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Over the past 15 years, I have been fortunate to be a part of the growing ASUG community. The many great experiences I’ve had led me to write this ASUG 101 blog series (today’s is the first post from the collection). The ASUG community has provided me with support, guidance, and motivation throughout my career, just as it has for its thousands of members. If you’re thinking about getting involved, I invite you to keep on reading to learn more.

ASUG 101: Background

First, a little info on what ASUG is all about. ASUG stands for “American SAP User Group.” ASUG is a far-reaching organization with more than 100,000 members who represent thousands of companies of all sizes. ASUG has been around for over 25 years and continues to evolve its offering of resources to serve its members. Visit the website and you’ll find all sorts of valuable links and information. The SAP Education section on the website connects members to specialized learning areas, including those that focus on Fiori, SAP Cloud, BusinessObjects, and much more. Visual learners will love keeping up on the YouTube channel and watching a steady flow of webinars that are posted to the site.

ASUG 101: The SAP Education Portal offers a huge variety of training opportunities to members.

ASUG is more than an organization and collection of invaluable learning resources–it’s a connection between professionals seeking the best ideas, answers, and advice on how to stay ahead of an ever-evolving technology landscape. Whether you travel to industry events held locally or across the country, take advantage of the online learning resources, or tap into the network to make valuable connections with fellow SAP professionals, you’ll find a whole community of people ready to help answer your questions, prepare you to take the next step in your career, and enable you to provide even greater expertise and value in your day-to-day work.

ASUG 101: Becoming a Member

So, you might be asking, how does membership work? Most ASUG memberships are corporation-based. In other words, when an organization signs up, its employees gain access to the benefits. There are  four categories of corporation membership: Installation, SAP BusinessObjects, Associate Affiliate, and Channel Partner. Universities are also eligible to join and extend ASUG benefits to students in affiliated programs. Individuals who wish to join ASUG may do so through the Independent Consultant program.

ASUG 101: Attending Events

Being an ASUG member opens the door to meet technology professionals from across North America. I’ve connected with fellow chapter members at local events in Wisconsin, Chicago, Dallas/Forth Worth, and in other locations. And I’ve watched industry leaders present big ideas and innovative solutions at SAPPHIRE NOW + ASUG Annual Conference on multiple occasions. Attending an ASUG meeting is an opportunity to join a professional network and at the same time learn about the ever-changing SAP world…including both successes and challenges faced by our peers.

A glimpse at the September 2016 ASUG calendar shows the huge variety of events happenings.

From my perspective, being invited to attend ASUG events is one of the greatest benefits to membership. I walk away from these meetings and workshops feeling energized, inspired, and connected to the ASUG community. Make sure to check back soon for my next ASUG 101 blog post, in which I’ll walk you through the steps of registering, attending, and getting the most out of your next (or first!) ASUG event. And to keep up with the latest news on our attendance and participation in ASUG events, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vortex-consulting.