The evolution of SAP Cloud ERP – HPE GreenLake SAP

The presentation by HPE at Cloud Field Day 23, led by Kelly Smith from SAP, centered around the evolution of SAP Cloud ERP. The session primarily focused on SAP Cloud ERP, the RISE with SAP methodology, and the SAP Flywheel Effect Strategy. It also covered private cloud ERP transition options.

Smith began by discussing the history of SAP, highlighting its transformation from mainframe-based systems to the current cloud ERP offerings. The core of the presentation revolved around SAP’s Cloud ERP, which offers a private cloud deployment model, often referred to as RISE.  This model encompasses the software, hyperscaler resources, or HPE’s GreenLake, and technical managed support under a single commercial agreement.  This setup shifts the responsibility for day-to-day operations, including upgrades and security, to SAP, enabling customers to focus on their core business strategies.  The presentation emphasized SAP’s commitment to security, highlighting dedicated security teams and workshops, as well as SAP’s handling of responsibilities.

The discussion also addressed integrations, the flywheel effect, and future AI integration, particularly the Business Technology Platform (BTP) for integrations. The presentation touched upon the infrastructure as a service, highlighting the advantages of dedicated hardware and the importance of managing data, particularly for acquisitions and changes in business scale. The presentation addressed the need for additional capacity and SAP’s ability to accommodate it through change requests. Finally, the presentation highlighted the importance of cybersecurity and the role that SAP’s security teams play. SAP will manage software upgrades, with customers having input, but support is discontinued if upgrades fall too far behind.