Modernizing SAP Systems: Why a Skilled Partner Matters
Moving SAP systems to SAP S/4HANA brings benefits and often needs a skilled partner. Fahim Ghaffari shares what to consider when choosing one.
Migrating SAP systems and transitioning to SAP S/4HANA offers companies numerous benefits they can’t afford to miss–now or in the future. At the same time, a range of current challenges are pushing organizations toward modernization and adaptation–transformations that often require support from a skilled SAP partner. In this article, our SAP expert and Chief Transformation Officer at Devoteam, Fahim Ghaffari, shares what to consider when choosing the right transformation partner.
Key Takeaways
- The expiration of hardware support contracts is accelerating the need to modernize existing IT landscapes.
- Public cloud models offer significant advantages in scalability and cost efficiency through automation.
- Devoteam combines local expertise with global resources across 10,000 employees worldwide.
- Certifications such as SAP Recognized Expertise and Gold ensure deep technical know-how.
- Comprehensive consulting includes process optimization, technology implementation, and knowledge transfer.
Cloud momentum is building: Modernizing SAP systems and/or migrating to the cloud is becoming increasingly critical for businesses. Public cloud models enable process optimization, greater flexibility, scalability, and cost efficiency through automation–such as with the RedHat Ansible Automation Platform. Meanwhile, SAP Rise and SAP Grow allow companies to benefit from standardized processes and continuous innovation directly from SAP.
This trend is further intensified by the impending expiration of numerous hardware support and hosting contracts. For many organizations, this marks the ideal moment to modernize and expand their platform portfolio. Additionally, support for older SAP versions will soon end, making the transition to SAP S/4HANA mandatory. Companies now face a crucial decision: continue running legacy systems or invest in modern architectures. Operating outdated systems comes with exponentially rising costs and growing security risks.
The Technical Pressure on SAP Landscapes
Companies are in a phase where technological decisions have long-term consequences. The integration of AI and machine learning into SAP applications is becoming a necessity to improve process efficiency and data-driven decision-making. All these factors determine companies’ SAP strategies and define the framework for urgent investments. Those who hesitate here risk being at a competitive disadvantage compared to competitors who are already using agile infrastructures.
Challenges such as the desire for more agility and sustainability are also increasingly coming into focus in corporate strategies. It’s no longer just about pure computing power, but about intelligent workflows. The cloud provides the basis for this, as it provides elastic resources that adapt to actual demand. This significantly reduces overhead costs and enables teams to focus on value-added tasks rather than maintaining old servers.
The selection of the right architecture depends heavily on the use case. While some areas benefit from on-premise solutions, other scenarios require the full flexibility of the public cloud. A hybrid approach is often the most pragmatic solution, but it requires precise planning. This is where the experience of a specialized partner comes into play, who masters the complexity of these landscapes.
Concretely, the pressure is evident in the infrastructure. When support for server hardware ends, there are no more security patches. This means that known vulnerabilities remain open. For financial data or personal information, this is an incalculable risk. Furthermore, maintenance costs for spare parts and specialized personnel who know old systems increase. A migration is therefore often economically more sensible than continued operation.
The software side also plays a role. Older SAP versions are reaching the end of their lifecycle. Functions are missing, interfaces are outdated. New business requirements are difficult to map. Modernizing the systems creates here free spaces. It enables new business models and faster market entries. Companies that wait lose speed.
Your Optimal SAP Partner
Translated from the German original using artificial intelligence. The German version is authoritative.
