Workload Migration Isn't Just a Good Idea...It's Becoming a Necessity

To succeed in the saturated business world, companies must leverage the fast, scalable, and flexible cloud. SAP is one of the largest providers of enterprise application software that integrates multiple parts of a business into an intelligent digital suite. Now, 56% of the businesses that rely on SAP plan to undertake a workload migration to SAP S/4HANA.

SAP S/4HANA is the latest business suite that offers improved performance and flexibility. So, the remaining businesses that are still evaluating a move to S/4HANA are missing out. The longer they wait for the transition or ignore their SAP operations, the farther they’ll fall behind the competition. And because SAP is planning to end support for its current business suite applications by 2027, migrating will ultimately become essential.

Let’s look at why CEOs and IT leaders should make workload migration to SAP S/4HANA a top priority.

The Business Value of Migrating to S/4HANA

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Millions of businesses worldwide use SAP to run their critical operations. In fact, 77% of the world’s transactional revenue touches an SAP system. This is a big indicator of how SAP is bringing digital transformation to businesses. However, SAP is evolving. SAP S/4HANA can handle a multitude of functionalities that can raise the performance level of several business applications.

Even though SAP S/4HANA launched in 2015, most businesses have yet to undertake a workload migration. Migration isn’t mandatory to run current SAP applications. However, as SAP is planning to phase out its old software suites in favor of S/4HANA, workload migration is inevitable.

SAP’s S/4HANA provides superior benefits. Most IT experts and SAP administrators understand the advantages of migrating to HANA. However, many Chief Experience Officers (CXOs) might wonder whether the transition will be fruitful.

Here’s why businesses should strongly consider moving to S/4HANA sooner rather than later:

1. It supports digital transformation.

“Digital transformation” is more than just integrating technology into business. It’s an entire cultural shift that brings everyone together to provide a better customer experience. As such, a successful digital transformation strategy is the main driver behind adopting new tech.

SAP S/4HANA is a cloud-based software that heavily supports digital transformation. It takes into consideration the latest industry best practices along with continuous innovation. It also delivers results the right way and quickly gives companies tools to get started and scale themselves.

Another tenet of digital transformation is the ability to keep evolving. With workload migration to SAP S/4HANA, companies can stay ahead of the curve thanks to the latest processes and technological innovations. By using the latest technology such as built-in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and robotic process automation, businesses get what they need to innovate and move ahead of competitors.

2. It supports business agility.

Because SAP S/4HANA is a more flexible iteration, its deployment options make a business more agile. In addition, S/4HANA’s guided implementation process makes it easier for businesses to get started. In other words, it supports agility in every step of the process.

With a fast technical setup, an intuitive interface, and a team of experts that can lay down an implementation strategy, businesses will be more agile than ever.

Moreover, the agility factor is mainly due to SAP on the cloud. It makes things much more free-flowing, allowing companies to have more control over their data. It also makes data accessible only to the people who need to see it.

3. It helps reduce hardware and software maintenance.

Another big benefit of workload migration to S/4HANA is that companies can reduce hardware and software maintenance. When businesses store their data offline, they need regular hardware upgrades, fixes, and maybe even software updates.

However, with SAP S/4HANA storing the company’s data on the cloud, businesses no longer have to worry about maintaining and upgrading hardware and software. The hardware load will be minimized because the software will be running over the cloud. Moreover, storing data on the cloud gives companies a huge advantage because the risk of data loss, stolen data, or unforeseen circumstances is near zero.

In other words, with the digital transformation, SAP S/4HANA provides all the regular benefits a cloud has, but with more tools and a wider variety of features than ever.

4. It helps deliver services faster.

Thanks to its many cloud-based features, SAP S/4HANA enables businesses to be flexible and helps them deliver services faster. With the use of ready-to-go application programming interfaces (APIs), businesses can leverage those tools and documentation to easily provide the best customer experience.

Unlike regular SAP systems, it’s easy to update S/4HANA because the system is managed by SAP itself, so there’s no need for extensive IT resources or a big team. Simply put, since HANA is cloud-based, it can easily integrate with a company’s strategic business goals—including digital transformation.

But what are the components of S/4HANA migration? Let’s find out the most important aspects that form its infrastructure.

The Components of S/4HANA Migration

Only a small percentage of SAP customers have completed the workload migration process from their current systems to SAP S/4HANA. With the benefits it brings, it’s clear that IT experts, CEOs, and company owners need to learn about the main components of S/4HANA to understand it a bit more easily and effectively. Not only is it one of the biggest technical transitions your business can undertake, but it’s also a huge functional change.

Companies will need a detailed migration execution plan if they want to complete a successful migration. For that, it’s important to understand the various components that make up S/4HANA.

1. Code Modernization

First and foremost is code modernization. This is the core component of S/4HANA, and it takes away the traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) models and custom code that make enterprise applications slow and bulky.

This component introduces a cloud-native DevOps platform to encourage SAP extensions. Moreover, during the workload migration to S/4HANA, all the extensions that require custom development will be done on the cloud-native platform and integrated with ready-to-use APIs.

This component is taken to the “clean” step where SAP upgrades become quite easy and seamless. On the other hand, businesses also leverage code modernization to incorporate new data sources into their applications.

A simple example would be to add innovative features like parcel location tracking for a logistics company. The main challenge is to choose a cloud-native DevOps platform that will run extension workloads anywhere without breaking down. That’s why cloud-based SAP business technology platforms are best suited for this need.

2. Data Quality and Conversion

Another important component of SAP S/4HANA is data quality and conversion. As businesses plan to move toward S/4HANA, they need to find out whether the current state of their data will provide any positive outcomes and align with their business plan.

