Simplifying SAP S/4HANA Migration with a Two-Step Approach
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Key Takeaways
⇨ SAP S/4HANA is a cloud-based ERP solution that enables businesses to improve operational efficiency, leverage real-time analytics, and support innovation through advanced technologies.
⇨ Transitioning to SAP S/4HANA requires a well-planned two-step migration approach that begins with moving to an interim solution, allowing organizations to modernize their infrastructure and optimize their systems before completing the migration.
⇨ The two-step migration offers key benefits including risk reduction, cost efficiency, and scalability, while expert guidance from partners like Lemongrass ensures a smoother transition to SAP S/4HANA.
SAP S/4HANA, the advanced enterprise resource planning solution from SAP, offers businesses the tools they need to operate with agility and insight. As a cloud-based ERP platform, SAP S/4HANA enables organizations to streamline operations, leverage real-time analytics, and adapt to changing business requirements. Beyond operational efficiency, it provides a foundation for innovation through latest technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and embedded analytics.
With legacy systems like SAP ECC approaching end-of-support deadlines, it is important for businesses to modernize. However, transitioning to SAP S/4HANA requires careful planning to ensure operational continuity. Lemongrass, an SAP partner takes a two-step migration approach offering a structured, efficient, and simplified pathway to achieve this goal.
The Simplified Two-Step Approach to SAP S/4HANA Migration
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The two-step migration approach begins by transitioning from legacy systems, such as ECC, to an appropriate interim solution. This could involve moving to Suite on HANA, ECC on RISE with SAP, or another middle step, depending on the organization’s specific needs. This interim phase allows organizations to modernize their database infrastructure, clean up customizations, and address technical debt, creating a strong foundation for the final step to SAP S/4HANA. Tools such as RISE with SAP simplify this stage by bundling key services like infrastructure, cloud operations, and business process transformation.
Key enablers of this approach include:
- RISE with SAP: Provides an integrated framework for cloud adoption, reducing complexity and accelerating deployment.
- SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP): Decouples customizations from the ERP core, ensuring flexibility and easier upgrades.
- Datasphere: Modernizes data management by centralizing access to SAP and non-SAP data, offering a scalable alternative to traditional data warehouses.
- SAP BTP Integration Suite and Cloud ALM: Streamline integrations and lifecycle management, ensuring smoother transitions and long-term operational efficiency.
The second phase completes the migration to SAP S/4HANA. By leveraging the modernized foundation established in the first phase, organizations can realize the full capabilities of SAP S/4HANA while minimizing disruption to business operations.
Benefits of this Approach
This migration strategy offers several advantages:
- Risk Reduction: Incremental steps allow businesses to address challenges progressively, ensuring minimal disruption.
- Cost Efficiency: Spreading the migration across phases reduces the financial strain of a single large-scale transformation.
- Scalability: Modern tools like SAP BTP and Datasphere prepare organizations for future growth and innovation.
- Expert Guidance: Lemongrass delivers focused, hands-on expertise, ensuring projects are managed with precision.
Real-World Application: A Success Story
A manufacturing company faced a significant challenge of a tight 5-month timeline to migrate its complex ERP landscape. The SAP and non-SAP systems consisted of a substantial infrastructure estate of approximately 140 servers, spanning Development (DEV), Quality Assurance (QA), pre-Production (pre-Prod), Production (Prod), and N+1 environments. Lemongrass’s fixed price solution combined a parallel migration of the SAP S/4HANA systems to RISE using Lemongrass’s proven methodology and best practices for RISE migration and the migration of the non-SAP systems to a separate Azure tenant.
By working with Lemongrass, the organization benefited from personalized attention from SAP experts who meticulously planned and executed each phase of the migration. This tailored approach ensured the project met its objectives for stability, scalability, and operational continuity, within the defined timeline and budget.
SAP S/4HANA migration is more than a technical upgrade. It is an opportunity to transform business operations and lay the foundation for long-term success. A two-step approach ensures a structured, efficient transition that aligns with business priorities while minimizing risks. By leveraging tools like RISE with SAP and partnering with experienced consultants, organizations can accelerate their modernization journey.
