Speakers Series: Bill McDermott
President and CEO,
SAP America, Inc.
October 7, 2003
Overview | Video | McDermott Biography
Bill McDermott, President and CEO of SAP America, Inc., concluded the 2003 Internet Caucus Advisory Committee Speakers Series. Mr. McDermott spoke to Members of Congress, Congressional staff and the press about the importance of "getting back to the basics" -- learning how to make current investments work through integration and collaberation. Mr. McDermott also discussed the importance of cyber security.
In introducing Mr. McDermott, Congressman Cliff Stearns recognized Bill McDermott as a front runner among the leaders of this industry. Mr. McDermott began his remarks by detailing the importance of returning to the basics through two simple concepts: "integration and collaboration." He noted that 70% of many companies' expenses are costs associated with running legacy systems. Mr. McDermott stressed that fully integrated systems like SAP can help drive down the costs and increase revenue by 30 or 40% -- which can in turn be used on new ideas and changes. Mr. McDermott believes "integration of technology is becoming the ultimate holy grail."
The second concept examined by Mr. McDermott is collaboration. Collaboration creates a flow not only within an enterprise but also throughout a business' whole "ecosystem" (which may be made up of partners, customers, suppliers and more). Mr. McDermott explained that this concept is not just for private sector businesses but also for the public sector as well.
Mr. McDermott summarized by explaining that this is "not about buying the next best technology but about correctly integrating and efficiently using what you already have in place."
The video of Mr. McDermott's address can be viewed in its entirety on the NetCaucus.org Web site
The Speakers Series has previously featured other Internet leaders such as Vint Cerf, Tim Berners-Lee, Bill Gates, Michael Eisner and Meg Whitman.
The above views are those of the participants -- not the Internet Caucus or the Advisory Committee. The Internet Caucus Advisory Committee holds educational events to better educate Members of Congress and staff about important Internet policy and technology.