From SAP ECC to S/4 Hana
An S/4 conversion is a complex undertaking that involves the adaptation of processes and data structures. Many existing SAP customers have been operating highly individualized ERP systems for years, and converting them to S/4 can be time-consuming. Legacy systems with large amounts of data, a lack of compatibility with new platforms, uncertainties regarding security and regulatory requirements are slowing down the promised progress. The sheer volume of code adaptations (Z programs) alone is a major challenge for many companies. With the end of support for ECC 6.0 at the latest, the time for IT and specialist departments to switch to S/4 is becoming increasingly short. In practice, the innovation push often proves to be a highly complex feat. This complexity is often underestimated and drags projects out unexpectedly, which leads to increased costs. In addition, the funds available are declining. This was also established by the latest DSAG investment survey. In it, a quarter of the companies surveyed stated that they have to make do with a declining budget.
Licensing under S/4
Further uncertainties arise from changing license models. There is often a lack of know-how within companies. The changeover to S/4 and the use of AI require in-depth specialist knowledge. The path to S/4 therefore presents many existing SAP customers with a real acid test. In the midst of these uncertainties, one model is becoming particularly important: the hybrid cloud as a combination of on-prem, private and public cloud environments allows companies maximum flexibility. Workloads can be distributed according to sensitivity. Standard processes are moved to the public cloud, while business-critical data remains in the private managed cloud. This enables IT managers to meet increasing data protection and compliance requirements. The latest DSAG investment survey shows that SAP customers use different S/4 deployment models. This result underlines the need for a flexible approach. The hybrid cloud also enables a smooth transition to the cloud world. The strong use of the SAP Business Suite (DSAG investment survey: 51 percent) indicates that many companies are focusing on a slow transformation - without abandoning their previous investments ad hoc.
BTP as a bridge
The SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) acts as a technological bridge: 40 percent of respondents are planning medium to high investments in the platform in order to use innovations such as AI or IoT in parallel with the existing ERP system. The hybrid model also scores highly when it comes to integrating specialized third-party solutions - for CRM or HCM, for example. It also minimizes risks: Companies can familiarize themselves with new technologies at their own pace without having to switch completely to the public cloud immediately. The hybrid cloud therefore offers freedom of choice and planning security for on-premises customers who want to shape their digital transformation in a strategic and controlled manner. The first step is a detailed inventory. Tools such as SAP Signavio and LeanIX help to make business processes and IT architectures transparent and identify optimization potential. This is where the combination of Suse and Fsas Technologies comes into play.
SystemInspection
Fsas Technologies complements this introduction with SystemInspection, a technical deep dive into existing SAP systems - an important building block for identifying risks at an early stage and setting up the transformation path properly. This is a comprehensive check-up for existing SAP landscapes offered by Fsas Technologies. This service has been likened to vehicle maintenance, where potential weaknesses, performance bottlenecks and future bottlenecks are identified before they can have a negative impact on business operations. SystemInspection creates a complete inventory of the entire SAP landscape, including systems, applications, databases, servers and virtual machines.
The next step is to choose the right operating platform. In addition to on-premises, the focus is shifting to private and hybrid cloud models - not least because of growing demands for flexibility, performance and data protection. With Primeflex for SAP Landscapes and Flexframe, Fsas Technologies offers infrastructures specially tailored to SAP workloads, such as an application-based private cloud environment, which enable scalable and cost-efficient migration - even in conjunction with hyperscalers, without losing control of your own data. This is supported by the Fsas management tool, which enables end-to-end control of the hybrid SAP landscape.
Secure, open architectures
The integration of public cloud services remains a challenge. To avoid vendor lock-in and ensure data sovereignty, Fsas Technologies and Suse rely on open architectures. These not only enable the connection of various cloud services, but also ensure that regulatory requirements can be met. AI is also becoming a key factor for many existing SAP customers to ensure future competitiveness. Many companies want to use AI to make processes more intelligent and evaluate data better - but in a secure and controlled manner.
The ability to operate AI models locally and train them with internal company data without exposing them to external platforms is therefore becoming increasingly important. Fsas Technologies and Suse offer suitable infrastructures that combine security and innovative strength. SAP is also moving in the direction of generative AI with SAP Joule and offers users intelligent assistance functions directly in SAP applications. Suse and Fsas Technologies are working together to help companies create their own AI models using existing data in SAP and non-SAP environments. Fsas Technologies supports this strategy with secure, powerful platforms on which AI can be run locally or hybrid - data sovereign, flexible and customizable.
The concept of "Safe Transformation" from Fsas Technologies can counter potential challenges of an S/4 migration. It is a structured, secure and compliance-compliant approach designed to prevent business processes from being jeopardized or legal requirements from being violated. The focus is on a protected transformation environment - a "safe zone" - in which existing systems are analyzed, evaluated and gradually transferred to the new architecture. Proven methods and best practice models are used to cover technical and organizational aspects. This enables compatibility problems to be identified at an early stage, risks to be minimized and secure data migration to be guaranteed. One success factor is the consistent focus on data security and regulatory compliance. The protection of sensitive information, GDPR compliance and industry-specific requirements are an integral part of transformation planning.
Technology Blueprint
The Suse Technology Blueprint with a real option for hybrid cloud scenarios also offers a well-founded roadmap for successfully shaping the journey to S/4. At the heart of the concept are four key principles: Security, automation, high availability and flexible virtualization. Suse Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) for SAP Applications forms the security basis. With a Suse Linux platform certified by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), the system meets the highest security standards (EAL 4+) and enables companies to comply with regulatory requirements such as Nis 2. Features such as live patching ensure that security updates can be installed without a system restart, while the Suse Multi-Linux Manager acts as a central instance for policy management and compliance control. At the same time, Suse relies heavily on automation - a key lever for reducing complexity and conserving resources. With open source tools such as Terraform, Salt and Ansible, infrastructure provisioning, system deployment and application provisioning can be automated - both on-prem and in the cloud.
This speeds up the introduction of S/4 and streamlines ongoing operations. The High Availability Extension ensures the uninterrupted operation of business-critical applications. Based on Pacemaker, it guarantees companies that operate Hana productively in hybrid environments an automatic failover in the event of system failures. Suse also focuses on flexibility when it comes to virtualization: KVM is a powerful alternative to costly VMware solutions. Detailed best-practice guides support implementation in productive S/4 scenarios. The blueprint takes into account the increasing importance of hybrid IT architectures. With the SAP Edge Integration Cell, implemented on the basis of container-based technologies such as Suse Rancher for SAP Applications, companies can process sensitive data locally and at the same time take advantage of the scalability of the cloud. In this way, cloud innovations and local data sovereignty can be reconciled. Overall, the Suse Technology Blueprint represents a secure, efficient and flexible path to S/4. At a time when companies are striving for technological sovereignty and future viability, Suse and Fsas Technologies offer proven and practical answers to the challenges of SAP transformation.
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