Why You Need to Migrate to S/4 Hana Sooner Rather Than Later

SAP modernization and migration are two critical components in evolving your business. There is a hard deadline to ensure a complete SAP ECC migration to S/4 in the next few years, and this will bring with it investment costs to your organization. What you may not realize, however, is that there are costs you are incurring each day you postpone your S/4 migration.

The sooner you complete your SAP data migration, the sooner you can begin realizing the continuous cost optimization and revenue growth that are waiting for you. S/4 Hana has a lot to offer; two key technologies in particular offer genuine transformative opportunities for your business.

Cloud computing

To say that data or services are “in the cloud” is certainly trendy, but what real, tangible benefits can that offer your business? While there are many, if your SAP landscape migration takes the form of a migration to the cloud, you will reap the advantages of heavily secured and encrypted data, computing that is geographically independent of outages or natural disasters, and server usage that resizes automatically according to your needs, eliminating maintenance costs of a server you will underutilize until you outgrow it.

APIs

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a small piece of code that allows you to share information, requests, and responses with different applications, systems, partners, vendors, and clients. APIs follow standardized rules that allow external ecosystems to partner with you and connect data flows in a secure and controlled, but extremely efficient manner.

The most important thing

While there are many benefits to executing your S/4 migration sooner than later, it is understandable to be initially hesitant to begin such a significant overhaul of your most important data and processes. SAP transformation can be intimidating, but the key to a smooth SAP landscape modernization is a guide who has been down this path, who understands what is most important to you, and who can help you reap the benefits of your S/4 migration without disrupting your business. A cloud transformation this comprehensive requires expertise in efficiency, effectiveness, stability, and flexibility. 

However, some organizations may simply decide they aren’t ready. The good news is that even without S/4, your organization can begin the process of modernization, for example by implementing Google Cloud Platform’s (GCP) Apigee on top of SAP ERP. Doing so will allow you to take advantage of the many features included with Apigee, such as cloud services, API implementation, advanced AI/ML analytics, dynamic search capabilities, and more. Granted, if you modernize with GCP and move to S/4 as well, the benefits gained are multiplied considerably. Either way, GCP customers have the advantage of using Google’s private fiber network, automation tools such as Cloud Deployment Manager, virtualized architecture that allows you to flexibly size your machines to use only what you need, and services customized for SAP that minimize downtime, such as live migration and automatic restart.

What should I look for in a migration partner?

In preparing for such an enormous undertaking, it makes sense to seek out an SAP modernization services provider, an SAP migration services provider, or a partner who excels at both. Key attributes of the ideal modernization/migration partner include:

• Demonstrated experience. Do they have a legacy of successful SAP migration services?
• Reputation for excellence. In addition to their customers being satisfied, are they considered leaders and trusted partners for S/4 implementation and migration services by SAP itself?
• Understanding your core needs. As an SAP modernization services provider, are they able to identify your key business values while reducing the waste in your processes? Do they have technical capabilities to make modern technologies and methods work for you?
• Minimizing risk. Do they have a reputation as an SAP migration services provider to achieve incredibly tight project schedules, identify vulnerable business processes, and ensure little to no downtime during migration? 
• Identify new revenue streams. Do they excel in managing your migration or modernization and helping you identify, unlock, and monetize your data to create new services, products, and business models? 
• Remote delivery capabilities. As 2020 has demonstrated, it is not always possible to provide services in person. When your business is dependent on tight schedules and firm deadlines, does your partner have the skill set, secure infrastructure, and capabilities to deliver your projects remotely?

Modernizing your SAP landscape is no simple task. The hard deadline provided by SAP adds pressure for decision-makers to look for the right partner and a solution that perfectly fits their business needs. The benefits of S/4 Hana are clear and the decision to move is no more about ‘if’ but ‘when’.

Abacus Cambridge Partners has developed a whitepaper that details everything you need to know to simplify your SAP modernization and migration journey so you can make your decision with confidence. As such extensive transformations take time and planning, each passing day becomes more and more valuable. Click here to download the whitepaper and start your journey sooner rather than later.