By Kathy Gibson in Potsdam, Germany – SAP this morning opened its Innovation Centre in Potsdam, Germany, where it hopes to challenge the way traditional software addresses the new trends shaping business and the IT industry.
In a ceremony attended by a high-level delegation from both European and German parliaments as well as the prime minister and the mayor of Brandenburg, the building conceived using Design Thinking methodologies was officially opened.
Dr Jurgen Muller, co-head of the SAP Innovation Centre, explains that the Innovation Centre aims to take ideas at their early stage, and transform them into tangible software solution.
Professor Hasso Plattner, co-founder and chairman of the supervisory board of SAP, hopes the Innovation Centre will become a place where people can think and innovate.
“They should do something radical, break themselves out of the mould.”
“In a beautiful environment, there is a good chance there is a positive and open atmosphere. I think we have achieved this here,” he says. “The people here have a slightly happier smile on their face than other places in SAP. There is some energy, karma – people like to come here.”
Plattner adds that SAP is changing the world with the database technology it developed: Hana. Now it needs to change the way applications are written.
To this end, he vows to change the SAP user interface, particularly on the cloud-based applications – and encourages end users to proffer their real, unbiased opinions to allow the company to meet user needs.