Blogs

Paul Centen

Paul Centen SAP Employee
Company: SAP AG
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Paul Centen is in charge of the Banking BPX community as a business development director at SAP AG. Over last 7 years Paul took responsibility over the allignment of system integrators and technology partners for the global SAP Banking industry. Paul joined SAP back in 1984 and started his career traditionally as software engineer for different applications (project management, real estate) in several industries like Engineering, Profesional Service Providers, but also Utilities, Telecommunication and Manufacturing. Paul was borned in the Netherlands and finished university with a PhD in theoretical physics at the university of Bonn (Germany). Favorite hobbies are music (symphonic wind and Big Band: www.sap-bigband.de) and hunting (approved referee for pointing and retriever dogs).

Business Architecture (5): big picture and roadmap
Changing business process models and sync these with appropriate IT platforms is by far non-trivial, but it becomes the differentiation among all market participants. The development of these capabilities will determine about the value generation by a network of business partners. This implies that in future single (individual) players will have reduced impact. This process is already in place for some of the matured industries. How can emerging industries profit from these new market dynamics and how can they get their current IT environments prepared to tomorrow’s market demand? The transformation to business networks will be the key-driver, where the networks will have specific focus and will also develop over time. In any case trust and control will determine future market developments. Aug. 19, 2008
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Business Architecture (4): beyond BPR towards BNT
To open business to other partners raises itself the question about the IT platform, providing services across companies and industries. This cross application stack needs to be provided (only) once on the link between the “other” business partners. It might be provided by the business partner instead of the bank, or even by a third party. This level of trust could open the acceptance for cross-industry IT expertise to build and implement business architecture for FS industries.  Aug. 18, 2008
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Business Architecture (3): BPR and Lean Operations
BPR on top of the implementation of ERP applications or suites disclose the value of “interface descriptions” and “clear commutations” between supplier and vendor. Although logical, but not acknowledged: “from an historical viewpoint, achieved knowledge and leadership attitudes are not natural and easy transferable”. In this contribution, the historical development of IT & organizational processes within engineering industries is projected towards current challenges for the IT of FS industries.  Aug. 13, 2008
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Business Architecture (2): IT-industrialization of the industries
Sometimes construction architects dream to build their cathedrals or shopping malls, but due to the demand and the market most have to execute on “repetitive” business. This, with high quality standards and a niche for creativity. What about the business architects? What’s their dream and what’s real? •Is there some reason for them to stay away from “copy & paste”? •Can "lessons learned" be migrated from one to another industries? This to increase the pace of business architecture modeling within emerging industries? Back to history, discovering repetitive behavior in IT.  Aug. 4, 2008
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Business architecture(1): likeness
In business architecture, we need common understanding to exchange expertise across different industries and application suites. Besides, of attempts to homogenize, the willingness for sharing should be by far stronger in relation to the attitudes to differentiate. Most current differentiations are perception driven.  Aug. 1, 2008
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Importance and relevance of events: measurements in the light of sustainability
In the production processes of professional services the provioning and exchange of knowledge and expertise play an important role. Comparing this "production process" regarding energy consumption with the chenistry industrie I suddenly realized the "forgotten lessons learned from 7 years ago". Or: do we need that carbon footprint in assembling knowledge and expertise? Jul. 31, 2008
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How financial services industries interact with the development of sustainability
A couple of days ago I mentioned a German book by Klaus Gabriel on sustainability. The second part of that book describes the application of financial instruments to support sustainable industry processes and corporations from a capital market perspective. Especially the research on stock indices and the outcome on the balance among the three pillars (ecology, economy, social) indicate still a long way to go. The remarks on education of our next generation could initiate a separate domain on sutainability. May. 28, 2008
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Sustainability: a fundamental introduction
I like to draw your attention to an excellent book describing the fundaments of sustainability including the interaction between business models and ethics. Its geo-coverage is Germany, Switzerland and Austria and it's written in German.  May. 23, 2008
