A Natural TranS/4mation Part 1: Prepare for the Future with SAP S/4HANA

Digitization is well underway. New trends and technologies are giving rise to an array of unfamiliar challenges. Companies require a modern business suite that enables them to overcome these challenges and adapt to rapidly changing market conditions.

In this three-part series, I will show you why SAP S/4HANA is the solution to your current and future business needs. In Part 1, I will focus on why SAP has developed the platform and why you need to make the switch. 

New Horizons

We find ourselves in times of change. Technologies including mobile connectivity and social media provide consumers with intuitive options for interacting with companies, accessing information, and making purchases. This level of service is something they have come to expect; for modern enterprises, delivering an end-to-end customer experience is not an option, but a necessity.

As a leading global provider of enterprise software solutions, SAP has a responsibility to ensure its clients are best placed to meet their own customers’ growing demands. This is why they developed SAP S/4HANA – a cutting-edge enterprise resource management suite for the digital age. With SAP HANA as its underlying platform, SAP S/4HANA offers the classic SAP environment plus an agile innovation layer. This allows organizations to integrate, streamline, and continuously optimize their business processes to guarantee a successful digital future.

An Inevitable Switch

Of SAP’s 40,000 clients, 6,300 are already on SAP S/4HANA – and this figure is increasing all the time. Migrating from your current SAP ERP system to SAP S/4HANA is a move you can’t afford not to make. This is because existing SAP ERP systems will have reached the end of their lifecycles by 2027, meaning SAP will no longer support their maintenance and they will not benefit from further innovations.

So, for companies currently running an SAP ERP system, moving to SAP S/4HANA is not a matter of if, but when. And the sooner they make the switch, the sooner they can tap into new technologies and trends like machine learning and mass customization. Yet this transition is a significant undertaking and requires guidance from experts like us.

The Next Step

In the second installment in this series, I will explain how to prepare for the switch to SAP S/4HANA with NTT DATA Business Solutions at your side. In the meantime, for a more detailed explanation as to why SAP is moving to SAP S/4HANA – and why you need to follow suit – listen to Part 1 of our SAP S/4HANA conversion webinar series.