Jan 6, 2022
•1 minute read
SAP Cloud Platform
SAP Cloud Platform launched in 2012 as a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) environment designed to help organizations build, extend, and integrate SAP applications in the cloud. Originally called SAP HANA Cloud Platform, it gave enterprises a governed space to develop custom applications, connect heterogeneous systems, and deploy extensions to SAP S/4HANA without touching the core. In 2021, SAP Cloud Platform was retired as a standalone product and absorbed into SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), consolidating its capabilities into a unified platform that now serves as the technical backbone for SAP’s cloud strategy.
What Is SAP Cloud Platform?
SAP Cloud Platform was SAP’s primary PaaS offering for cloud-native development and integration through most of the 2010s. Built on Cloud Foundry, it provided runtime environments, IoT capabilities, analytics services, mobile development tools, and integration middleware under one roof. Its clean-core philosophy allowed organizations to extend SAP S/4HANA without embedding custom code directly in the ERP, preserving upgrade paths and reducing technical debt. Though the SAP Cloud Platform name was officially retired in 2021, its architecture, services, and design principles live on in SAP BTP, making it the direct predecessor of today’s enterprise cloud platform layer.
SAP Cloud Platform launched in 2012 as a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) environment designed to help organizations build, extend, and integrate SAP applications in the cloud. Originally called SAP HANA Cloud Platform, it gave enterprises a governed space to develop custom applications, connect heterogeneous systems, and deploy extensions to SAP S/4HANA without touching the core. In 2021, SAP Cloud Platform was retired as a standalone product and absorbed into SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), consolidating its capabilities into a unified platform that now serves as the technical backbone for SAP’s cloud strategy.
What Is SAP Cloud Platform?
SAP Cloud Platform was SAP’s primary PaaS offering for cloud-native development and integration through most of the 2010s. Built on Cloud Foundry, it provided runtime environments, IoT capabilities, analytics services, mobile development tools, and integration middleware under one roof. Its clean-core philosophy allowed organizations to extend SAP S/4HANA without embedding custom code directly in the ERP, preserving upgrade paths and reducing technical debt. Though the SAP Cloud Platform name was officially retired in 2021, its architecture, services, and design principles live on in SAP BTP, making it the direct predecessor of today’s enterprise cloud platform layer.
What Use Cases Are Referenced?
Cintas Reduces SAP Database Footprint 68% on Google Cloud
Cintas modernized its SAP landscape by migrating to Google Cloud, achieving a 68% reduction in database footprint. CIO Matt Hough described the migration as a foundation for accelerated AI and analytics initiatives, with improved user experience and innovation capacity. SAPinsider covered the transformation in detail.
Volaris Deploys SAP Cloud ERP Private for Finance, HR, and Procurement
Mexican airline Volaris adopted SAP Cloud ERP Private to modernize core operations across finance, procurement, and workforce management, integrating SAP Ariba, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Concur, and SAP Datasphere. The move addressed fragmented data and shadow IT while establishing a scalable, data-driven operating model. SAPinsider reported on the deployment.
SAP Launches Sovereign Cloud in France with Bleu
SAP and Bleu, a French cloud provider co-founded by Orange and Capgemini, launched a sovereign cloud that enables SaaS workloads to be hosted and operated in France under SecNumCloud alignment. Public sector agencies, utilities, healthcare providers, and critical infrastructure operators can run SAP workloads while maintaining data residency and national governance. SAPinsider reported the launch.
Haleon Adopts SAP Business Suite to Replace Legacy ECC
Haleon, the consumer health company behind Sensodyne, Advil, and Panadol, chose SAP Business Suite to replace its legacy SAP ECC environment and build an AI-ready enterprise. The migration deploys SAP Business Data Cloud for governed data harmonization and leverages SAP BTP’s clean-core extension model. Transition begins later in 2026. SAPinsider covered the program.