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Additions to Grumpy Old Man's SAPPHIRE blog
Yesterday Eddy de Clercq wrote his blog on visting Berlin SAPPHIRE. Eddy pointed to some serious topics of sustainability. Although this event is business his comments are useful in the context of forward thinking. With this contribution I like to complement his contribution. As I included several links, it wasn't easy to get this posted as comment to Eddy's blog. May. 20, 2008
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one nature one world our future
Today May 19, 2008 UN Convention on Biological Diversity (9th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties) is started in Bonn/Germany. Along the different discussions we have regarding energy strategies, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility, biological diversity is the umbrella. May. 19, 2008
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Snapshots of Banking Industry (1)
Two different reports by SAP partners discuss impacts on future retail banking business. Harmonization (as by SEPA) and cost-containment ask for fundamental (different) future business models. Different comparisons among banks and countries clearly indicate urgency to manage business requirements for enablement of future banking business. The reports are from Capgemini (March 2008) and Celent/Oliver Wyman (April 2008). May. 13, 2008
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Sustainability and Economic Growth
At the 2008 SAPPHIRE in Orlando we will use a satellite setup to show effectiveness of internet communications and virtual networking. This discussion is a starting point: complements are expected to extent the scope of this topic into other regions and expertise domains. This topic addresses collaboration among different industries, defining business targets on new fundaments and has a strong focus on responsibility and guidance. Apr. 29, 2008
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Adoption of trends (4) (servicing on banking customer relations)
A second wave of CRM within banking is able to unlock business values for banks and their customers. The first wave had typical shortcomings due to the typical non-integrated, isolated approach by software and service providers. By that communication channels weren't in sync and back-office data wasn't in reach of the front office. Apr. 22, 2008
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Are current World Bank messages beyond of Basel II?
At the end of their spring meeting, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund called G7 nations and banks to tackle actual banking crisis and soaring food prices. There are some links between these different topics. It might affect future of emerging countries, but the other countries and industries aren't free from impacts. Apr. 14, 2008
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Financial markets and sustainability
What is meant by sustainability in the context of the actual crisis at the financial markets? This topic isn't easy to handle, but we need more than a puffer to reduce inflation etc. Don't forget about the impacts on (international) societies. Mar. 21, 2008
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Impacts of energy on sustainability
Business execution requires consumption of energy. To know the size of such consumption is as important as reflecting on alternatives to execute on business targets. This isn't restricted to business only, also private life as well as energy production needs reflection. Mar. 20, 2008
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Adobe: Complementary solution extensions
In the internet the impact of appropriate user-iteractions is similar to face-to-face in the channel of banks. Transparency, differentiation, and the delivery on expectations determine success of bank's offerings in the internet. Mar. 18, 2008
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Streamserve: Complementary solution extensions
Using the account statement of bank customers as an additional interaction channel enables personalized offerings. This one to one marketing supports an increase in bank's revenue as it will enhance customer's loyality to that bank also. Mar. 18, 2008
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Adoption of Trends (3) (Standardization and industrialization in payments processing)
Throughout August 2007 SAP and Finextra conducted a reader quiz targeting to get feedback about implementation strategies and progress around Sepa, PSD, Credit transfers, Debit transfers, banking engagements with their corporate customers Mar. 10, 2008
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Adoption of Trends (1) (Researching the Industry’s Trends)
The European Financial Management and Marketing Association (EFMA) and SAP conduct research on bank IT strategies on a yearly basis. By examining the results, and comparing them over time, we can gain insights into the relationship of strategy, execution, and the ability to achieve strategic targets in the industry.  Jan. 23, 2008
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Adoption of Trends (2) (The Packaged Approach)
The increase of customer value in implementation of standard software applications can be increased by using the packaged solution approach. This blog is the introduction of this procedure, next contributions will present more details. Jan. 23, 2008
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