Rise with SAP: A Comprehensive Guide for Business Leaders

Business leaders are on a perpetual quest to orchestrate harmony between people, processes, and cutting-edge technologies. This balance serves as the cornerstone of change management, a strategic endeavor to fine-tune operations and elevate financial performance. But even with the most meticulously crafted ensembles, there comes a pivotal moment—a crossroads where choices must be made. Do we continue to pile on applications to address immediate needs, or do we take the audacious step of reimagining our entire IT landscape?

This juncture, though challenging, is where true transformation awaits. The traditional amalgamation of line-of-business point solutions and conventional ERPs, once the bedrock of operations, now strains under the weight of escalating demands. Scaling up to meet the needs of a dynamic business landscape can feel like an uphill battle, but the time for decisive action is now.

The crux of the matter lies in the imperative to make choices that pave the way for revenue growth, operational efficiencies, and improved cash flows. These are the very metrics that shape a company’s valuation, enhance its attractiveness for mergers and acquisitions, and lay the groundwork for securing expansion capital.

It’s against this backdrop that the concept of cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) comes into focus. In the modern era, where technology underpins every facet of business, the decision to migrate to a cloud ERP solution holds the promise of a seismic shift. It’s a decision that can reshape not just the way we operate, but how we innovate and thrive.

Embracing a cloud-based solution can infuse your organization with agility and a growth-centric approach. This shift holds particular significance in a landscape where virtual workplaces and remote operations are swiftly becoming the standard. Cloud ERP systems present a suite of benefits that extend beyond their on-premises counterparts, offering scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency that align seamlessly with the needs of modern businesses.”

SAP’s offering, Rise with SAP, stands as a potential game-changer for diverse companies. However, before diving in, organizational leaders are advised to delve deeper into the nuances of this service. As the cloud ERP wave surges forward, understanding the intricate details becomes paramount to harnessing the full potential of this transformative solution.

What is Rise with SAP?

This innovative concept encapsulates a fusion of SAP’s S/4HANA Cloud ERP with a comprehensive suite of services, ranging from hosting and infrastructure management to business process transformation and access to the SAP Business Network. But what exactly is Rise with SAP, and how does it fit into the modern business narrative? Let’s dive into the depths of this paradigm shift and uncover the intricate layers that make Rise with SAP a pivotal turning point in the realm of digital transformation.

Rise with SAP heralds a new era of business transformation. With its fundamental components bundled into one offering, the gateway to the intelligent enterprise opens. Companies can tailor their rise towards an intelligent enterprise to meet their unique needs, integrating seamlessly with SAP’s ecosystem of solutions, partners, and third-party offerings.

SAP has bundled its S/4HANA Cloud ERP with hosting and infrastructure management, implementation and migration services, business process transformation and SAP Business Network access to create an offering called Rise with SAP.

The service launched in early 2021 and since then, SAP has released several industry variants and rolled out an independent software vendor certification program. Potential cloud hosts for Rise with SAP users include Microsoft and Google.

SAP is trying to transition its users from the traditional ownership software model to one in which software is an ongoing service. Rise with SAP’s ERP software is the central component of a larger services collection.

Rise with SAP was introduced as more than just a product—it’s a novel approach to business transformation, aptly labeled “business transformation as a service.” This offering, launched in early 2021, embodies SAP’s response to the evolving needs of businesses in an era of virtual workplaces and remote operations.

What are the Benefits of Rise with SAP S/4HANA?

The offering streamlines cloud adoption by offering comprehensive tools, focusing on six key business areas chosen through customer and in-house SAP product analysis.

At its core, Rise with SAP is built around SAP’s S/4HANA Cloud ERP, serving as the hub of a comprehensive suite of services. As cloud technology reshapes the IT landscape, Rise with SAP provides the scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness that modern organizations demand. It’s a response to the growing imperative to streamline business operations, enhance financial performance, and pivot towards a growth-oriented trajectory.

The offering is ideal for firms aiming to transition to SAP seamlessly, without disrupting their current systems or finances. The approach emphasizes adaptability and customization to suit each company’s unique requirements.

1. Enhanced Business Processes: Many customers struggle with the complexities and technical challenges of customizing outdated ERP systems. Despite these efforts, business processes remain disjointed, manual, and opaque. SAP S/4HANA, designed with digital-era technologies, enables higher productivity through process automation, eliminating batch jobs, providing embedded analytics for detailed insights, and delivering user-friendly experiences.