SAP Business Data Cloud and BigQuery: Zero-Copy Federation
SAP Business Data Cloud and Google BigQuery support bidirectional zero-copy federation, allowing SAP data to be queried directly in BigQuery without physical movement and BigQuery datasets to be accessed from SAP planning tools without ingestion delays. Finance, supply chain, and AI teams share one data foundation with no replication lag. SAPinsider examined the implications.
What SAPinsider Research Supports This Topic?
Technology Leader’s Strategic Agenda for 2026
SAPinsider surveyed its community between December 2025 and March 2026, finding that 70% of technology leaders identified increasing operational efficiency as their top priority. The report also found that foundational investments in SAP BTP are currently outpacing direct spending on artificial intelligence, reflecting the continued primacy of cloud platform infrastructure.
SAP BTP Data, Integration, and Application Development 2025
SAPinsider surveyed 151 respondents in early 2025 and found 80% using or evaluating SAP BTP. SAP Integration Suite, the successor to SAP Cloud Platform Integration, was used or evaluated by 80% of respondents, up from 63% in 2024. Integration ranked as the most critical SAP BTP capability at 85%.
Cloud Architecture for SAP
SAPinsider research published in November 2025 found that 69% of cloud-forward organizations are already using SAP BTP, and 62% of those same leaders are running SAP S/4HANA Cloud. The data reflects how organizations that progressed furthest in cloud adoption have consolidated around the platform layer, with SAP Cloud Platform established.
Hybrid Cloud Deployment Approaches for SAP S/4HANAAdopting a hybrid cloud strategy has become an essential ingredient for success for business operations.
In this session, you will learn about the various dimensions to hybrid cloud deployment choices, and how they are applicable to an SAP transformation strategy. Hybrid cloud is more complicated than simply choosing to run SAP on-prem or in the cloud. Other deployment dimensions that impact each organization's strategic decisions include choosing a cloud provider, the level of cloud privacy, the virtualization model, hardware platform/OS, license model, SAP extension model, and management model.
After attending this session, you will:
• Identify deployment options right for your business
• Understand important decision points surrounding and impacting your deployment choices
SAP S/4HANA Cloud Strategy TrendsIn our 2021 September Executive Magazine, we wrote about SAP customers that are expanding and becoming global at an increasing rate against a backdrop of transformation. And we know from our March 2021 report, which surveyed our technology executive community, that CIOs’ top priorities — increasing process efficiencies and supporting new business models — point to an overall strategy of growth and innovation as opposed to one of constraint. These tactical approaches are occurring across industries and geographies and are accelerating the adoption of enterprise technology. They are also uncovering a skills gap.
SUSE’s Vice President, Solutions Technology, Markus Noga notices this challenge among his own customers that run SAP technology. “The challenges customers are seeing today are primarily around skill set and the ability to deal with the rapid pace of technological change,” Noga says. Visibility is being re-imagined as well. According to Noga, as executives struggle to gain proper visibility into their operations and performance, malfunctions are being escalated to the board and C-suite level faster than ever. More companies are experimenting with different tiers and flavors of cloud and taking greater risks to become more agile.
This thought leadership article explores:
- What type of environment SAP customers are using to deploy SAP S/4HANA, according to SAPinsider’s research;
- How containers and Kubernetes can be utilized to help support a hybrid environment; and
- Best practices for preparing infrastructure and teams to address mission-critical needs.
Dec 17, 2021
•5 minute read
Cloud Cost Considerations: How to Maximize Return while Shrinking InvestmentIn a time where multi and hybrid cloud deployments are becoming commonplace for SAP, enterprise executives and IT decision makers are looking for a way to maximize their cloud value while working with reduced budgets. Join this roundtable, hosted by Virtustream’s Alex Noordergraaf, Director of Product Management for SAP Cloud Solutions, to discuss strategies and […]
Dec 14, 2021
•1 minute read
Customer Experiences in Modernizing SAP Applications with a Cloud Operating ModelHow can I get the simplicity of the cloud while maintaining control of the data? How can I increase business flexibility and redundancy? How can I better tie IT costs to business use? These are common challenges in the market that are driving companies to consider a hyperconverged infrastructure for their SAP solutions. In this […]
Nov 15, 2021
•1 minute read
3 Proven Ways to Drive New Value from Your SAP Investments in the CloudEach SAP customer has a unique and potentially complicated journey to the cloud. All journeys can benefit from three initiatives that companies can rapidly implement to accelerate the move of their SAP landscapes to the cloud and reduce the complexity of a full-scale ERP migration.
