How Mid-Market Leaders Use SAP BTP to Innovate and Outpace Competition
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Key Takeaways
Implementing SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) is critical for integrating disparate systems, fostering real-time data analysis, and enhancing operational agility in modern enterprises.
Forward-thinking mid-market companies leveraging SAP BTP can automate workflows, integrate third-party applications seamlessly, and create custom extensions, turning their ERP into a competitive advantage.
Organizations can maximize the value of their SAP Cloud ERP subscriptions by utilizing included BTP entitlements, enabling them to automate processes and enhance efficiencies without incurring additional costs.
Years of rapid growth often leave organizations with an assortment of disconnected applications. For example, the finance team could be working on legacy accounting software that poorly integrates with third-party CRMs, while the logistics team’s warehouse data sits isolated in spreadsheets.
Today, moving to a modern ERP like SAP Cloud ERP (formerly GROW with SAP) solves the core transaction problem; the true differentiator for market leaders lies in the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), which is included in the offering.
The Urgency For Integration
The modern market enterprise cannot afford data silos. When systems don’t talk to each other, automation breaks down and agility suffers. This is where SAP BTP changes the situation.
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Included as a key component of the SAP Cloud ERP bundle, SAP BTP serves as the technological glue and innovation engine that sits alongside the ERP’s clean digital core. It allows businesses to integrate non-SAP applications, extend ERP functionality without breaking the upgrade path, and analyze data across the organization in real time.
Moving Beyond Keeping the Lights On
Here are some ways in which forward-thinking mid-market companies are using this platform:
- Intelligent automation: Instead of manually reconciling invoices between a third-party procurement system and the ERP, organizations use SAP BTP to build automated workflows that trigger approvals and payments instantly, thereby reducing days sales outstanding (DSO).
- Seamless third-party integration: A mid-sized distributor might use SAP BTP to connect its SAP core directly to a niche logistics provider’s tracking system, giving customer service reps real-time shipping visibility without ever leaving their primary screen.
- Custom extensions: Rather than modifying the ERP code, which can trap companies in version lock, teams use SAP BTP to build side-by-side apps, such as a custom mobile interface for field service agents that feeds data directly back into SAP S/4HANA Cloud.
Turning Technology into Strategy
While accessing these tools is one thing, organizations need a trusted implementation partner to deploy them in a way that drives returns on investment (ROI). This is where Forgestik steps in as a strategic architect. Its experts work with clients to build a practical innovation roadmap. Through this process, an organization can move beyond technical setup to identify high-impact business opportunities such as:
- Pinpointing manual processes that are ripe for SAP BTP automation.
- Mapping out which disparate systems, such as CRM, HR, or Logistics, yield the highest value when unified with the ERP.
- Ensuring companies actually use the SAP BTP credits and tools included in their GROW with SAP subscription, rather than letting them go to waste.
Finally, migrating to the cloud is about enhancing agility. By leveraging SAP BTP, mid-market companies can transform their ERP from a passive cost center into an active competitive advantage. Additionally, with the proper roadmap and a partner like Forgestik to guide the execution, businesses can stop fighting their systems and start outpacing their competitors.
What This Means for SAPinsiders
The SAP Clean Core strategy is a safeguard against technical debt. Moving to SAP Cloud ERP requires a shift in mindset from customizing everything to keeping the core clean. Therefore, instead of changing the ERP core, SAP partners like Forgestik build custom apps, such as a unique customer portal or a specialized field-service mobile app, on SAP BTP. These apps talk to the ERP via APIs. As a result, the organization gets the bespoke functionality the business needs without touching the standard ERP code. It also ensures that SAP updates are automatically accepted every six months without customizations breaking, keeping the total cost of ownership (TCO) low.
Monetize the Hidden SAP BTP entitlements that come with SAP Cloud ERP. Many mid-market companies purchase the SAP Cloud ERP bundle without realizing it includes valuable credits and entitlements for SAP BTP that often go unused because teams don’t know how to deploy them. For such organizations, Forgestik acts as an entitlement auditor. It reviews exactly what is included in the SAP Cloud ERP subscription. It maps those available credits to immediate low-hanging fruit, such as automating a manual AP approval workflow or creating a simplified dashboard for executives. Thus, Forgestik helps organizations extract value from licenses they are already paying for, turning a passive subscription into an active innovation engine.
Pragmatic AI and automation help build efficiency. Mid-sized companies often lack the large data science teams required to build custom AI models from scratch. Forgestik implements Agentic AI through SAP BTP integrations that can autonomously execute tasks across systems. This empowers SAPinsiders to have an intelligent digital employee that handles complex, multi-step orchestrations between the ERP and other systems, drastically reducing manual administrative overhead.
