The UK and Ireland SAP User Group (UKISUG) Connect 25 conference has opened in Birmingham with a keynote session recognising the challenges business face.<\/p>\n
The user group itself has adapted to changes in the technology market such as the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) in business applications and the economic climate that has a profound effect on its members\u2019 ability to deliver value with enterprise technology.<\/p>\n
In his keynote presentation, Conor Riordan, chair of UKISUG<\/a>, said: \u201cAs an organisation, we have to change, to position ourselves as we move from the old to the new.\u201d<\/p>\n The user group has a 2030 plan, recognising the shifts in enterprise software. For instance, there is the shift to no-code and low-code tooling, which has implications on the agility of enterprise software development. Riordan noted that the current business climate and geopolitical volatility means that there is a huge pressure to reduce costs, leading to cuts in training budgets and the challenge of delivering more with less, adding: \u201cWe need to have process change.\u201d<\/p>\n Moving to a future where organisations are using data to make more dependable decisions, Riordan noted that SAP is moving to a dynamic ecosystem of applications and AI, but the challenge is how quickly businesses can start taking advantage of the AI now available in their business applications. \u201cWe see members say SAP AI will help them<\/a>,\u201d Riordan said.<\/p>\n But many are concerned how the new technology now available will deliver a return on investment (ROI). For Riordan, IT decision-makers need to be wary of tackling the so-called low-hanging fruit, the use cases that the industry sells to the executive team: \u201cIt is really complex work, and the low-hanging fruit is not that low hanging. It will take years, not months, to deliver value.\u201d<\/p>\n A poll of delegates at the conference found that 78% of respondents are just getting started with AI, while 29% say their AI initiatives have under-delivered.<\/p>\n \u201cThis stuff is not easy,\u201d Riordan said, adding that the challenge is one of process re-engineering and culture change, and that he believes humans need to be at the centre of decision-making. \u201cWe ask partners to be reasonable in their productivity claims so we can all succeed together.\u201d<\/p>\n The Value of AI in the UK: Growth, people & data<\/a><\/em> from SAP and Oxford Economics, which was published in October 2025, notes that customers are investing \u00a316m in AI on average this year. The report\u2019s authors predict this will increase by 40% within the next two years. However, the theme coming out of the keynote session at Connect25 is that few companies are really using AI.<\/p>\n Another big topic covered during the keynote is the end of support for SAP products. With SAP\u2019s 2027 maintenance deadline for SAP ECC 6.0<\/a> fast approaching, many organisations are now embarking on their migration journey to SAP S\/4Hana. More than half (54%) of respondents said that gaining access to SAP\u2019s AI offerings will influence their future deployment of SAP.<\/p>\n Among attendees of Connect25, 49% said they are working towards the 2027 deadline. Riordan called on SAP to help customers to move to the cloud and build a tangible business case.<\/p>\n During her keynote speech, Leila Romane, managing director of SAP UK & Ireland, spoke about the AI opportunity, saying: \u201cWe are helping customers unleash new value with business AI.\u201d<\/p>\n SAP\u2019s strategy is to drive business value through the power of AI, data and its enterprise applications, with the SAP Cloud integral in SAP\u2019s strategy to deliver AI-enablement across its enterprise software suite. Romane said SAP recognised that its customers were all at different stages of their cloud journey, adding: \u201cOur commitment is to help you move.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n