birmingham last week about the challenges of his new role.

What are your customers’ key priorities at the moment?
The strategy we have discussed is about clarity and about allowing customers to better understand their clients and their data so they know what to do with it. That would be a key priority.

I used to run a business and to help me do that, I needed access to data and my key priority now is to allow SAP customers to have access to their data.

How many UK SAP customers would you say are ready to use your products on a software-as-a-service basis?
Customers want to flatten out investments with SAP because it is difficult when you get peaks and troughs. I am learning that different clients want to consume SAP in different ways and therefore we are allowing clients do that. Whether it is renting the software or software-as-a-service, we are committed to providing customers access to our software in different ways.

We have a hybrid approach which means that whether a customer is big or small, they can use the different software applications and consume them in any way they want.

What are the main things you have learned since you joined SAP?
We need to continue to work closely with the customer. People from the press say the overriding sentiment is that people are supportive of SAP. They might just say that to me because I am the new managing director, but the impression is that everyone is supportive because we are trying to help them run their businesses more efficiently. That is essentially what we are trying to do.

What is your key message to customers who are struggling in the recession?
We are in a changing environment and there is uncertainty in this economic situation so the only way to lead organisations is through the concept of clarity, and we can help customers with the tools and technologies to provide that. To run a business, you need a clear view. It is exactly what our technology delivers.

SAP’s new UK chief responds to readers’ questions
We invited Computing followers on Twitter to submit questions to SAP UK managing director Tim Noble. Here are his responses to readers’ questions:

Are you aware how much bad feeling still exists among customers about last year’s support fee hikes?
I don’t know how to answer this – clearly I was not here when the support fees were increased. But I am aware of it and it has been discussed internally by SAP. What I say in response is, I know how much bad feeling it caused when it happened but SAP has done its best to reinforce and give back confidence to customers, that we are doing the best thing. I know that SAP has done an awful lot since to change the situation. So yes, I am aware of it.

What is your growth strategy for the next five years in the UK?
First, with our existing clients and larger clients, we have an enormous market opportunity to increase the footprint of SAP within those organisations. The acquisition of [business intelligence supplier] Business Objects was a fantastic example of that.

Second is the small and medium-sized business market. What I have learned and witnessed is that we have some very clear and concise off-the-shelf packages that will power and run smaller companies and make them more efficient, and this is a massively growing market.

How is SAP responding to Oracle stealing customers and the threat from more nimble and specialist providers?
I am not aware of Oracle stealing customers. Maybe it’s just that no one has told me, but I’m not aware of it. The wonderful thing about every industry is that there are smaller niche players that no doubt have great products and great services and we will respond to this accordingly.