Inside the Microsoft Enterprise Ecosystem: What Digital Leaders Should Know in 2025
Microsoft is reshaping how enterprises think about platforms, AI, and ERP. In this week’s Transformation Ground Control conversation, we unpacked three threads leaders keep asking about: how Microsoft approaches enterprise tech, what their AI research and new in-house models mean for your teams, and what to learn from real-world Dynamics 365 failures. Here’s the distilled […]
Is ERP Dead? Why Incremental Modernization May Be Smarter Than a Full Replacement
Most companies today are running ERP systems that are 10–20 years old. These systems aren’t always broken — but they aren’t delivering the full technological value modern businesses need either. For years, the default response has been: rip and replace. Spend tens of millions of dollars on a new cloud ERP and get on the […]
Cook County’s $250M IT Failures: What Every Transformation Leader Should Learn
When one of the largest counties in the United States sets out to modernize its technology, you’d expect time, budget, and resources to guarantee success. But as Cook County, Illinois shows us, big investments can still lead to massive failures — proving that money alone doesn’t guarantee better outcomes. Over the past decade, Cook County […]
Achievable AI Use Cases for Mid-Market Companies
Artificial intelligence is everywhere in the enterprise conversation right now — but many small and mid-market companies are left wondering: Where do we actually start? It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of generative AI and futuristic use cases. But the truth is, most organizations can realize value today in practical, achievable ways […]
The 10 Biggest Government IT Failures of All Time — And the Lessons They Teach
Government agencies have some of the most complex digital transformation challenges in the world. Between strict procurement rules, public accountability, entrenched processes, and sprawling stakeholder groups, the stakes are high — and so are the risks. Over the past few decades, we’ve seen a number of public-sector ERP and IT projects collapse under their own […]
From Value Creation to Value Destruction: The PE Digital Transformation Trap
Private equity firms don’t invest in companies for fun — they invest to create value. But what happens when your digital transformation strategy backfires? When instead of improving EBITDA, your tech initiative drains capital, disrupts operations, and adds risk to your exit timeline? That’s not a hypothetical. It’s what we see far too often in PE-backed companies […]
5 Shocking Whistleblower Claims About SAP S/4HANA!
At least five whistleblowers have come forward in recent months — and they all share one thing in common: frustration with how SAP S/4HANA implementations are being sold, scoped, and executed. At Third Stage Consulting, we’re often brought in after the fact — to rescue troubled projects, rebuild trust, and reset strategy. And in the […]
ERP Failures: Stop Blaming Your Vendors, Start Fixing Your Planning
ERP failures aren’t happening because your system integrator can’t code fast enough. They’re happening because your organization didn’t make the right decisions before the project ever kicked off. That might sound harsh — but it’s also liberating. Because once you shift your focus from finger-pointing to forward planning, you can take back control of your […]
Lander Talent
We’re builders, not salespeople. Lander Talent Connecting Top Talent with Transformational Opportunities Lander Talent is a community-driven, expert-led staffing firm specializing in ERP, IT, and digital transformation. Find Your Next Role Human-first. People-first. Truth-first. At Lander Talent, we believe that great teams don’t just hit deadlines—they change trajectory. Founded by Jonathan Whipple and Eric Kimberling, […]
Cutting ERP Costs Without Cutting Corners
Most ERP projects don’t go over budget because of the software.They go over because of poor planning, bloated timelines, and the wrong people making the wrong decisions at the wrong time — all of which drive up ERP costs unnecessarily. The good news? It doesn’t have to be this way. At Third Stage Consulting, we’ve […]
AI Code Assistants: Hype, Headlines, and the Hidden Truth
Why smart leaders are asking tougher questions about AI productivity claims. AI-powered code assistants—like GitHub Copilot and others—have quickly become one of the most hyped use cases for generative AI in enterprise tech. With bold claims like “30% developer productivity gains,” it’s no wonder that CIOs and CTOs are under pressure to adopt. But here’s […]
Why Most SAP Customers Still Haven’t Moved to S/4HANA
And why that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Despite SAP’s aggressive push to migrate its customer base to S/4HANA, the reality on the ground tells a very different story. A recent study from SAP Insider reveals a staggering truth: 35,000 SAP customers haven’t even started their S/4HANA transformations, and another 30,000 haven’t completed the move. […]