In this webinar, we’ll explore three proven ways to jump-start your SAP migration efforts, including implementing robust cloud-based disaster recovery, automating the deployment of QA systems, and establishing a modern data lake. These initiatives allow customers to immediately unlock additional value from their SAP investment while building confidence with cloud capabilities. We’ll also explore several key factors customers consider as they prepare for a full-scale ERP migration. Finally, we’ll share real-world examples of how SAP customers such as Phillips 66, Newmont, and Restaurant Brands International have used AWS capabilities to reduce costs, increase agility, and accelerate innovation.
In this session, you’ll learn how to:
- Leverage proven ways to drive new value from your SAP investment
- Plan your migration of critical SAP applications
- Automate your SAP environment in the cloud
Sep 16, 2021
•1 minute read
Reduce your cloud spending with SAP Landscape Management CloudIt doesn’t make sense to run your SAP systems – especially non-production systems – 24/7 in Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) aka Hyperscaler environments like you used to for on-premise deployments, because infrastructure costs will explode. SAP Landscape Management Cloud is a brand-new Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product (released in 2021) that focuses on this challenge. It helps to optimize your cloud spending with smart capabilities like pattern-driven stop, start, scale up and down of your SAP systems and related infrastructure. A comprehensive analytics service gives you an SAP system-centric cost overview like current and estimated spending. Attend this session to: Get an overview about the capabilities Learn what innovations are planned Watch a demo with key usage scenarios
May 26, 2021
•1 minute read
Options for Extending and Integrating SAP S/4HANA with SAP Cloud PlatformSAP Cloud Platform is an open business platform designed to help you innovate, integrate, and extend applications. It is an ideal cloud platform to extend SAP S/4HANA and integrate SAP S/4HANA with SAP and non-SAP applications. Join this session to discover how SAP Cloud Platform:
- Enables you to extend SAP S/4HANA using ABAP and choice of programming language
- Simplifies SAP S/4HANA integration with SAP and non-SAP apps by delivering pre-built APIs, business events, CDS views, and connectors to many third-party systems
- Accelerates innovation with SAP HANA service, SAP Leonardo machine learning services, UX services, and unique business services
Jan 19, 2021
•1 minute read
Case Study: Lessons from Epsilon’s Successful SAP Cloud Platform ImplementationEpsilon, a global customer data marketing and analytics company, recently deployed SAP Cloud Platform to improve the speed and capabilities of its customer analytics. Attendees will learn about a successful SAP Cloud Platform implementation. The session will dive into key considerations, including security and scalability, that played into the company’s cloud decision, and get useful tips from its deployment experience. Attend to learn about:
- Epsilon’s use case with SAP Cloud Platform and how it impacted solution delivery for its clients
- How SAP Cloud Platform fits into Epsilon’s overall landscape of technology offerings
- Epsilon's implementation of SAP Cloud Platform combined with SAP BusinessObjects for an end-to-end business intelligence solution
Oct 20, 2020
•1 minute read
Develop Resilience During Rapid Change by Extending Business Applications with SAP Cloud PlatformWebinar Thursday, September 30 at 11:00 AM EDT In order to navigate change and stay ahead of the competition, organizations must infuse flexibility and agility across their end-to-end operations. Companies are successfully doing this by modernizing and extending their business processes, and doing so efficiently and economically. How can you join them? Register for this […]
Sep 8, 2020
•1 minute read
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