This aspect is all about automating the remediation of data to reduce its complexity and make it clear, concise, and accessible. The workload migration to S/4HANA allows businesses to only keep the important data they need. As a result, it eliminates redundant or useless data.

So, let’s say a business has 10 different entries from the same user from 12 years ago. It will be able to cleanse the data easily and effectively.

3. Process Optimization

Minimizing the process’ complexity is another big challenge for businesses. However, SAP S/4HANA can simplify and optimize processes to make things simpler and faster. Since SAP is a transaction-driven application, processes are quite simple at their core.

Migrating to S/4HANA also lets you determine whether SAP is being used as intended. You can see if there’s potential to improve your business processes, such as through automation technology. As a result, you get a real-time look at your active processes, which helps you correct inefficiencies.

4. Infrastructure Modernization

For traditional ERP systems, infrastructure modernization means introducing cloud capabilities. After moving to S/4HANA, businesses need to look for a cloud provider that can make their investment come to fruition and ultimately bring a positive ROI. This will help you maintain the environment size that’s right for your needs.

Benefits of SAP ECC to S/4HANA Migration

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While SAP ERP Central Component (ECC) is a core ERP product, S/4HANA is an all-in-one cloud-friendly database that can perform intensive data processing, transactions, and analysis on one system. Here’s how businesses benefit by a workload migration to S/4HANA:

Scalability

Customer needs are evolving rapidly, which is why CEOs must adapt to them quickly. With S/4HANA, companies can get the freedom to scale their ERP system within realistic timelines. This ensures businesses won’t be hurt and will be evolving with their customers over time.

Flexibility

S/4HANA’s compatibility with a wide range of databases and integration capabilities make it good software. It can integrate with existing IT applications and infrastructure while taking a business to the next level.

Data Capabilities

S/4HANA gives businesses more control of their data by processing and analyzing large data sets in real time. As a result, it’s possible to get insights to make important business decisions and evolve a company.

Innovation

SAP S/4HANA is designed with the future and innovation in mind. Businesses are constantly changing, and S/4HANA provides all the tools and important information to make the transition happen. Latest technologies like AI, ML, and many more are available with it.

Automation

One of the biggest benefits of moving to the cloud is that businesses can leverage automation. This reduces human error and maximizes process automation. It also ensures high performance and cost optimization.

Finding the Best SAP Cloud Provider

The time to make a complete workload migration to SAP S/4HANA is now. It will support your company’s digital transformation as you evolve to keep up with customer needs. It will also make your business more agile, reduce maintenance, and deliver services faster.

Because SAP will stop supporting its current business suite applications by 2027, all companies will need to migrate their workload eventually. For that, businesses need an SAP cloud provider that helps them make the transition faster and more seamlessly. That’s why a solution like Approyo is ideal, as it makes the workload migration stress-free and easy.

Get started with Approyo today for a smooth S/4HANA workload migration. Contact us for more information.

Identity Management and Data Access Security in SAP HANA Cloud

Data is an invaluable asset in today’s business landscape, and data security is equally crucial. Fortunately, the popular SAP HANA cloud software has its own set of security tools. Among others, these cover identity management and data access—key elements to ensure that only the right people can see or use your data.

Cloud security functionality can encrypt data to prevent access by unauthorized users. This encryption safeguards data that are in use as well as data sitting in storage, thus protecting the entire data lifecycle.

The SAP HANA cloud also includes fine-grained access control features that assign individuals and groups of users to the correct IT resources. The system authenticates users to prevent wrongful data access. Furthermore, the software has the ability to “mask” data to hide sensitive information.

SAP HANA cloud has a range of tools for monitoring and logging information—all of which will help you find and handle security risks. Furthermore, the system receives frequent updates to keep ahead of potential threats. The goal of all these security tools is to protect the organization’s data and operations.

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User Management

The SAP HANA cloud helps businesses systematize how people interact with applications and data. For instance, there are user management tools that let administrators create or modify accounts, assign permissions to various resources, and group together multiple users. Moreover, user management facilities also help you track each account within the system—an important element for identifying any suspicious activity and preventing potential security violations.

SAP HANA cloud enforces restrictions to ensure that users don’t accidentally—or intentionally—gain access to confidential or classified information. It also protects users’ data against outside attacks.

Authentication and Authorization

Authentication and authorization are the key mechanisms by which the SAP HANA cloud protects data. These twin processes check possible data access attempts against the configuration your organization has approved. The system detects and blocks any unauthorized access—as well as contacting your administrators.

It’s these authentication and authorization methods that stand behind SAP HANA’s user management functionality. Users have certain rights, and actions outside of these rights are shut down.

The SAP HANA cloud hosts multiple specific “auth” technologies, such as OAuth 2.0 and SAML. These work to connect users with applications and data in a structured fashion. Additionally, there’s role-based access control and attribute-based access control—complementary approaches to determining which resources can be used.

Authenticating a user for several different applications—without duplicating efforts—is a common challenge. Single sign-on (SSO) handles this by uniting the logins. Once users log in to one system, they’re automatically logged into other systems.

Ensure that logins are resistant to compromise. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) addresses this by requiring two or more separate confirmations of a login, such as using a password and an e-mail confirmation. These added layers of defense limit the risk of sensitive data falling into the wrong hands.

All these different authentication and authorization processes work together to secure the SAP HANA cloud. As such, users and administrators have a high degree of confidence that their data is only accessed appropriately.

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Data Encryption

Data that’s not encrypted can be seen by whoever downloads it. By contrast, encrypted data is unusable by anyone other than the intended recipients, even if someone gains unauthorized access. Therefore, encryption functions as another critical layer of defense.

