Busting the omnichannel - enterprise hacks and chats

We weren't planning to do another SAP podcast. But the many standout customer sessions at ASUG Tech Connect '26 demanded a deeper dive. So, Josh Greenbaum rejoins to hash out our favorite sessions, and get into why they matter - versus the AI hyperbole we often heard from keynote stages this fall. From data and process discipline to business buy-in, from early/crucial agentic AI lessons to managing risk, these stories deserve a hearing. After that review, we wrap by looking at two other AI issues that customers want vendors to talk (much) more about: security and skills.

Esteban Kolsky, Chief Distiller at Constellation Research, has been issuing provocative board level research on what enterprise leaders are getting right (and wrong!) about enterprise AI. Live at CCE 2026, Reed and Kolsky sit down to break out some of the key issues Kolksy has surfaced, and why his research imperative has gained momentum amidst all the AI hype/BS. We cover Kolsky's advisory on resilient architectures, AI cost evaluations, and why the CEO should be the Chief AI Officer - and the pitfalls such a role presents. Halfway through the podcast, we switch gears to settle scores on several debates we have had on LinkedIn, including AI leadership, the value of synthetic data, and the most contentious of all: whether expertise is indeed a commodity, and why this is such a perilous and important argument for human work. That lands us into the final crucial topic of how to engage young talent, rather than sidelining them in the AI economy.

Jon Reed's CRMKonvos AI sparring partner Dr. Michael Wu couldn't make it, but the rest of the gang did - and we served up an enterprise AI reality check edition. What have we learned from the fall event season so far? What are vendors doing right - and wrong? Why does Jon think we are at a turning point with LLM agents? Are we past tokenmaxxing? Is automation the right framing for agentic AI? This session was sparked by some very sharp audience questions - and sets up the final push of the fall 2026 event season. Note: catch all the CRMKonvos replays on their video channel: https://www.youtube.com/@crmkonvos.

At the tail end of Oracle AI World 2026, day two, Jon sat down with Rebecca Wettemann of Valoir for an impromptu show review, in the protypical empty (but blessedly quiet) room. Did Oracle's agentic vision line up with customer realities? Was Fusion Claw an advance - if so, why? And how does Oracle's AI evolution point to the change in the value of language models - versus their surrounding architecture? How does Oracle customers' AI adoption path line up with Valoir's latest research - and where should Oracle go from here? These are some of the topics we hit on during our pre-flight show wrap.

Jon's familiar foil Josh Greenbaum took off on a plane before the guys could record an on-site event review. Instead, they hopped on a post-event video call to break down whether SAP Connect 2026 lived up to expectations, and delivered for customers. The two compare notes on what they dug up on the ground, including Josh's customer views and Jon's AI geek outs. The biggest topic? How did SAP fare bringing the customers along - and not just the so-called "keynote luminaries," but the rest of the attendees and customers beyond? Why was SAP positioning so hard against "generic models"? Will customers embrace the data and process discipline of ERP modernization? And is "the end of three year migrations" a real thing, or just a vision? There are just some of the topics the guys air out... before wrapping with the always-potent topic of AI pricing and how customers will assess AI investments. To keep things spicy, Jon blows a couple of small gaskets along the way on AI misconceptions.

For the SAP Connect 2026 opening keynote, Jon Reed was joined by Josh Greenbaum and Bonnie Duncan Tinder for their annual Connect watch party. Here, you can listen to the pregame and postgame reviews of a keynote that surprised all three of them. Pregame runs until 15:25; postgame runs until the end of the keynote for six more minutes of recap. You can see the full watch party including the keynote on LinkedIn at https://lnkd.in/p/g4_t-Puz. This was a high stakes keynote for SAP - did they accomplish what we thought they should? Where did they fall short? What did they get right? We recap.

Yep, it's that time. The Enterprise Month in Review is back and ready for your hot takes and savvy participation. As usual, Brian and Jon have our underrated stories of the month (Jon blows a bit of a gasket on autonomous agents). We'll also have a bit of AI Doomsday audience participation, and a research reveal on human talent and leadership to riff on. As always, Brian's infamous slide deck will be back. Note: if you want to check the slide deck, you see see the video replay at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-Xy8MVL5gw.

Yep, the silly season is upon us.... time to polish thos BS detectors! Get ready to decode over-the-top AI keynote messaging. Brian and Jon have your survival guide ready! Each will reveal the questions customers should be pressing, and how to get the most insights with the least event friction! We'll also be picking our top underrated stories of the month. As usual, Brian will have his infamous slide deck - bring your savviest and snarkiest commentary. Note: to check the slides or video (re)action, you can see the video replay on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/live/McdDj1G9ZUU.

*** note - the podcast starts 30 seconds into this file *** - In late August, Jon returned to the CRMKonvos hot seat for an open discussion of what's working in enterprise AI, and what's not. Top of the agenda: what about the gap between high performing enterprises, and all other AI adopters? Can it be closed? Why are enterprise CEOs often less clued into real AI success than the CIOs and CFOs that work for them? Why does the architecture around AI make such a difference? The audience had questions for Jon also - this sets up another great AI debate with Michael Wu on CRMKonvos in October. See the full CRMKonvos video collection on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@crmkonvos.

Yep, it's that time, the enterprise month in review is upon us. Special guest Tim Crawford will give his strong take on where CIOs are going wrong - and what the best CIOs are getting right. You co-hosts, Brian Sommer and Jon Reed, will have their underrate enterprise stories of the month - and Brian's infamous slide deck will have its share of surprises. As always, the audience is a jugular part of the show so bring you savviest and smartest commentary...