CIO First Look

May 19, 2025

Mondays get a bad rap. And this might not help matters after a relaxing weekend, but CIOs — as if they don’t have enough on their hands — need to get plans solidified as SAP’s deadline nears to migrate legacy ERP systems to S/4HANA. In our coverage over the past year, we’ve found through SAP user groups that customers have been kept in the dark, and accused the software company of early adoption bait-and-switch tactics. Some gains have been made, however, but not at the pace to ensure a seamless transition. We shed light, and offer valuable insight, on the mixed situation in today’s top story.

Carl Friedmann, Executive Regional Editor, CIO

The road to S/4HANA: How CIOs are managing SAP ECC’s end of support

With the deadline for SAP ECC end of support nearing, CIOs face major decisions, and likely headaches, as they consider whether and how to transform their core ERP systems for a new era.

At issue is SAP’s mandate for its customer CIOs: Transition to S/4HANA by 2027 or face extended maintenance fees to remain on ECC. However, the broad install base for SAP’s flagship ECC ERP system has been slow on its S/4HANA uptake, with almost two-thirds yet to make the leap off ECC as of the end of 2024, according to Gartner.

11 mins

SAS enters new AI era with IPO on the horizon

SAS Institute cofounder and CEO Dr. Jim Goodnight has been steeping his company in artificial intelligence for decades — long before it became cool.

“AI, which I consider to be neural networks, machine learning, that is really now being called ‘classical AI,’” Dr. Goodnight told CIO.com during the company’s recent SAS Innovate conference. “That’s what we’ve been doing; we’ve been doing neural networks for over 20 years.”

9 mins

New agentic AI tools bring new threat: agent sprawl

You may already have a platform to develop and manage AI agents. You may already have two. Or more. This agent sprawl enables agents to operate in more areas of the enterprise but brings increased complexity, adds to security concerns, and can hurt return on investment.

Over the last year, vendors have been rushing to add agentic AI products to their offerings. Microsoft, AWS, Google, IBM, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Workday, and SAP are already there, while data management software provider Informatica promised this week to add AI agents to its Intelligent Data Management Cloud to automate data processing.

4 mins

Explore our Latest Stories

Corey Farrell, CTO, Digital & Technology, Pearson from IDC Directions on data and maximizing GenAI

Join Corey Farrell, CTO, Digital & Technology from IDC Directions on data, innovation and maximizing GenAI with Lee Rennick, VP Tech Evangelist, IDC.

How to establish an effective AI GRC framework

To get the most from artificial intelligence without falling prey to the risks, your company must implement a governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) framework specific to AI. Here’s how to develop a corporate policy that works.

10 mins

The ERP system enabling Billerud to become totally data driven

SAP S/4Hana is being rolled out to all production units of the Swedish pulp and paper manufacturer, ushering in a new era of being united by one system.

6 mins

US and UAE collaborate on AI megaproject to boost regional innovation

The newly announced AI campus in Abu Dhabi, spanning 10 square miles, is set to become a pivotal center for AI development, focusing on regulated industries and emerging markets.

4 mins