SAP online customer event off to rocky start as site crashes

It was hardly an advertisement for Europe's most valuable tech company, whose pitch to its 440,000 customers promises seamless integration in support of a new kind of "intelligent enterprise". After a delay, SAP directed viewers to a link that worked on Twitter - inviting a slew of ironic comments on the microblogging platform.

SAP's biggest customer event, Sapphire Now, got off to a rocky start on Monday as the site hosting this year's "reimagined" event, held online due to the coronavirus pandemic, crashed. It was hardly an advertisement for Europe's most valuable tech company, whose pitch to its 440,000 customers promises seamless integration in support of a new kind of "intelligent enterprise".

After a delay, SAP directed viewers to a link that worked on Twitter - inviting a slew of ironic comments on the microblogging platform. "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" tweeted Steve Rumsby, an SAP solution architect at Britain's University of Warwick.

The 2,400 viewers who persisted were treated to a recorded keynote address by new CEO Christian Klein, making his first major outing, to be followed by a performance by British rock star Sting. SAP had no immediate comment. Sapphire Now continues all week.