The SAP HANA cloud uses enterprise-quality data encryption throughout all their storage—by default. The widely-recognized Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is a benchmark that’s used by the US Government, among others. AES has undergone extensive testing and is an extremely reliable way to protect your information.

In addition to AES, SAP HANA software supports popular encryption protocols such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and its successor, Transport Layer Security (TLS). These features are able to conceal data from prying eyes in practically any context. Information traveling over the web, through e-mails or along other routes, can only be used by those holding the correct key.

The SAP HANA cloud also employs hardware-based encryption devices, adding an additional element of security. This purpose-made equipment serves to strengthen the process of encrypting and storing data. Related features mask—or “tokenize”—information to control who can see what.

Data Masking and Storage

It’s not uncommon for an organization to have data that needs to be easily accessible, but at the same time requires being hidden, for the most part. For example, a business may need to store customer payment information, yet only make this available to employees at particular times. Data masking helps accomplish this purpose.

With the SAP HANA cloud, you can mask sensitive data in real time. Data is either shown or hidden on the basis of who’s using the system and which permissions that user has. Thus, there’s less chance of someone seeing data who shouldn’t.

Secure storage complements data masking. Using the aforementioned hardware encryption, businesses can deploy data to locations where it’s tightly controlled. The secure key management of the system lets authorized users—and no one else—handle the data.

Together, these features minimize the risk of intruders gaining access to your data. The SAP HANA cloud encompasses a mature enterprise technology that’s able to stand up to the unprecedented attacks now facing IT assets. Given the currently massive financial reliance on data, it’s imperative to choose a trustworthy platform.

Secure Your Data in SAP HANA Cloud

Data has become the lifeblood of the modern enterprise—and it’s one of the most vital assets for businesses to secure. Identity management and data access security helps to safeguard data, making sure that it’s under strict control and only available to authorized users.

In addition to user management and authentication, an enterprise software platform should employ the latest encryption standards. Features such as dynamic data masking and hardware-based secure storage round out the functionality that’s essential for keeping information where it belongs.

SAP HANA cloud addresses all these needs in a fast and reliable package. Globally, large organizations know they can entrust their mission-critical data to the SAP HANA cloud solution. This is where Approyo—the leading full SAP service provider—can help you achieve your data security goals. Contact us now to learn more about our key security, cloud-centric features.

American Data Companies Beware: The Current Rise in Employee Fraud Overseas

The phrase “employee fraud” sounds scary, as the destruction caused by employee fraud can be quite substantial. Even worse, no company is immune. Employees entrusted with company resources can turn on the organization and do immense damage from within.

Corrupt workers may steal then cover their tracks. It’s not just money or physical products; they can also steal or expose data. And as everyone knows, in the digital economy, data is the lifeblood of business. Lost data will expose companies to fines and lost business, severely undermining the entire organization.

If you think employee fraud is uncommon, think again. Nearly all companies are victims of employee theft. And, on average, it takes two years for employee fraud to be found out. Some forms of fraud have subtle effects, while others can rack up more than a million dollars in losses.

In total, the costs of employee theft add up to around 7% of annual revenues, driving many businesses into bankruptcy. When it comes to technology companies, more than a fifth of employees steal. What’s more, new types of international fraud present growing risks.

So, how can you defend against employee fraud? Cloud technology from SAP helps. It can detect suspicious patterns and alert you to potential fraud before the damage gets out of control. If you need assistance deploying anti-fraud measures, you can rely on Approyo, the leading full SAP service provider.

What is Employee Fraud?

Employee fraud is the use of deceit by a worker to take financial or other resources from the company. This is commonly known as an “inside job.” For instance, employee fraud occurs when a worker produces false financial reports and extracts money from the organization.

There are many categories of employee fraud, and not all of them involve theft for personal gain. Some other examples include accepting or giving bribes, taking company data, and abusing one’s official authority. Other than direct financial gain, motivations include fear, envy, or assisting someone else.

Types of Fraud

Many types of employee fraud involve financial transactions, for the obvious reason of adding to the employee’s own wallet. The criminal may make fraudulent payments or modify payments, or they may intercept payments to or from the company. In some cases, this may go as far as creating entirely new accounts in the company’s system.

Fraud can also occur during procurement—the acquisition of products and services. Normally, this procedure is carefully designed to prevent unfair practices, but unscrupulous people attempt to circumvent such controls.

For example, someone may cheat the system to select the winning bidder unfairly. Another fraudster tactic is to arrange procurement for overpriced or non-existent products. In some cases, the insider works in collusion with someone at a vendor to break the system.

Any type of deliberately inaccurate claim constitutes fraud, such as an employee who makes a claim for travel expenses without traveling. This also covers claims larger than the amounts spent as well as falsified authorizations.

Regardless of the rationale and the specific offense, employee fraud can have devastating effects on a business. Most companies lack the necessary controls to detect and prevent fraud. The costs can tally up to immense sums of money, in addition to a damaged reputation and lost customers.

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How Employee Fraud Affects Tech Companies

Technology companies can be left exposed by the fraudulent use of their data. For example, employees may take advantage of their access to confidential information for personal gain. They may sell customers’ personal data or the company’s trade secrets. What’s more, the exploited assets don’t have to be digital. Employees may also abuse hardware or any other company resource for their own ends.

Another category of employee fraud affecting tech companies involves personnel management. For instance, employees may falsify the amount of work they’ve done, which is more of a risk with offshore workers. They may also take sick leave while not sick or abuse other policies.

