Why RISE with SAP on Google Cloud?

It wasn’t long after Robyn McCall joined GCP Applied Technologies (GCPAT), a global construction products company, as their CIO that she was tasked with leading a critical IT operations transformation. Formerly based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the company was moving to Alpharetta, Georgia, and decided to use the move as an opportunity to rethink their IT operations.

“When I came on board, we wanted to take a fresh look and see just how much more value we could create by going beyond just lifting and shifting our data center," Robyn shared. Her team decided to migrate their data center from on-premises to Google Cloud Platform, leveraging the RISE with SAP accelerator to upgrade their SAP systems at the same time.

It’s a path that’s seeing increasing adoption across industries—more than 6,000 enterprises have chosen to use RISE’s business transformation as-a-service model, and Google Cloud Platform is the third-leading cloud infrastructure provider globally.

GCP Applied Technologies is one of many examples of how working with skilled RISE MSP can deliver transformative results—with the help of Protera GCPAT completed their migration in six months, migrated more than 150 enterprise applications, and never experienced business disruption during the process.

This guide will take a deeper dive into why more and more enterprises are choosing RISE with SAP on Google Cloud. We'll explore the full story of GCPAT’s success and highlight key benefits of this powerful combination to help your enterprise achieve similar results.

Quick Takeaways:

• Google Cloud's world-class global infrastructure supports dynamic scaling, providing low-latency access to SAP applications and ensuring smooth operations.

• The advanced AI and machine learning capabilities of Google Cloud enable organizations to gain deeper insights, enhance decision-making, and automate complex tasks.

• Google’s robust security features and compliance with global standards ensure that enterprise data is protected and regulatory requirements are met.

• GCP Applied Technologies partnered with Protera to not only execute a successful cloud migration but lay the groundwork for future IT transformation.

The Strategic Benefits of RISE with SAP Google Cloud

For enterprise IT leaders aiming to lead strategic SAP cloud transformation while driving efficiencies, reducing costs, and maintaining business continuity, the combination of RISE with SAP powered by  Google Cloud and managed by Protera delivers a trifecta of cutting-edge capabilities, infrastructure, and best in class support.

Synergies between RISE and GCP leverage the strengths of SAP’s comprehensive business transformation suite and Google Cloud’s advanced infrastructure. Here’s why this combination is so powerful:

1. Unified Transformation Package

RISE with SAP delivers a complete package that includes SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), and Business Process Intelligence (BPI). This simplifies the management of enterprise resources and ensures all critical components work seamlessly together to enhance business efficiency.

2. Flexibility and Scalability

Google Cloud’s global infrastructure supports dynamic scaling, allowing enterprises to adjust resources as needed without significant upfront investments. This flexibility is crucial for managing fluctuating workloads and supporting business growth. Google Cloud’s infrastructure provides low-latency access to SAP applications, ensuring smooth and efficient operations regardless of location.

3. Advanced Analytics and AI Integration

Google Cloud’s advanced AI and machine learning capabilities seamlessly integrate with SAP data. This enables organizations to gain deeper insights through predictive analytics, enhance decision-making processes, and automate complex tasks. Tools like BigQuery and Vertex AI allow businesses to analyze large datasets quickly and build sophisticated ML models, driving smarter business operations.

4. Robust Security and Compliance

Cloud security is a top priority for every enterprise IT leader, and Google Cloud excels in providing secure cloud environments. With advanced encryption, identity management, and comprehensive threat detection, Google Cloud ensures that enterprise data is protected. GCP’s adherence to global compliance standards helps enterprises meet regulatory requirements and provides ongoing peace of mind.

5. Cost Efficiency

Google Cloud’s pay-as-you-go pricing model offers significant cost savings compared to traditional on-premise solutions. By paying only for the resources used, IT leaders can better manage their budgets and allocate funds to other strategic initiatives, optimizing financial efficiency. This also eliminates the need for large capital expenditures in order to transform and provides a predictable cost structure.

6. Seamless Integration and Interoperability

Google Cloud’s open architecture ensures seamless integration with SAP applications and other systems. This facilitates a cohesive IT environment where data flows freely, reducing silos and improving overall operational efficiency. Google Cloud’s native support for SAP applications ensures that integrations are smooth and effective.

7. Continuous Innovation

GCP is a known leader in technological innovation, constantly evolving and introducing new capabilities for its client base. By leveraging Google’s cutting-edge offerings, enterprises can stay ahead of market trends, rapidly deploy new services, and maintain their competitive edge. Innovations in AI, ML, and data analytics continuously enhance enterprise capabilities and help them adapt to changing business needs. 

GCPAT’s Transformative Success

When GCP Applied Technologies decided to move its corporate headquarters down the east coast, they also took on the transformative task of moving from on-premise to Google Cloud, trusting the RISE with SAP program to guide their journey.

They turned to Managecore—a Protera company—as their specialized partner and service provider for the migration. 

“The combination of SAP, Managecore [and] Google Cloud gave us confidence that we could pull off this massive transformation in a relatively short period of time,” CIO Robyn McCall noted.

GCPAT’s results underscore the powerful benefits of RISE with SAP on Google Cloud Platform and the results enterprises can achieve in just a few months with this approach. In addition to migrating 150+ applications without disruption, Robyn and her team were able to redesign their network and incorporate segmentation that was unsupported in their legacy environment. 

Their new cloud-based infrastructure allowed for dynamic scaling, meaning they could instantly increase CPU, storage capacity, or memory for any workload to enhance business agility. The migration enabled GCPAT to standardize their non-SAP workloads from a legacy cloud provider to Google Cloud, resulting in a more cohesive and streamlined IT environment.

The enhanced visibility across their IT landscape provided by Google Cloud’s system monitoring tools allowed GCPAT to adopt a more proactive approach to IT management. This meant addressing potential issues before they could impact daily operations.

Post-migration, GCPAT upgraded their system to Enhancement Pack 8 on ECC on HANA, laying the groundwork for future adoption of S/4HANA. This upgrade positioned them well to leverage future ERP capabilities and other advanced functionalities offered by SAP. The seamless integration and proactive management ensured that their IT processes remained stable and efficient from the start.

GCPAT’s journey demonstrates how combining RISE with SAP and Google Cloud can lead to substantial improvements in IT flexibility, security, and cost efficiency. It exemplifies how a well-executed cloud migration can not only meet current operational demands but also set the stage for future growth and innovation—as well as how Protera can support a seamless transition.

To learn more about partnering with Protera to execute your RISE with SAP and cloud transformation, talk to one of our experts today.