SAP S/4HANA Strategy: Making the Right Choice

Many enterprises are pondering over their SAP S/4HANA Strategy. Is it the right time to migrate now or wait? This is tricky as there are various aspects to the decision. A detailed SAP S/4HANA strategy will help you make an informed decision.

We are witnessing massive digitalization in enterprises. Businesses recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic are heavily banking on digital technologies to not only navigate through the current situation but also make them future proof. Processes are getting automated. Digital engagements are the new normal. And data is being harnessed like never before.

Businesses are analyzing whether their ERP system will fit into their digital transformation journey. Is their current ERP system good enough to support them in the future or do they have to migrate to SAP S/4HANA? And it’s a legitimate worry as for many businesses the ERP has been the backbone of their operations for many years. But before we get into discussing ERP strategy, let’s quickly understand what makes S/4HANA unique.

SAP S/4HANA uses an in-memory database which provides a different method of storing, processing and leveraging data in transactions and reports. The data is handled much faster which makes processing faster and delivers better insights. HANA, the in-memory database was launched in 2010 to accelerate reporting but has, over the years, evolved into a platform that can help enterprises in their digital transformation journey.

At Gemini, we have helped several public and private enterprises in their SAP implementation and migration initiatives. We are a global SAP partner with a dedicated team of certified consultants to help you with your project. Click here to know more about our SAP practice.

Implementing SAP S/4HANA in your organization will require significant investments of time, money and labor. And that’s why you need to carefully consider the move. While S/4HANA adoption will help your organization to stay ahead of the competition, you need to ask these questions: Do I need SAP S/4HANA now? Is my organization prepared to embrace it? And do I have a business case for its implementation? Answers to these questions will help you decide on the right move.

Here are a few reasons for you to consider implementing SAP S/4HANA.

• Faster Performance: You may fill the need for faster performance from your ERP, particularly in data access and processing. SAP S/4HANA uses an in-memory database that permits faster access to data.

• Process Automation: SAP HANA can be your valuable ally in automating your processes. The ERP offers excellent support for driving automation. So, if you see a lot of tasks that can be automated to save time and labor then the decision is easy for you.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI): S/4HANA offers support for AI and Machine Learning technologies that can transform your business. So, if you’re thinking of applying AI/ML in your organization on a large scale then you need S/4HANA.

• Digital Transformation: SAP has positioned S/4HANA as the digital core of enterprises. Digital transformation requires companies to not only adopt a different mindset but also technical capabilities. It requires real-time data. It requires seamless integration. It requires support to automation and new technologies. And it requires speed. S/4HANA is perfectly capable to provide enterprises with all these.

SAP S/4HANA offers many unique capabilities. And that’s why you need a different ERP strategy to handle it. Moving to S/4HANA is not as simple as migrating to any other ERP. S/4HANA is going to be the backbone of your digital transformation initiative and will play a much larger role than an ERP normally plays.

Once you have a solid business case to move to SAP S/4HANA, then you need to check whether you have the skillsets within your organization to implement the ERP. If you have the skillset within your organization then you can move to implementation, else you need to find an SAP implementation partner.

Businesses that don’t have the required skillset should choose an SAP implementation partner that can help them quickly and successfully deploy S/4HANA. A reputed SAP implementation provider will bring many things to the table. They will have experience of handling several similar projects. They would have developed a set of trusted and tested methodologies and best practices to accelerate the project while mitigating risks. And they can easily ramp up the resources when the situation demands. So, whatever decision you take, it is advisable not to start the project half prepared as it may lead to loss of money and negatively affect the reputation of your company brand.