Accounting fraud and payroll fraud are two relevant categories in which the company’s accounts or the employee’s billable hours are falsified. One such risk for American companies working with outside help is that there may be fake payroll for employees who don’t even exist.

Common Warning Signs of Employee Fraud

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The sooner you spot employee fraud, the less impact to your organization. Here’s a list of key warning signs. While they don’t necessarily show a crime is being committed, they at least deserve your attention.

• If international workers aren’t online or answering calls when they should, there may be a problem.
• When an employee seems to live a lavish lifestyle well above what you’re paying, this is the most common red flag. For example, fancy cars that aren’t normally affordable for a person with that job should raise eyebrows.
• The opposite situation is also a signal, as an employee in financial trouble may resort to fraud. This is the second most common warning sign.
• Addiction often feeds the financial issues that lead to occupational crime. Other personal problems such as broken marriages can also spur fraudulent behavior.
• An employee who becomes more secretive and controlling about their work may have started committing crimes against your organization.
• Hearing reports about an employee should tip you off. Fraud is often found through complaints made by others.
• A sudden or unexpected change in your business’ financial activity should trigger a warning. If you’re seeing more transactions recently, it’s worth investigating.
• An employee who consistently disregards the rules is circumventing important controls. This indicates possible ill intent. Even a broadly “shrewd” attitude can reveal criminal acts.
• If an employee performs actions without the appropriate logging, they may be attempting to manipulate the system or avoid detection. Transactions should have evidence in case an investigation becomes necessary.

These are just some of the warning signs. There are other suspicious behaviors you may notice, and no warning sign on its own necessarily means an employee is committing fraud. Rather, these signs point to anomalies that may have ordinary explanations but deserve further consideration.

Other Warning Signs of Employee Fraud

Dealing with overseas workers adds to the challenge of finding fraud. For instance, they may regularly have to access the company’s online resources at odd hours. This behavior would be a warning sign for local employees, which complicates the matter for international employees. Watch for these additional red flags:

• Lying about actions or using logins other than their own should ring alarm bells. A dishonest employee is not one you would want anyway, but this may indicate more serious fraud.
• Talking or writing negatively about the company can hint at problems. Many fraudsters feel aggrieved, for example, if they didn’t get a promotion they expected. Employees who genuinely like the company are far less likely to commit fraud against it.
• Asking for access to sensitive resources is another red flag. People who seem abnormally interested in having access to data or authority may be planning an attack. Employees should only have access to the data they need for work.
• Unusual transactions should have a valid justification. If an employee wants to modify transactions or accounts, there should be a specific defensible reason.
• Having too close of a relationship with suppliers is suspicious. Conflicts of interest can result in poor deals that cost your company. An employee’s tight personal ties with third-party vendors should be out in the open and minimized.
• Mood problems can also give away fraud. Often enough, the criminal will feel worry over the misdeeds. This can result in the person acting defensive or irritable.

An effective anti-fraud system finds signals before, during, and after a crime. Approyo can help you establish practical controls to detect evidence of employee fraud. With a policy for risk management and appropriate staff education, you can mitigate the tolls of this serious problem.

Detect Employee Fraud Sooner

Employees are entrusted with certain privileges that are essential to accomplishing their work. However, these privileges also expose the company to fraud risks. Your own workers know the system better than anyone else, and they are ideally placed to commit a crime then conceal the evidence.

The frequency with which inside jobs are reported in the media testifies to these risks. In a sense, just being an employee is already a warning sign. However, it’s important to use more specific indicators to focus on the higher-risk elements within your organization.

If you identify fraud early, you can often handle the problem. But if it goes unnoticed for months or years, the damage may become unrecoverable. It costs a lot less to remedy fraud if you detect it through IT controls rather than only finding out when the police tell you.

Most organizations notice at least one warning sign before a fraud is found. In some cases, there are multiple warning signs. Ignore these red flags at your own peril.

The Demographics of Employee Fraud

While there are common warning signs of employee fraud, it’s also useful to develop a general profile of a fraudster. For instance, the people who commit employee fraud are on average 48 years old, with men more likely than women to offend.

Most perpetrators don’t have any previous conviction, which can make them harder to find in advance. In addition, they usually haven’t been previously fired or disciplined for fraud, even if they have committed prior fraud.

Around half of fraudsters work alone, while 18% work with a partner and 33% work in larger groups. The more people who are involved in a crime, the larger the fraud’s costs tend to be. Also, older criminals and those who have been with the company longer cause larger losses on average.

Fraudsters often have other troubles at work, too. In general, they aren’t the most stable people. Bullying is common enough, as well as showing up late or failing to go to work. Nearly half of offenders have had work issues such as negative evaluations, pay cuts, and the threat of losing a job.

Employee fraud is more likely when there are easy opportunities. For example, an individual given excessive access to company resources or not enough supervision poses more of a risk. Similarly, American companies with overseas workers may be less able to supervise these employees and therefore become susceptible to fraud risks.

How to Avoid Hiring Potential Fraudsters

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While there’s no surefire way to detect all fraudsters, the right tools and techniques can decrease the risk. Of course, it’s best to deter and prevent fraud even before the offender joins your company.

Publicize Your Policies

Having a clear policy can deter some frauds. If people see the risks they face, they will more likely reconsider before ripping off the company.

Get Fraud Insurance

Fidelity bonds offer insurance payments if the policy-holder is affected by fraud. Tech companies can purchase fidelity bonds to protect themselves against risks including computer theft. If an employee abuses company resources for personal gain, the policy covers those losses.

