Grow With SAP is a new package of services offered by SAP to enable midsize customers to gain access to cloud deployments of ERP systems, in as little as four weeks.
This week IgniteSAP will discuss Grow With SAP, and how this will open up a new market for SAP consulting services.
Grow With SAP is a combination of S/4HANA Cloud, public edition, with a set of industry best practices that has been compiled from leading companies, in conjunction with embedded AI and automation capabilities.
Added to this, Grow With SAP customers also benefit from the SAP Technology Platform, including SAP Build, so users can create their own apps, sites, and automations without needing to overburden their IT department or outsource IT services. Customers will also have the ability to leverage support from the SAP global partner ecosystem.
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Midsize businesses often have to scale quickly in order to keep up with a rapidly expanding customer base and Grow With SAP has been designed to address this with a group of capabilities specifically created to meet this challenge. Christian Klein, SAP’s CEO and member of the Executive Board said:
“SAP’s ERP offering has long enabled end-to-end transparency across the business for the world’s leading companies. With Grow with SAP, we’re taking this to the next level for midsize companies, with a tailored offering that helps them grow their business. Grow with SAP provides the agility and innovation midsize companies need not just today, but for their success in years to come.”
Mickey North Rizza of IDC enterprise software group has also commented:
“SAP recognised they need to better fit the business and technology requirements of midsize companies looking for a cloud ERP solution. This offering reengages the market with a refreshingly new opportunity to unlock the proven strength of SAP’s longtime understanding and leadership in the ERP space in the cloud.”
Enterprise technology solutions have often been seen as out of the reach of midsize companies, who nevertheless require the same functionality as they expand to global status. SAP’s transformation-as-a-service package Rise With SAP has been warmly received by large-scale enterprises, and now has an impressive list of corporate adopters. Grow With SAP is now offering a similar package of services to companies approaching a period of scaling up their operations.
This is now likely to open up a new market for SAP consulting services, as can be seen from the selection of specialist SAP consulting partners involved in the project with SAP. For example, in a Partner Quotes statement released simultaneously with the announcement of Grow With SAP Horst Lambauer, the managing director public cloud ERP for All for One Public cloud ERP said:
“Some customers think SAP is out of reach, so they are first surprised and then thrilled when we tell them we can deliver a program that provides a complete offering of solutions, services and community so they can move to Cloud ERP confidently and quickly.”
Filip Decostere, a partner at Delaware said:
“Businesses know that there are significant benefits from a move to the cloud, but uncertainty holds them back. Grow With SAP shows customers we can meet their budget and business needs. When they see the components and services clearly mapped out, moving to the cloud will no longer feel like such a scary leap, but a controlled, step-by-step process. It’s the assurance that they’re in good hands that makes all the difference.”
The common thread here is that ERP systems have now become available for substantially less cost through cloud services to a much larger range of businesses, and so the market for SAP consulting is expected to grow.
The inclusion of SAP Build is another reason why midsize businesses will be eager to implement their ERP systems using Grow With SAP. By empowering non-specialists to create their own solutions as they require, businesses are no longer faced with the need to employ IT professional developers.
We can expect that this large group of customers to require SAP professionals to implement these systems and the number of potential customers is vast. According to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany in that country alone there are 2.5 million small and medium-sized businesses, generating roughly 35% of total corporate turnover in Germany. In terms of GDP, these account for almost 55%.
The German government defines a medium-sized business as a company with an annual turnover of less than 50 million Euros, with less than 500 employees so in fact these businesses are not so small. It is important to note that this sector of the economy makes up 99.6% of the total number of German businesses, so while these may not be recognisable brands, they make up a huge customer base for those selling SAP consulting services.
This is the beginning of another chapter in the digitisation of the global economy, because now the majority of businesses will have access to the tools to create and maintain a global reach, and with so many businesses seeking to leverage the power of SAP services in the cloud, the opportunity for SAP consulting services providers and also individual SAP consultants is going to expand exponentially.
Until SAP became a cloud-first provider of Software-as-a-Service, most enterprises of this size were locked out because of the initial and total cost of ownership, along with the physical infrastructure investment necessary for on-premise implementations, but now access to SAP software has been democratised.
There has been an offering available for small business in the form of SAP Business One and SAP Business ByDesign, but this has also been evolving as these packages have benefited from the modularity of SAP Business Technology Platform.
Grow With SAP is a route for these customers of SAP to now envisage their move toward S/4HANA Cloud deployment as mid-sized businesses and beyond to become truly global enterprises. While SAP has made it easier for these customers to do their own work and to deploy without complicated customisations specific to their line of business, the number of customers who will require guidance from experienced SAP consultants is likely to go through the roof over the next decade.
If you are an SAP consultant looking for a new role in the SAP ecosystem then get in touch and our experts can help you find your ideal employer and a salary to suit your highly valuable skills, so join us at IgniteSAP.
