False SAP Prophets

There are only a few years left to orchestrate a consolidated transition from SAP ERP version ECC 6.0 (old Business Suite) to the new S/4 Hana (Business Suite in the SAP cloud). We will manage around 75 percent of the conversion within the Group and in subsidiaries. For 20 percent of our ERP systems, we will either find a special arrangement with SAP or engage a service provider such as Rimini Street for third-party maintenance. The remaining five percent of SAP systems will be phased out or transferred to other ERP products.

Gartner analysts estimate that around 40 percent of existing SAP customers have opted for S/4 (the latest SAP ERP version). No reason to celebrate! What will the silent majority do in the coming years? When I ask around in the SAP community, the problem is put into perspective: 60 percent already have an SAP S/4 Hana contract in the drawer. That's a good starting point, so beware of false prophets.

We have our S/4 and Rise-with-SAP contracts in the dry. Many of my SAP regulars are still in discussions with SAP sales, SAP partners and consultants. We have had some surprises here in recent months: SAP offers excellent tools for this particular release change to the cloud. There is a team of experts at SAP called Customer Evolution. Opinions can be divided about this name, but the concepts and tools are first-class - making the digital transformation and S/4 Hana conversion a success.

So beware of false prophets who produce more trouble with their own tools than good orchestration: there are no limits to the imagination here: from Blue Field to Data Conversion Suite (DCS). Renowned SAP partners are constantly coming up with new words and marketing creations. But the good news is that SAP itself has the greatest interest in providing existing customers with a modern ERP operating model. From this perspective, "Customer Evolution" is perhaps not a bad name. My SAP regulars are determined to reach the next level of ERP evolution. This makes it all the more important to guard against false prophets from the SAP community.

At the same time, we existing SAP customers can make good use of the situation of those doomed to success: SAP has already won over 60 percent of existing customers, but the share price will only develop positively if it reaches 100 percent by 2033. Cloud and AI should succeed with honesty and transparency. SAP now has the power of interpretation.