2. Faster Innovation: Leveraging embedded innovations in SAP S/4HANA, like AI and robotic process automation, and complementing them with SAP Business Technology Platform within RISE with SAP, accelerates digital innovation. Shifting to the cloud reduces customizations, making it easier to adopt SAP’s R&D advancements across the RISE with SAP suite.

3. Optimal Resource Utilization: As ERP professionals behind existing systems approach retirement, companies grapple with the war for talent. RISE with SAP transfers technical managed services to SAP, allowing businesses to redirect their IT resources from maintenance to driving transformative services.

4. Innovation with Minimal Upfront Costs: RISE with SAP, as a cloud solution, offers access to digital business capabilities without the need for upfront infrastructure and licensing investments.

5. Streamlined Focus on Essentials: Companies can adopt cloud services incrementally, acquiring compute, storage, database, and OS services as required. However, managing complexities around governance, security, SLAs, and consumption can be challenging. RISE with SAP combines business and architectural value into a single guided contract, simplifying the journey and allowing IT professionals to concentrate on high-value activities that contribute to capturing a share of the $1 trillion cloud-enabled value predicted by McKinsey.

RISE with SAP encompasses a comprehensive suite of solutions, tools, and services, offering a multifaceted approach to enhance business operations and drive growth.

Key components within RISE with SAP:

1. SAP S/4HANA Cloud Suite:

At the heart of RISE with SAP is the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Suite, a flagship enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. It offers a cloud-based alternative for organizations seeking to avoid on-premise installations. This suite includes a diverse range of line-of-business solutions, spanning finance, supply chain management, supplier relationship management, sales, and research and development. Additionally, SAP S/4HANA Cloud leverages the power of SAP HANA to provide real-time business analytics.

2. System Hosting Options:

As SAP S/4HANA Cloud operates in the cloud, organizations must choose a hosting environment. While SAP offers its own servers, customers can also opt for hyperscale cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Alibaba Cloud, providing flexibility in deployment.

3. SAP Business Network Starter Pack:

This pack facilitates seamless integration with trading partners involved in source-to-pay processes, including suppliers, carriers, and assets. It streamlines supplier discovery and qualification, inventory management, and asset tracking, enhances customer transparency through support, and integrates asset management and maintenance processes. Additionally, it offers robust analytics capabilities.

4. SAP BTP Consumption Credits:

RISE with SAP offers cloud credits for use across various areas of the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) to cater to diverse business needs. Unlike predefined toolsets, these credits allow organizations to choose from an extensive array of options within SAP BTP. SAP BTP is a platform-as-a-service focusing on the intelligent enterprise and comprises four pillars: analytics, application development, integration with non-SAP solutions, database and data management, and intelligent technologies. The credits can be used for SAP S/4HANA integration, database management, SAP Intelligent Robotic Process Automation (SAP Intelligent RPA), and more.

5. Business Process Intelligence:

RISE with SAP offers robust business process intelligence capabilities with seven key components:

• Analyze: Enables deep dives into system data to assess performance and user behavior.

• Design and Simulate: Utilizes existing data for business simulations, optimizing outcomes.

• Improve: Enhances efficiency through AI, no-code automation, and advanced process automation.

• Roll Out and Govern: Focuses on process management, collaboration, and document rollout.

• Monitor: Keeps tabs on solution performance, ensuring smooth operations.

• Model and Manage “Home Base”: Facilitates departmental collaboration and core process viewing.

• Benchmark: Compares a business’s performance against industry data, offering actionable insights. SAP’s acquisition of Signavio in January 2021 reinforced these capabilities.

6. Embedded Tools and Services:

RISE with SAP provides access to many services crucial for transitioning to a cloud-based ERP solution like SAP S/4HANA Cloud. These services encompass lifecycle management, analytics, support, and more. Notable examples include deployment assistance, legacy code removal, supply chain process enhancement, business scenario planning, and intelligent business design.

Key Software Services from SAP’s Intelligent Enterprise Framework:

SAP Enterprise Cloud Services involve the company assuming greater responsibility for customers’ SAP systems through Technical Managed Services and Application Management Services as needed.

Let’s now delve into the details of the implementation options for Rise with SAP S/$HANA in both the Private Cloud and Public Cloud environments:

Rise with SAP Options

Rise with SAP provides businesses with a comprehensive suite of services and solutions designed to facilitate digital transformation. Within this framework, organizations have the flexibility to choose between different implementation paths based on their specific needs and preferences. Two primary options frequently considered are deploying Rise with SAP S/4HANA in the Private Cloud or the Public Cloud.