Audit Employees’ Work

Random audits are another way to find and prevent frauds. You can do this on your own or work with an external partner. The goal is to sample transactions and ensure they’re valid. This doesn’t entail micromanaging every aspect of employees’ behavior, but rather selectively and fairly ensuring processes are working as they should.

Require Regular Breaks and Vacations

An unusual technique to decrease the risk of fraud is to encourage or require employees to take breaks from work. Taking leave usually involves someone else handling the same duties, which may uncover fraud. Some guilty employees attempt to work year-round to cover their tracks.

Also, those who work without pause become overly focused on money and may lose sight of the reasons not to cheat. So, increasing people’s days off can actively discourage fraud. Furthermore, people with good morale and a positive attitude toward the company are less likely to offend.

Offer Good Employee Benefits

Other ways to improve employee morale include providing opportunities for career development and offering benefits such as insurance or retirement packages. When people feel valued, they’re more committed to the company. Many cases of fraud occur when employees feel disrespected.

Technological and Financial Methods to Prevent Employee Fraud

Automating your payment systems is an effective way to eliminate some processes where fraud could happen. For instance, if an employee has the opportunity to intervene in a payment manually, that’s a risk of fraud. On the other hand, if the entire process runs on its own, then the employee is denied this opportunity.

Reconcile your balance sheet regularly—say, every quarter—to find and prevent problems. Undetected fraud will probably grow fast, so it’s important to keep tabs on financial activity. When it comes to employee time sheets, you should have a manager who approves these and also examines them afterward for accuracy.

American technology businesses have a duty to deploy access controls so sensitive information is only available for authorized employees. Cloud solutions from Approyo-managed SAP can help you control who has access to what data.

Another way to use technology to prevent employee fraud is to automatically detect large file transfers. These transfers may signal an employee is exfiltrating company data or installing risky software on the organization’s equipment. It’s smart to have an alert sent on suspicious transfers.

Using generally recommended computer security practices will also contribute to fraud prevention. For example, enforce strong passwords that are regularly updated. And, employees should only work with their own credentials.

Finally, while business has become mainly digital, don’t forget to deal with paper documents. After their retention period, you should ensure paperwork is disposed of properly. Crimes can still be committed by modifying or improperly using paper documents.

Managing Employee Fraud

The three stages of dealing with employee fraud are prevention, detection, and response. Ideally, you want to institute systems that prevent fraud from occurring in the first place. In practice, when fraud does occur, it’s important to notice it as soon as possible. Then, a firm response deals with the perpetrator and deters future offenses.

To manage the potential problems of employee fraud, your organization should implement controls then monitor behavior. This isn’t a one-and-done, but rather an ongoing process to watch and manage risks.

Deterrence is an important component of managing fraud. It may involve internal disciplinary methods as well as litigation or criminal proceedings. Depending on the size of an attack, it can result in fines reaching thousands of dollars or prison terms of several years.

If an employee has sole authority to process financial transactions, this increases the risk of fraud. So, it’s generally advised to have at least two people involved in any financial duties. An employee acting alone may manipulate accounts and payments. Use a system of checks and balances to protect the organization.

Defend Yourself with a Managed Service Provider

Using a managed service provider (MSP) will improve your risk management capabilities while lowering costs and aiding in your digital transformation. And when it comes to SAP products—which support innovation but are complex to use—an MSP is even more valuable.

With a reliable technology partner, you’ll have the industry’s best security and performance, no matter how complex your environment. For American companies working with overseas employees, an MSP is an important asset that can help protect you against employee fraud.

Essentially, the MSP handles technical needs for you. For example, Approyo can manage your enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and IT infrastructure, along with associated services built for the cloud. The efficiency of using professional support quickly delivers your return on investment (ROI).

Any company will encounter difficulties, but a company using an MSP will have access to time-tested solutions. Whether fighting against employee fraud or striving for better regulatory compliance, you can see precisely which steps would serve the purpose and how long they will take.

Approyo works on projects that must comply with regulations for the financial and medical industries among others. Unique monitoring technology protects your data 24/7 against threats, whether they’re internal or external.

Approyo Supports SAP HANA

Approyo offers expert support for SAP HANA, the fast new database. This in-memory database enhances decision-making with its functionality designed for business intelligence. SAP HANA unites your data in a safe and cost-effective store.

Whether you want to run SAP HANA in the cloud or on-premises, Approyo can develop a solution that meets your needs. The solution will grow to keep pace with your business and includes numerous features like real-time analytics and integration with other SAP products.

SAP HANA includes tools to detect and prevent employee fraud. The database analyzes transactions and reports to root out problems. It uses automation to strengthen investigative efforts, which has become practically necessary. Criminals continuously devise new methods to penetrate digital companies, and these tools let you keep pace.

For organizations already using SAP products, it’s smarter to keep data within the HANA database rather than using another tool. HANA makes searches faster and uses live information, improving data governance. You can accurately examine current and past evidence and even conduct predictive assessments of potential fraud.

Mitigate Employee Fraud With Approyo

Employee fraud is a serious problem when it happens, but you don’t have to stand by defenselessly. Noticing the common warning signs is often enough to defuse a situation before it explodes. Avoiding hiring fraudsters is even better.

Cloud technology can now help you identify and stop fraud before it becomes a serious problem. Approyo is the trusted provider for SAP solutions that require a focus on security. Contact Approyo today to increase your protection against employee fraud.

How Cloud Network Technology Will Push SAP in 2023

With everything migrating to the cloud, the world can expect a huge number of companies to move their services online and adopt cloud networking. A Gartner study predicts that worldwide public cloud end-user spending will reach nearly $600 billion in 2023. That’s because cloud network technology is not only highly scalable but also very flexible and adaptive to business needs.

