Smarter faster with Hana?

In order to tap the full potential of the SAP platform, you have to say goodbye to a few cherished prejudices. Certainly the most widespread myth is that Hana's speed would be its main advantage.

SAP itself is responsible for this misunderstanding: Initially, the manufacturer primarily emphasized the fact that information can be processed in much less time with Hana than with traditional database platforms.

The result

Since then, many companies have been trying to calculate the costs they could save by accelerating transactions by a few hundred milliseconds. And they can't find a solution.

While Hana is indeed very fast, this would rarely justify the cost of migration.

The truth is: It's not just about acceleration in the conventional processing of data. What really counts is how a company turns this speed into innovation: It's about using Big Data approaches to examine the entire data pool in real time, for example, to better predict customer behavior and adapt marketing actions accordingly, or to optimize inventory management.

The Internet of Things offers entirely new opportunities for insight into production processes, control and maintenance. However, they can only be fully exploited if data from thousands of devices is processed in real time - this is impossible with classic data platforms.

Speed is a means, not an end

In addition to real-time big data analytics and connectivity to thousands of IoT data providers, Hana also offers consolidation, integration and simplification.

Data from a wide variety of sources is brought together in a central platform. Finally, companies can obtain the long-sought uniform database.

This "single point of truth" is also the basis for a new generation of business intelligence tools and for predictive analytics.

The much-cited speed is therefore ultimately only the enabler for better managing, analyzing and using large volumes of data. You don't even need to try with slow solutions.

This realization helps many companies focus on the real strengths of in-memory computing.

Investments more expensive than standstill?

Another myth that is constantly being propagated in connection with Hana is the cost associated with its acquisition. But whether the in-memory database is worth its price is not decided by looking at the price tag alone.

The true core of this myth: in-memory technology is actually more expensive today than hard disk storage. And Hana requires both main memory and hard disks. If companies then plan a simple 1:1 replacement of their previous database platform, they may calculate an impressively high initial investment when acquiring Hana. A mistake - a closer look at the cost structure reveals a more differentiated picture for various reasons:

1. Efficiency: Hana ensures more efficient data storage, which can significantly reduce data volumes. The optimization of applications based on Hana makes a significant contribution to exploiting the potential and efficiency of in-memory technology. The transformation from SAP ERP to S/4 is a prime example of this. The move toward a single source of truth, as mentioned above, will also eliminate costs for IT resources in the medium term, for example for data warehouses. The direct consequence is a reduction in administrative costs.
2. Cloud provisioning: If you want to keep the initial investment small, you can have Hana hosted by a cloud provider. This approach enables companies to start small and let the solution grow gradually in line with their needs. Personnel and training costs are eliminated.
3. Ease of use: With the introduction of Hana and customized applications comes the opportunity to deploy new user interfaces that can make users' jobs noticeably easier.The SAP Fiori interface requires little training and can be customized. This allows modern user interfaces to be created that enable rapid immersion in the Hana data pools.
4. Innovation: The ability to make full use of big data and information from the Internet of Things provides companies with the technical basis for developing new business models and tapping additional revenue potential.

Beyond speed, Hana offers one thing above all: future potential. With Hana, data from a wide variety of sources can be brought together in a central platform and large volumes of data can be accessed in the first place.

In this way, users receive the right data at the right time. Management gains insights faster and can implement appropriate measures more quickly.

It is therefore essential to embrace Hana with one's processes and business models in order to exploit the full potential of digital transformation.

New functionalities such as predictive analytics far exceed the capabilities of traditional databases. And it is precisely they that ensure that companies stay ahead of the competition in the long run.

Knowledge for the digital transformation

Tuesday, 13.09.2016, 14:30-16:00

S/4 Hana Transition Design Thinking Workshop

S/4 Hana Enterprise Management is the new software generation that maps all of a company's digitized processes. But what is behind this new solution? What innovations can companies benefit from? What does this mean for IT strategy?

Friday, 23.09.2016, 13:00-14:00

S/4 Hana Enterprise Management as the backbone of new types of business models and processes

The digital revolution is changing business models and processes. To achieve this, a process system must extract information from the flood of data and use it to control the processes. The presentation shows why Hana and S/4 Hana are the means of choice for this - also and especially for medium-sized businesses.

Friday, 23.09.2016, 14:30-15:00

HCP - mastering digital transformation with SAP's best-kept secret

The Hana Cloud Platform (HCP) is considered SAP's best-kept secret. With the help of HCP, novel process integration, enhancement and development scenarios can be presented that will be groundbreaking for the digital transformation. The presentation will show how and why medium-sized companies will also benefit from HCP approaches.