The African SAP User Group (AFSUG), in partnership with SAP Africa, unveiled a new brand and vision for the Saphila 2012 Conference, which will take place at Sun City from 28 – 31 October 2012.

The SAP`s 2020 strategy for Africa is set to be unveiled at this year`s user group conference, where customers, partners and delegates will have the opportunity to draw on the insights of international SAP executives and world-leading industry experts.

Saphila 2012 is hosted by the African SAP User Group (AFSUG), powered by SAP Africa. This year`s conference is expected to be attended by more than 1 600 guests and is designed to allow SAP`s solutions experts, partners and customers a platform for engagement to compare and share their experiences of implementing SAP technologies.

Pfungwa Serima, Managing Director of SAP Africa, said: “This year`s focus at Saphila 2012 will be about expanding into greater Africa. South Africa is reaching the level of maturity similar to Germany when it comes to implementation. The challenge remains in how we bring this maturity and knowledge into the north markets of our border.” AFSUG has made progress in increasing its presence in key African markets, having already set up a new user group in Kenya, and is in the process of starting a new operation in Nigeria.

Aligned with this year`s theme, “the moment is now”, Saphila 2012 will be a unique opportunity for delegates to attend onsite training and certification that will be offered for the very first time. The training will focus on the SAP HANA platform, SAP`s in-memory computing technology that enables the processing of massive amounts of data up to 3 600 times faster than traditional disk-based databases, allowing for real-time business insights and quicker decision-making.

Cuan Kloppers, Chairman of AFSUG, in his address during the Saphila 2012 launch, highlighted that IT systems must move to a model of rapid deployment as customers no longer have the time for a three-year software implementation cycle. Cuan said: “Part of SAP`s strategy is to increase the usability of technologies in order to increase adoption rates within the clients` businesses. Saphila 2012 aims to further address critical concerns around knowledge transfer. Ultimately, we need to increase adoption rates of SAP Innovation and enable customers to achieve continual improvement on their existing installation by understanding SAP product and service in collaboration with the entire ecosystem at a local level. Saphila 2012 provides customers and prospects with a unique opportunity to gather this knowledge.”

Saphila 2012 is about discussing how businesses can leverage market shifts and trends such as mobility, cloud computing and solution usability in making data and information available at the right place, at the right time, at the right level in the organisation. “Saphila 2012 presents a competitive advantage that companies need if they are to stay ahead of a rapidly changing environment, and there is no better vendor in the market than SAP to enable this,” added Serima.

For delegate registrations or to enquire about sponsorship opportunities, visit www.saphila2012.co.za or e-mail saphila2012@sap.com.