Author: Peter Körner, Red Hat

AI is driving digital transformation, but the step from prototype to production often fails due to a lack of hybrid infrastructure, which is necessary for end-to-end use in multi-cloud, on-prem, and edge environments.

In times of global trade conflicts and protectionist measures, open source—as software and as a principle—is becoming central for companies and regions. It has a lasting impact on workflows, processes, and communication.

Many companies and public authorities currently want to intensify digitization and modernization. In many cases, the existing IT infrastructure that has grown over many years represents an obstacle.

Many SAP users stop halfway through automation. The potential of tools such as Ansible and end-to-end automation remains untapped—and with it the opportunity to combine migration with modern future-proofing.

Many SAP users stop halfway through automation. The potential of tools such as Ansible and end-to-end automation remains untapped—and with it the opportunity to combine migration with modern future-proofing.

SAP migrations often take longer than expected. It is not for nothing that SAP has extended some maintenance windows. New developments such as automated fit-gap analyses with a downstream factory approach accelerate the transformation.

The unreserved and uncritical use of AI is not justifiable in a business-critical SAP environment. This means trustworthy AI will become increasingly important and, with it, transparent open source principles, technologies, and solutions.

SAP Edge Integration Cell (EIC) is currently a much-discussed topic. SAP users should also see it as an opportunity to use open source as a strategic foundation to drive modernization and implement innovations.

Ansible is an established standard that is here to stay. However, in the SAP world, application possibilities, from accelerated Rise migration to faster implementation of innovations, are still underutilized.

AI and ML are all the rage in the SAP world. However, developing, deploying, and managing AI and ML models poses a number of challenges and requires specific frameworks.

Is automating IT processes a technical challenge? Yes, but not only a challenge. The key to success and seamless implementation is a well-structured plan that involves all employees—not just those in IT.

What are the benefits of open source? SAP modernizations and migrations are complex; taking a different approach based on open-source principles can help you avoid several problems and stumbling blocks from the start.