Several companies currently leverage cloud services to foster innovation. From artificial intelligence (AI) to machine learning, today multiple aspects of technology are being driven by cloud networking.

Don’t confuse cloud computing with cloud networking, though. These two concepts are related yet distinct. Cloud computing focuses on how applications run, while cloud networking concentrates on the connectivity and overall management of a cloud application. Although nearly all SaaS (Software as a Service) companies use cloud computing, the potential of cloud networking has yet to be fully realized. That said, this situation is changing as companies become aware of how cloud networking helps accelerate business growth.

Over the coming years, these trends will dominate cloud networking—especially in SAP.

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1. Focus on Sustainability

Sustainability is currently a key concern for many businesses. As more organizations adopt cloud network technology, the advantages of this strategy are increasingly clear. Benefits range from cost savings and unlimited storage to greater flexibility and better security. But what does this mean in terms of sustainability and the environment?

A U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory report estimated that data centers are responsible for around 1.8% of total energy consumed annually. Thankfully, the efficiencies realized by cloud network technology—including effective and intelligent infrastructure—can make a substantial and positive impact.

According to a study by the Microsoft Corporation, in partnership with WSP USA, cloud services are between 79% and 93% more energy efficient than on-premise data storage. Moreover, public cloud migrations can cut CO2 emissions by as much as 59 million tons every year as well as saving billions of dollars.

A study undertaken by Plain Concepts suggests that cloud network technology assists large companies in reducing their CO2 footprint by 30%, while smaller companies can cut theirs by 90%. And when factoring in renewables, carbon emissions are 92%–98% lower.

Cloud networking is proving to be one of the most sustainable and efficient ICT solutions available. This is also true for SAP cloud networking platforms that help launch businesses using SAP on the cloud.

Already, several SAP companies are raising their sustainability profile by investing in cloud network technology. Over time, this technology is expected to reduce the energy consumption and emissions produced by regular and local servers.

2. Multi and Hybrid Cloud Environments

Nowadays, companies have the option to choose between different environments as they migrate to the cloud. The terms “multi-cloud” and “hybrid cloud” both refer to cloud systems that integrate more than one cloud. And while often used interchangeably, these terms describe distinct solutions.

For instance, multi-cloud systems allow access to two or more public cloud platforms at the same time. By contrast, a hybrid cloud strategy utilizes public and private clouds together with an on-premise setup to create a single optimized infrastructure.

The flexibility and choice inherent in these different solutions allows businesses to optimize their cloud networking strategies. This is where it’s vitally important to have a partner like Approyo to provide a seamless transition to the multi-cloud system.

3. Artificial Intelligence

In the near future, AI adoption will become the norm. Indeed, this must-have tool is improving cloud network technology. For instance, cost reductions, higher productivity, optimized workflows, smart automation, deeper insights and analytics, enhanced security, reliability, and superior data management.

At the same time, cloud networking is driving efficiency and enabling faster innovation and scalability. Merging cloud technology with AI will soon become essential to create a seamless environment for optimized data storage and management.

A study by McKinsey & Company showed that 64% of high-performing companies have realized substantial benefits since incorporating AI workloads on their cloud networks.

4. The Serverless Cloud

A serverless cloud lets developers run and build code without having to manage their services. Contrary to their name, serverless clouds do, in fact, have servers. The word “serverless” is used to describe the developer’s experience in that they don’t have to manage or even interact with the server.

The most significant advantage of serverless clouds is that businesses don’t have to pay for idle capacity—a feature that makes them extremely cost-effective. Moreover, serverless clouds are well suited to hosting business operations because, in addition to cutting back on expenses, they offer a superior level of security. Microsoft Azure is one of the most popular and high-profile examples of a serverless cloud.

5. Virtual Cloud Desktop

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A virtual cloud desktop—also known as “desktop-as-a-service”—can send a full operating system, along with software programs, from a cloud service to a device. With virtual machines, users can manage and use a virtual desktop anywhere. This exciting development scores top marks for efficiency, as the system and software can be accessed anywhere via a laptop, tablet, or mobile device.

Cloud network technology is also able to incorporate virtual desktop solutions to improve remote access. As a result, anyone from nearly anywhere in the world can connect to the operating system. Moreover, being able to access multiple devices at once through a virtual cloud desktop makes it a flexible and very valuable solution.

A virtual cloud desktop simplifies operations for staff and reduces the need to invest in costly ICT infrastructure. In addition, this service maximizes the use of existing investments and staff expertise through hybrid deployments and collaboration.

Why is Cloud Network Technology the Future of SAP?

Around the world, companies are making cloud network technology a priority and accelerating their efforts to switch data to the cloud. This is especially true for businesses that are using SAP.

Cloud networking is positively affecting SAP systems by transferring all the typical offline operations to the cloud. Companies such as Approyo leverage this technology to ensure that a business—along with its data—completes a safe transition. Moreover, Approyo offers powerful and innovative solutions that aren’t readily available in regular SAP systems.

Thanks to the amazing benefits it brings, cloud network technology is closely linked with the future of SAP. For companies looking to transition their business to the cloud and take advantage of the latest technology, Approyo can show them how.

AI Integration With SAP: The Challenges Are Worth the Investment

Artificial intelligence (AI) automation in business processes is still at its early stages. In fact, only 12% of companies using AI are exploiting its full potential, giving them a strong competitive advantage. SAP is changing that with its SAP Business AI.

SAP’s integration of artificial intelligence is pivotal for organizations that want to harness the transformative potential of AI in their business processes. For instance, AI automation can improve any process, from automating manual tasks to providing 24-hour chatbots and optimizing the supply chain. Even better, AI can be seamlessly embedded within existing SAP systems.

