How Defense and Security Organizations can Easily ...

fabian13 · ‎2024 May 10

Figure 1: Example picture

1) Introduction

In the recent years, cloud computing has been among the most important IT trends, and it will continue to do so within the next decade. The leading technology consulting firm, Gartner, published various insightful statistics about the technology and its importance that highlight the importance for both private enterprises and public organizations. For one thing, as the below graph shows, the market for public cloud services will grow to $1 trillion by 2026. This relates to a growth rate of more than 100% when compared to the year 2021 and even marks the highest growth rate of all existing IT markets.

Figure 2: Forecast for public cloud services growth by Gartner

This strong trend towards cloud computing is also reflected in a Gartner survey among 367 enterprises . As you can see in the chart below, more than 50% of the survey participants in 2022 think that cloud technology is either indispensable or heavily impactful. When asked about the year 2027, even 90% believe that this will be the case.

Figure 3: Gartner cloud computing survey

Furthermore, 50% of surveyed organizations will use industry cloud platforms to accelerate their digital business initiatives in 2027, according to Gartner. In contrast, less than 5% of the participants gave this answer in 2022.

2) The Importance of Cloud Computing for the Defense and Security Industry

Cloud services are also of high importance for Defense and Security (D&S) organizations, like armed forces, aid organizations or emergency organizations. A recent study financed by the European Defense Agency shows that cloud computing can be applied to both the strategic level and the field level of military organizations. Furthermore, cloud technology can support European armed forces in achieving information superiority against its adversaries. The advantages of cloud technology apply to emergency organizations, like police forces, in a similar manner. Here cloud technology does not only improve the collaboration within and across police organizations, but also helps to complete criminal investigations faster. Fire departments can benefit from the technology as well. Examples for this include cost reductions, access to innovative IT services, a higher reliability of IT services or improved cybersecurity. Rescue service organizations, in turn, can profit from cloud computing through a better and faster handling of medical data. In this way, rescue chains in general and the planning of medical treatments can be improved significantly, which in the end can help to save people’s lives.

3) What is RISE with SAP?

Figure 4: Introductory video to RISE with SAP

RISE with SAP is a holistic package for customers, which want to transform their existing on-premises SAP systems into the cloud. RISE with SAP thereby not only includes SAP’s top-of-the-range software solution, SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, but also various connected services, such as, cloud infrastructure and security as well as related migration and modernization programs. Businesses and organizations, which are not yet SAP customers can instead use GROW with SAP. GROW with SAP is an offer, that is specifically designed for new customers and small and midsized companies and organizations. But let us now take a closer look what specifically RISE with SAP offers for existing customers.

Figure 5: RISE with SAP overview graphic

The RISE package generally makes system transformations easier and allows customers to profit from all of the latest innovations from SAP. The key components of RISE – as the above graphic shows – are:

1) Cloud Solutions

S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition allows you to optimize processes in an unprecedented way. The Cloud ERP solution in this regard covers all common business functions of Defense and Security organizations like, for instance, procurement, human resource management or military planning and operations. Additionally, RISE with SAP includes packages, like the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) for app development, data management, automation and real-time analytics and SAP Signavio for process mining. The RISE solution beyond this also includes diverse innovative and helpful SAP Business Artificial Intelligence functions and features, that allow your organization to get better insights and save valuable time and money. What is more, the RISE program enables D&S organizations to use our holistic sustainability software, SAP Sustainability Solutions. These solutions not only allow organizations to monitor and manage sustainability and environmental issues, but also to ensure the safety of their employees at their workplaces.

2) Cloud Infrastructure and Security

RISE with SAP is built on the foundation of state-of-the-art IT infrastructure and security. In this regard, our customers can benefit from a very modern cloud infrastructure, that helps to ensure the highest possible system performance and availability of services around the clock. Furthermore, D&S organizations can profit from simple and effective service level agreements (SLAs), that guarantee a 99.7% availability as well as regular maintenance of our SAP cloud solutions. Moreover, our RISE with SAP offering is based on the highest standards for security and data protection. This not only entails regular security updates, but also the ability of permanently monitoring the system with regards to performance, compliance and potential threats.

3) Migration and Modernization

Our RISE with SAP cloud package aims to make the migration from on-premises systems to modern cloud systems as simple as possible. SAP for this created an easy, guided implementation process, that is based on the SAP Activate methodology. This methodology allows our customers to:

Gain an in-depth understanding of the extensive capabilities of cloud ERP.
Receive expert guidance to strategically plan and prepare for a smooth migration.
Discover new avenues to craft detailed implementation plans across multiple workstreams.
Seamlessly progress through all six implementation stages with clarity and precision.
Tap into a vast partner ecosystem for enhanced support and collaboration.
Access comprehensive assistance, that is available in more than 100 countries worldwide.

4) The Key Advantages of RISE with SAP

RISE with SAP unites all advantages of cloud computing technology with the well-known advantages of SAP software solutions. The combination of the two technologies thereby even enabled SAP to create its most advanced ERP products so far, SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition and SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition. The main advantages of RISE with SAP are:

High scalability and usage-based pricing

Our cloud solutions allow your D&S organization to easily scale your SAP systems, in a needs-based manner. This is not limited to a certain part of your organization, but can be applied across your entire global operations. The high scalability thereby not only facilitates your organization’s IT processes, but also pays off financially due to the “pay only what you need approach”.

Better collaboration

SAP S/4HANA Cloud allows for a better collaboration among your workforce. Your employees are enabled to work jointly on tasks, communicate directly and share information. This can be done for instance with the SAP Signavio Process Collaboration Hub, a versatile tool for process collaboration. Furthermore, our cloud ERP solutions also enable our clients to better collaborate with their stakeholders, such as suppliers.

