"An web-based tool helps SAP users find the right partners
To help its 60,000-plus membership, Americas' SAP Users' Group, or ASUG, released a web-based product called Edge earlier this year to help users sort the consultancy wheat from the partner chaff. Edge is a searchable online directory of consulting firms and independent consultants who offer SAP services. It also provides customer-input reviews on those consultants and other service providers in the North American SAP community. The annual cost for access to the Edge product is US$995 for ASUG members and US$1,495 for nonmembers. CIO.com senior editor Thomas Wailgum talked with Strout about the ASUG Edge tool and the problem it aims to fix."
Here is the Link to complete article.
The role of Edge is to show rating of Consultants and Partners so that SAP customers can better select the right resources for their SAP initiatives. I think that is a good approach to filter out the better performing resources from the ones that are not so good.
However the fundamental issue with SAP service sector is to grow new skills both within the existing user base and by creating new workforce. Especially since SAP is entering the SMB sector and the software is changing rapidly due to industry trend towards SaaS, Cloud computing etc. and the competition. We can only accomplish so much by isolating the better performing SAP skilled user base.
As Thomas Wailgum questioned Steve Strout:
Can this help with the SAP skills gap that currently exists?
The short answer is "NO". We need a better system that allows for anyone including the folks that are new to SAP to be able to quickly search and acquire new skills and SAP knowledge On Demand while maintaining their routine chores in their day to day work life. Unfortunately current systems including ASUG Edge or the traditional choices for training (Onsite/Offsite) doesn't address this fundamental issue.
See my earlier Blog on issues with ERP Training. http://tinyurl.com/5fywkz
SPINACT (www.spinact.com ) On-Demand Knowledge Marketplace offers both SAP customers and SAP consultants a better way to trade SAP knowledge and at the same time build and recycle the skills to grow the industry organically. The Knowledge as a Service™ offers new paradigm in On Demand Knowledge acquisition strategy for both SAP users and consultants.