By delving into extensive data repositories, SAP’s AI model can do what humans can’t: break down large amounts of data to uncover patterns and trends that drive informed decision-making.

Let’s explore the benefits of using AI automation tools, how to integrate them, and the challenges and best practices of implementing them.

Why Integrate AI With SAP?

SAP brought several innovations, crucial changes, and additions to SAP HANA at the start of this year, such as unifying the administration and monitoring tool. It also introduced an improved SAP HANA Cloud Central.

At the SAP Sapphire conference in May, SAP showcased how AI can empower cloud customers to navigate complex challenges and transformations. Here are some of SAP AI’s new capabilities:

• Optimized Supply Chain: AI automation within SAP can help improve demand forecasting. This reduces inventory holding costs and ensures products reach customers on time. For instance, AI-driven supply chain forecasting management can reduce errors by 20–50% and cut warehousing costs by 5–10%.
• Procurement Excellence: AI automation can streamline procurement processes by assessing supplier performance, onboarding new suppliers, and expediting invoice processing and accuracy.
• Sales and Marketing Precision: AI in SAP can provide valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences, enabling personalized marketing campaigns. This has a direct impact on return on investment (ROI). In fact, in one study, AI solutions boosted revenue growth for 67% of the companies surveyed and reduced costs for 79% of them.
• Human Resources Transformation: AI can help your human resources team acquire talent, engage employees, and remove human bias in hiring.
• Innovation Acceleration: By analyzing vast datasets, AI can identify patterns and trends, providing critical insights for informed decision-making. AI can also identify opportunities for innovation and process improvement.

Examples of AI Integration With SAP

There are several ways businesses can integrate AI with SAP. For example, in the healthcare industry, AI-powered chatbots provide patients with personalized healthcare recommendations based on their medical history and symptoms.

AI can also be combined with the SAP Integration Suite to optimize the supply chain. With AI-driven analytics, companies can see the supply chain in real-time. This lets them adjust their logistics and ensure products reach customers on time. The result is improved productivity, greater cost savings, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

For companies using a business process management solution, such as SAP Signavio, AI automation can be very useful. AI can analyze processes modeled within SAP Signavio to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement. This not only streamlines operations but also boosts productivity through faster and more reliable service. AI can also monitor compliance with regulations and internal policies to ensure you adhere to standards. This reduces compliance risks and enhances the quality of products and services.

AI can also be integrated with SAP Build Solutions. For instance, companies can rapidly design and deploy customized applications using AI. And AI-driven chatbots integrated through SAP Build can offer tailored customer support, improving both customer satisfaction and response times.

Chatbots are able to answer frequently asked questions, provide product recommendations and even process orders. By integrating chatbots with SAP, businesses can provide quick and efficient customer service without the need for human intervention. You can also use AI to analyze customer feedback and market trends to identify areas for innovation.

Challenges of Integrating AI With SAP

AI automation with SAP presents some challenges that organizations must consider. Key issues include:

• Data Quality: AI automation needs high-quality data so it can provide accurate insights and predictions. So, clean and maintain data regularly. Eliminate duplicates, ensure data consistency, and address any data integrity issues.
• Integration Complexity: It’s important to evaluate your existing IT infrastructure’s compatibility with AI systems. You may even need to upgrade or enhance your IT infrastructure. A phased approach can minimize disruptions to existing operations. This will involve rigorous testing and quality assurance to mitigate integration complexities.
• Training: Your employees will need adequate training to utilize the full potential of AI. Put a comprehensive training program and support resources in place to empower staff to make the most of AI-integrated SAP systems.
• Security and Privacy: AI relies on large amounts of sensitive data to provide intelligent service. Keeping the data secure and ensuring privacy is a major concern as you integrate AI into your business process. Invest in robust security measures to safeguard this sensitive data. You’ll also need to conduct regular security audits to maintain data integrity and privacy.

Best Practices for Integrating AI With SAP

Don’t let the challenges deter you; AI automation can be a game-changer for your business. Follow these best practices to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of your AI systems:

Assess Business Needs and Goals

First, clearly define your business objectives and how AI can help you achieve them. Identify the areas where AI can have the most impact, such as automating repetitive tasks, enhancing decision-making, or improving customer experiences.

Also, be sure to plan for scalability as your business grows. Ensure that the AI and SAP solutions can adapt to changing demands and market conditions. A flexible IT architecture will future-proof your investment.

Data Preparation and Quality Assurance

Prioritize data quality. You’ll need to audit and structure your data to ensure that it’s compatible with AI.

Collaborate With a Trusted Partner or Provider

Working with an experienced SAP provider can simplify the AI integration process. They can offer insights, expertise, and support to ensure that you maximize the value of your investment. They’ll also help you evaluate whether your IT infrastructure can support AI and how the integration process can be properly executed.

For instance, an intelligent monitoring system like Overwatch can give you deep insights into the daily performance of your IT environment.

Train Employees

Develop a training program to ensure that your employees are proficient in using AI-integrated SAP systems. You should also document the integration process thoroughly to ensure that knowledge is transferred across teams. This will help you avoid knowledge silos and empower your employees to handle the AI-SAP integration effectively.

AI Integration Made Easy With Approyo

Using AI automation with SAP can be a dynamic leap for your business transformation. It offers unparalleled efficiency, innovation, and competitiveness. There are challenges, but it’s a worthwhile investment. Our new book can help you use tools like ChatGPT to effectively use the power of AI in business.