Rise with SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud Edition:

With the Rise with SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition, your services are hosted within a private network, meticulously safeguarded by a robust firewall.

Businesses have the flexibility to choose from a range of hosting options, including SAP cloud data centers, or the network of cloud infrastructure partners.

What sets the Private Edition apart is its single-tenant architecture, where your services operate within a dedicated environment. This configuration is ideal for existing SAP ERP customers who wish to migrate to the cloud without undergoing a complete process redesign. It empowers you to retain your investments in your existing SAP ERP system while leveraging the innovation and cloud benefits offered by Rise with SAP.

Additionally, SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Extended Edition, is available for customers who require specific functionalities, broader extensions, and deeper configuration capabilities in their dedicated cloud environment.

Rise with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud Edition:

In contrast, the Rise with SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition, delivers services over a network open for public usage. Moreover, public cloud solutions are often multi-tenant, meaning that multiple organizations or users share the same cloud environment with advanced security. Rise with SAP S/4HANA Public cloud edition also supports two-tier ERP scenarios that are part of the organization’s transformation.

Choosing the Right Option for Your Business:

Selecting between a private cloud and public cloud edition for Rise with SAP depends on factors such as security needs, customization requirements, scalability demands, and budget considerations. Both options offer unique advantages, and the decision should align with the organization’s strategic goals and technological roadmap. Consulting with experts who understand the intricacies of both environments can aid in making an informed choice that supports the organization’s digital transformation journey effectively.

For enterprises in search of standardized processes, the latest industry best practices, and cloud provider-managed infrastructure, the recommended choice is SAP S/4HANA Cloud, public edition – a cloud-native ERP that consistently delivers industry best practices and continuous innovation.”

For those with a strong requirement for extensive process customization, a preference for self-paced innovation, and a quest for increased control over their solution, SAP S/4HANA Cloud, private edition stands as the ideal choice. This tailored-to-fit cloud ERP is adept at adapting to an organization’s unique transformation needs.

In the implementation of Rise with SAP, the roles are well-defined among SAP, implementation partners, and the client.

This collaborative effort ensures a successful implementation that enhances business operations and drives digital transformation.

Nsight offers comprehensive Applications Management Services (AMS) tailored for SAP for HANA, delivering seamless and efficient management of your SAP landscape. Our services encompass end-to-end support, monitoring, maintenance, and optimization of your SAP for HANA environment. With a team of skilled experts, we ensure the smooth operation of your critical SAP applications, enabling you to focus on your core business activities while benefiting from enhanced performance, reliability, and scalability. From routine updates and troubleshooting to proactive performance enhancements, Nsight’s AMS for SAP for HANA empowers your organization with reliable and agile management to maximize the potential of your SAP investment.

RISE with SAP S/4HANA vs SAP S/4HANA On-Premise Edition

SAP S/4HANA on-premise hosts the business suite and the database management systems on the customer-owned servers. The customer will manage everything, including the HANA database, applications, data centers, OS, middleware, servers, virtualization, and networking.

RISE will be a one-stop solution where the customer will be provided with software, services, and infrastructure in one contract. It will include the S/4HANA Cloud ERP as well as SAP partner-provided migration and implementation services; access to the SAP Business Network,. It will be a cloud base that can be managed by SAP or a hyperscaler.

Rise with SAP offers several compelling reasons for businesses across various sectors. SAP’s commitment to customization is exemplified by the tailored vertical versions of Rise with SAP for industries like automotive, consumer products, industrial machinery and components, retail, and utilities. This specialized approach ensures that companies within these sectors can achieve a precise fit for their unique needs, promoting efficiency and effectiveness.

Moreover, Rise with SAP harnesses the power of process mining, a practice enriched by SAP’s acquisition of Signavio. Process mining enables the optimization of SAP software business processes, resulting in streamlined operations, improved productivity, and a competitive edge in the market. By choosing Rise with SAP, businesses can not only protect their existing investments but also unlock new levels of flexibility and efficiency, making it a compelling choice for organizations looking to thrive in today’s dynamic business landscape.

Nsight’s strategic partnership with SAP equips businesses with the right expertise and implementation practices needed to successfully adopt Rise with SAP. By thoroughly understanding the unique needs and challenges of businesses, Nsight can design and execute implementation plans that align seamlessly with their objectives, thereby maximizing the value of Rise with SAP.

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