SAP extends ERP cloud portfolio with "SAP ERP, private edition, option for Microsoft SQL"

[ChristophZimmermann]

RISE with SAP, and with that SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, is and will remain the target solution to execute a digital cloud transformation.

For some customers it is challenging to start this move immediately. Nevertheless, these customers would like to benefit from moving their systems to a managed cloud infrastructure to drive security, compliance, and ease of system maintenance. Up to now this was only possible for SAP ERP customers running (or moving to) an SAP HANA database and not possible for other databases. This is exactly where the new offering ”SAP ERP, private edition, ​option for Microsoft SQL” available on Microsoft Azure comes in.

What is “SAP ERP, private edition, ​option for Microsoft SQL”?
Customers running their SAP ERP system on Microsoft SQL Server database in their on-premise system landscape can lift & shift their SAP ERP system into the SAP Cloud infrastructure supported by Microsoft Azure. There is no need to move to a specific enhancement package. If the customer is running Microsoft SQL Server 2016 or newer also no database upgrade needs to be performed.

Why should customers move to this new offering?
In general, we see two type of customers who are benefitting from this offering:

1. Customers that are running SAP ERP on Microsoft SQL Server database and would like to move step-by-step to RISE with SAP. They want to use this offering to take the first step into the cloud without running an overall digital transformation project.
   
   
   Benefits for these customers are:
   • De-risk their S/4HANA transformation project by moving their todays ERP environment into the cloud as first step.
   • Ensure that splitting the move into two steps does not result in increased total cost.
   • Leverage SAPs tailored migration offerings taking into consideration details of their todays ERP usage in SAP ERP.
   • Benefit from the TCO savings of the cloud instantly to fuel the budget for the business transformation.
   • Clean up their core prior to the S/4HANA transformation to ensure maximum efficiency and value creation with the transformation.
   • Take advantage of Microsoft Cloud Services for Innovation.
      
     
2. Customers that are already moving to RISE with SAP but can’t execute this move for all their ERP systems in one single big bang rollout can now move all systems to the cloud and have these systems covered by ONE single contract in ONE cloud environment.
   
   
   Benefits for these customers are:
   • Move their running / implementing SAP S/4HANA system along with the ERP on Microsoft SQL Server implementations jointly into SAP Cloud.
   • Benefit from tight integration between the solutions in one cloud environment.
   • Leverage the commercial benefit of having one RISE with SAP contract with multiple use rights
   • Decouple IT move to the cloud and business transformation to the next generation ERP
   • Take advantage of Microsoft Cloud Services for Innovation

Last thoughts about this offering
This offering is no alternative to RISE with SAP and SAP S/4HANA. Customers who want to participate in all innovations need to move to RISE with SAP. But this offering can help customers to first move their running SAP ERP system to the SAP Cloud running on Microsoft Azure to participate in all cloud infrastructure related advantages. The business transformation using RISE with SAP will then follow in a second step.