5 Questions to Ask Your SAP Managed Services Provider in the Cloud Era
No one understand the needs of your company better than you. Unfortunately, translating those needs into a program for SAP transformation can be a daunting challenge. Many SAP managed services providers struggle to bridge the gap between technical requirements and business strategy, resulting in a less successful cloud SAP transformation. Whether you’re looking for a new SAP partner to migrate SAP to the cloud or just trying to understand the benefits of HANA better, here are 5 questions to start the conversation.
5 Questions for Your Cloud SAP Managed Services Provider
1. What skills or resources will I need to run SAP in the cloud?
The cloud is only a destination. Within that destination, there are a range of options for your SAP solution, which will require different skills and resources. Asking your SAP managed services provider what skills you’ll need to run in the cloud will help you scope the solution, and give you a better understanding of both what they provide and what they don’t.
2. Will I need a private data line?
Many of the benefits of the cloud stem from its ability to reduce your infrastructure involvement. In the public cloud, you can scale rapidly and provide access across the globe without the cost and complexity of building and maintaining your own data centers. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to think about infrastructure. A global company may need a data line to achieve throughput, performance, high availability and other goals. Your SAP managed services provider can help you assess your needs and determine whether a private data line will be necessary.
3. Will system performance be affected by running in the cloud?
System performance is one of the most important factors in the success of your IT strategy. Your SAP MSP should be able to guarantee improved system performance, and work with you to set and realize goals for both customer-facing and business-facing applications in the cloud.
4. How do I ensure that my data is safe in the public cloud?
The public cloud provides strong cyber security, but SAP cloud security (or on-premise security, for that matter) depends on the way you build, run and monitor your system. Talk to your SAP managed services provider about what measures they take to keep data secure, detect and neutralize threats, and mitigate security incidents.
5. Will my non-SAP workloads be affected?
Moving SAP to the cloud will almost always affect your non-SAP workloads in some fashion. The question is, how will it affect them, and what should you do about it?
At a minimum, you’ll need to connect your non-SAP workloads to your SAP system in the cloud, and test them to make sure they’re correctly integrated with it. If you’re upgrading to Suite on HANA or S/4HANA, there may be more significant changes in the way SAP interacts with non-SAP workloads, requiring additional steps. For example, legacy non-SAP workloads may pose a bottleneck in some cases, limiting some of the benefits of your SAP transformation. In those cases, they should be upgraded or replaced.
Your SAP managed services provider should be able to help you plan a total transformation strategy that will consider the needs of not just your SAP software, but all your workloads.
SAP Managed Services: Finding the Answers
An SAP MSP needs fantastic technical skills, but technical skills alone aren’t enough. The right SAP managed services provider should be a guide on your journey to the cloud, giving you the information you need to make informed decisions every step of the way.
Contact us to start getting the answers you need.