SAP S/4HANA Enterprise Management (Digital CORE) : Current Landscape & Evolution
After aligning your business priorities to current and upcoming innovations within SAP S/4HANA, it is important to also consider how line-of-business processes from “ECC past” are currently covered between SAP S/4HANA and SAP Cloud Solutions, forming a modern landscape that is agile, integrated and supporting new business processes only made possible by being built natively on SAP HANA Platform.
Sharing an SAP suggestive path and idea for existing SAP ERP clients, how the current landscape can evolve with usage of S/4HANA & other SAP cloud based products & Line of Business processes.
The points/question of discussion would be
1) Compatibility of components & versions of S/4HANA
2) Redeployment of FIORI Apps in constant changing & fluid environment – GUI/FIORI Strategy
3) Usage & fitment of Embedded Analytics & Operational Analytics supporting the Improved processes, along with “New Innovations”
4) Integration, security strategy & readiness of client to deploy the processes in Cloud deployment & hybrid environment
**) +Client who are already on “Finance-First” approach with Simple Finance, for them adopting S/4HANA Enterprise Management
So while at high-level the road-map looks straight forward / simpler, actual adoption of S4 will definitely be a strategic business decision rather than IT / Technical system adoption.
Look forward to receive your comments on the observations and views
IBP has limited functionally when compared to what DP and SNP and many companies who have deployed a customer APO will find it extremely difficult to move to IBP. I see IBP complimenting APO not replacing it.
Hybris as CRM has gaps for example in Utilities industry. I am sure we will have many more use cases to continue using CRM the way it run currently. Embedding CRM in S4HANA should be in SAP's roadmap as I am sure there is value similar to EWM and PPDS.
Public sectors & regulated industries might continue to use SRM for Strategic Sourcing. Also the TCO for many does not go in favour of Ariba for annual spend < $1B. I see SRM being use and implemented unless some dramatic functional gaps start to emerge.
On a different note - Is IBP gaining grounds yet ?
In Americas - Yes, In Europe not so much. in AP - not aware.
@Devraj Bardhan - I second the thought.
For existing SAP clients using high-end products (various SCM products, APO, CRM & so on...) adopting S4 with "new cloud based extended solutions" will require an extremely strong Business case. Wherever a Landscape Transformation is involved, we may see clients adopt S4 thru / via a Multi-year RoadMap (5+ yrs) and adopting the new solutions over existing installed ones.
In immediate future, adoption of SAP S4 & it's new cloud based solutions see their way entry in existing landscape as Side-car approach working together with existing well established solutions.
However for Net-New SAP customers, they may look forward to / or can be advised to check the fitment of these New-Generation latest Products based (from gamut of SAP products) where SAP would be investing in near future and enhancing the product capabilities.
I see the solution Landscape becoming more complex with various SAP products, (if New-Generation SAP cloud based products do not cannibalize the existing SAP High-end products) & exist side-by-side to each other... 🙂
The cannibalization has started. I see even net new customers interested in SRM. Customers see value in S4HANA but not in Ariba and SAP needs to accept this fact.