Process automatization and access to diverse innovative functions and features

The RISE with SAP offering entails access to various innovative platforms, functions, and features as well as to a variety of useful partner solutions. Examples for this are the SAP Business Technology Platform or SAP Business Artificial Intelligence, two solutions, that were designed to complement each other perfectly. The BTP, on the one hand, is a platform, that bundles services like data management and analytics, application development, automation, and integration as well as artificial intelligence in one environment. The platform is thereby also helping to accelerate the transformation to the cloud significantly. SAP Business AI, on the other hand, is an umbrella term for all available AI solutions from SAP. Good examples for this are SAP Joule, a Generative Artificial Intelligence-based copilot within SAP applications. SAP Joule can answer diverse questions, guide the user through the application or even solve various tasks in an automated manner. Other examples for SAP Business AI include the automatization of processes, such as guided buying or automatically generated job descriptions.

5) Migration Options

D&S organizations, which are already using SAP solutions and want to migrate their systems to the cloud can choose among two principal migration options:

1) Migrate from SAP ERP

D&S organizations, that use SAP ERP and want to migrate to the state-of-the-art SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition can profit from a guided transformation process. This process allows the organizations to make use of diverse best practices for the migration of their systems and data throughout all phases of the transformation journey. Principal advantages of this concept are that customers are enabled to maintain system configurations just like their data sets easily in the new cloud environment.

2) Migrate from SAP S/4HANA

The migration from an existing on-premises SAP S/4HANA system to SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition is even less complex. The transition to the cloud here works very frictionless, which means that – in most cases – customers can just transform their systems and data centers to the new S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition environment.

3) Alternative for new customers: GROW with SAP

As already mentioned above, SAP recommends new customers the tailored cloud transformation program GROW with SAP. GROW with SAP allows for a fast and predictable implementation of the SAP cloud systems and includes most of the advantages of the RISE offering. Unlike the RISE with SAP package, the GROW solution relies on a Public Cloud architecture in the form of SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition.

6) Security Features of RISE with SAP

RISE with SAP is built on a comprehensive security architecture, that enables our customers not only to work safely, but also to protect their data regardless from where and in which local circumstance they work. The security architecture comprises enterprise-grade security features and standards, like:

Physical access control
User authentication and authorization functions
Advanced functions for the function and user-based separation of data
Data encryption
Automated back-ups and protection from data losses (data recovery)
Data encryption features
Full compliance with data protection guidelines like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

- Comprehensive protection of client data

- Auditing functions

- Integrated capabilities for deleting personal data

Sovereign Cloud solutions for organizations with higher security and data-protection requirements, including:

- Use of data centers, that are located in the resident country or region of the respective company or organization

- Data being solely stored and processed within the sovereign borders of the country or region

- Corresponding proof of national and international security certifications and attestations

- Adherence to high security standards throughout all steps

- Increased security requirements for employees

7) Cloud Solutions with Advanced Security Features by SAP NS2

For companies and organizations, which have even higher cybersecurity requirements, SAP is offering cloud solutions with advanced cyber security measures. SAP therefore established its own independent subsidiary called SAP National Security Services (SAP NS2). SAP NS2 is mainly focused on the US, Canadian and Australian market, where it, among other things, is responsible for the adherence of SAP products to diverse security and regulatory requirements. The focus of SAP NS2 thereby lies on ultra-secure cloud solutions for highly regulated industries like D&S organizations, but also for actors with such needs within other industries. This includes highest level of security standards, like the US Department of Defense Impact Level 4 (DoD IL4) requirements just like the US Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) certification. The company’s product portfolio includes:

SAP Secure Cloud Services and Products
- SAP NS2 offers a great range of SAP cloud products and solutions with enhanced security standards. The product portfolio includes ERP-solutions, like SAP S/4HANA, as well as diverse solutions for functional areas, like Supply Chain Management, Finance, Human Resource Management or Spend Management. In addition, NS2, with the SAP Business Technology Platform, also offers diverse automation, analytics, data management and Artificial Intelligence solutions.
Professional Services
- SAP NS2 offers its customers a variety of Professional Services, that range from cloud transformation over advisory services to implementation services.
Support
- SAP NS2 permanently supports its customers with a highly specialized customer service team, which answers any kinds of questions or issue resolution.
Mission Solutions
- SAP NS2 offers a variety of additional services under its brand DataCTRL, that allow D&S customers to securely manage and catalog data across their organization. DataCTRL thereby enables D&S organizations to perform a better and faster data handling, which, for instance, can speed up the migration from on-premises to cloud systems.

Key Takeaways

All in all, this blog entry has shown that RISE with SAP brings significant benefits for Defense and Security organizations, that shouldn’t be ignored. This includes advantages, such as, process automatization just like better collaboration or access to the latest functions and features. What the blog has also shown is that cloud technology, like RISE with SAP, can make all types of D&S organizations more efficient and successful, and here even allows them to strengthen themselves within their core competencies. Although the security of cloud solutions is typically a rather controversial issue among IT responsibles, it has been shown in the blog that SAP’s cloud solutions are built on the foundation of a strong security architecture. This architecture includes various security functions and features like automated backups, encryption, or access control functions. For organizations with even higher cybersecurity requirements, SAP can refer its customers to its specialized subsidiary, SAP NS2. SAP NS2 offers ultra-secure cloud solutions with the highest possible security certifications for highly regulated industries, like Defense and Security. Beyond that, our customers can expect numerous further innovations for the future from SAP, which includes Generative AI functions just like the stepwise integration of SAP’s intelligent copilot, Joule, into SAP applications.

Product Tour for SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition

If you are interested in learning more about RISE with SAP and SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition and its advantages for the different operational processes in the following product tour:

Figure 6: Link to the RISE with SAP product tour