Balance and Security Emerge as Key Themes at Fusion Exchange DC 2022

What is Fusion Exchange DC (FXDC)? It’s the premier conference hosted by SAP Concur for Regulated Industries customers, held on November 15-16, 2022, at the Ronald Reagan Building and the International Trade Center in Washington DC. This invitation-only event brings together representatives from government agencies and contractors, higher education and healthcare, as well energy and utility companies for interaction, idea exchange, and training, all focused on this sector’s unique, travel and expense (T&E) management needs.

The November 16^th general session started with a keynote address given by Dr. Christian Wolfe, Head of Client Development, Americas, for SAP Concur. He spoke about the challenge of balancing multiple, competing priorities — keeping costs down, managing risk and compliance, staying on top of and adjusting to changing regulations, all while delivering the best employee experience possible.

It's a tall order. But, according to Wolfe, with the right travel and spend policies, processes, and infrastructure in place, organizations can achieve that balance.

“By linking the choices and spending decisions your travelers make, all the way through to supplier payments and employee reimbursement, you can create an interconnected, digital process, built to be responsive,” Wolfe explained. “You can deliver an immersive experience for travelers that guides them through new requirements and enables them to make safer, smarter travel and spend choices at every and in every moment. We, at SAP Concur, are committed to bringing you that in-the-moment adaptability.”

Bringing Balance to Travel and Spend Management with Advanced Technology

To support that commitment, SAP Concur is continuing its investment in Machine Learning, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI), and applying these tools earlier in the expense process to reduce error and non-compliant spend.

“Imagine the mobile experience being smart enough to quickly identify and solicit feedback on potential policy issues like excessive mileage, alcohol on a meal receipt or an excessive tip,” Wolfe said. “That would make the process more efficient for managers, approvers and auditors alike, while reducing compliance issues and speeding up reimbursement.”

Wolfe also unveiled plans to bake more sustainability features into the Concur Travel booking tool to help employees lower carbon emissions by making greener choices, and an in-the-works partnership for Carbon Offset Calculation and Carbon Offset Certificate handling.

But, perhaps the first mike-drop moment in the conference came when Wolfe revealed plans to modernize the entire SAP Concur travel platform, across all products and partners.

“Over the past two years, we’ve hired more than 200 engineers and product managers to build a more scalable, reliable, flexible solution,” Wolfe said. “This will enable us to deploy innovative features, launch the SAP Concur suite of travel products into the next generation, and deliver a streamlined platform that will enable an integrated, end-to-end travel experience on both desktop and mobile.”

A New, Secure, Cloud Platform Built to Federal Government Security Requirements

The next big reveal came when Ermias Desta, Business Information Security Officer for SAP Intelligent Spend and Business Network (ISBN), joined Wolfe on stage to discuss progress on Concur Cloud for Public Sector, which is currently in process for FedRAMP agency authorization.

While security is always a major focus, SAP Concur has taken that commitment to the next level by migrating its cloud services from its own data centers to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform. This move will not only enhance scalability, reliability, and geographic reach, but it will also enable SAP Concur to address complex requirements around data governance, including the tenancy requirements and stringent security protocols Regulated Industry clients require.  

“Concur Cloud for Public Sector offers core SAP Concur travel and expense solutions, hosted in AWS GovCloud, and is specifically designed for U.S. public sector clients that run sensitive workloads in the cloud,” Desta explained. “It is maintained only by U.S. citizens on U.S. soil, follows strict access and security controls, and, in accordance with the government standard for cryptography, the applicable technologies are Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 validated. It’s not open to everyone. Clients must meet security and legal tenancy requirements to be hosted there.”

The Concur Cloud for Public Sector infrastructure was architected on National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-53 security requirements, the U.S. Department of Defense Cloud Computing Security requirements for an impact level 4 system, privacy controls for Personal Identifiable Information, and FedRAMP security controls for a moderate system level. It is planned to be listed on the FedRAMP marketplace by year end.  

Of course, even with all these protocols in place, security is never a once-and-done process. It’s a continuum that starts with the infrastructure, but also requires constant vigilance to stay one step ahead of new threats as they inevitably evolve. Desta ended the session by reaffirming SAP Concur is committed to the cause.

“We don’t ever want to stand still. We invest in our people and our technology to make sure we’re well sourced and can be responsive, not only to new threats, but any changes to government standards,” Desta said. “We are also part of a greater organization, SAP, that puts security at the forefront, which compounds our strength in that area.”

Get Ready for 2023!

Want to position your organization for the coming year, and level up your spend management, learn from your peers, and find out all of the ways SAP Concur supports the unique needs of Regulated Industries?

• Make plans to attend SAP Concur Fusion, February 28-March 2, 2023.  Register for Fusion.
• Learn more about Concur Cloud for Public Sector. Visit us online.
• Find out more about SAP Concur solutions for Government, Education, Healthcare, Aerospace & Defense, and Energy & Utilities.