Choose a trusted partner to ensure that the integration process is not only efficient but also productive. Approyo is an expert in SAP and AI integration. Our seasoned professionals are ready to guide you through the process to ensure a seamless and successful implementation.

Connect with Approyo today to unlock the full potential of AI integration with SAP and secure your business’s competitive future.

ERP Vs. CRM: What Are the Pros and Cons of Each System?

Ensuring company success entails proactively looking for ways to keep up with changes in the increasingly competitive business landscape. In an effort to stay ahead of the curve, companies have likely encountered enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and customer relationship management (CRM) platforms. So, ERP vs. CRM: how do they compare?

Both ERP and CRM systems are designed to improve business workflows. However, while the software shares similar features, these systems have many different uses. Therefore, it’s important to carefully compare ERP vs. CRM to determine which platform is more suitable for a company’s needs.

To help decision-makers make an informed choice, this guide will outline the core functionalities of ERP and CRM platforms as well as their pros and cons.

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ERP vs. CRM: Core Functions

ERP and CRM platforms serve as data repositories and central databases for business operations. Both aim to improve an organization’s access to data, enhance task management using automation, and maximize overall profits. However, they have several key differences.

Functions of ERPs

ERP tools are built to gather, manage, and interpret data to maximize the use of company resources. With this software, businesses can streamline a number of back-office activities, including inventory management, supply chain management, accounting, and task delegation.

When considering ERP vs. CRM, the former’s focus is on keeping workflows as efficient as possible and reducing operational costs. As a result, it covers a broader range of business processes.

While modules may vary between providers, there are similarities between different ERP systems. These are some of the core features:

1. Supply Chain Management

This provides a comprehensive overview of supply chain processes, from manufacturing to fulfillment. It could include tools for purchase order management, logistics, and distribution.

2. Financial Management

This collects, tracks, and analyzes critical financial data. In addition, it can often generate financial reports, budget forecasts, spending trends, and the like.

3. Inventory Management

This feature keeps tabs on inventory levels as well as the movement of goods during daily operations. It simplifies the automation of inventory planning and logistics and eliminates the risk of downtime due to insufficient raw materials.

4. Human Resources

This is a module focusing on any employee management efforts, from hiring and onboarding to timekeeping and payroll.

5. Customer Relationship Management

Depending on the current ERP system, it could also have integrated CRM features. These often include tools like contact management, unified inboxes, and lead tracking.

Functions of CRMs

CRM platforms are created to collect client data that can be used in building relationships with leads and current customers. They focus on front-office processes such as sales pipeline management, marketing campaigns, and customer support. As a result, companies will have all the information they need to maximize each customer interaction.

Between ERP vs. CRM software, the latter puts more emphasis on increasing sales numbers. As such, it tends to have a more limited toolset than ERP systems. However, because CRMs focus on a specific aspect of a business, they offer more advanced functionalities for customer-facing processes than an ERP.

Here are some CRM software features:

1. Lead Management

This tracks multiple touchpoints to capture prospective customers. From there, it scores and qualifies leads to ensure enough time and manpower are dedicated to strong leads.

2. Contact Management

This module primarily serves as a unified database that stores information on leads and existing customers. This includes their names, contact numbers, addresses, and transaction data to help agents pick up where another left off.

3. Reporting and Analytics

This is a system that collects and interprets all data that goes in and out of the CRM software. It tracks key CRM metrics such as customer retention, return on investment (ROI), and lead conversion to help understand the status of a company’s performance.

4. Pipeline Management

This visualizes the different stages of the sales cycle from first contact to closing so agents can see the status of leads and ensure none fall through the cracks.

5. Automation

This eliminates repetitive tasks like collecting customer information and sending follow-up emails.

6. Document Management

A feature that enables users to draft, edit, and share documents from within the CRM system. This is useful for storing templates of contracts and emails as well as sharing important files with colleagues.

Benefits of Using ERPs

Businesses big and small can reap rewards from using ERP systems. These platforms can help a company:

Boost Efficiency

Most ERP systems leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to automate processes. With this, users can eliminate repetitive manual processes such as product tracking, demand forecasting, and procurements. As a result, employees can reduce time and effort in daily activities.

Reduce Costs

With tools for inventory planning and forecasting, ERPs can help companies optimize the use of resources, which can translate to long-term savings on purchasing and freight expenditures. In addition, thanks to task management and automation functions, ERPs can help companies maximize billable hours.

Streamline Processes

As most ERPs collect data proactively, users can gain insights into key operational metrics. This simplifies data-driven decision-making, which can help companies continually improve business processes.

Enhance Collaboration

ERPs serve as unified hubs where users have access to shared documents, communication systems, and task-queuing systems. With all information in one place, teams can closely collaborate at all times.

Increase Productivity

As ERPs use automation and provide centralized data hubs, teams can focus more on attention-demanding and revenue-generating work. They can also closely monitor productivity numbers and ensure they are making the most of their workday.

Improve Customer Relationships

Many ERPs provide CRM functions. Therefore, sales agents and marketing staff can have the customer information they need to ensure seamless customer journeys.

Benefits of Using CRMs

Looking at ERP vs. CRM, one can’t deny the former offers more extensive toolsets. However, that doesn’t mean CRM platforms can’t keep up when it comes to the advantages they offer. Using these, businesses can:

Centralize Customer Data

CRMs keep all data about leads and customers, from basic contact information to transaction records. As a result, all team members have instant access to files they can use to follow up on or convert leads.

Identify More Leads

With lead-scoring features, CRMs can help teams identify strong leads. This way, employees can dedicate their time to prospective clients who are more likely to convert.

Target Marketing Strategies

CRMs can help you segment leads, determine buyer personas, and generate reports on customer data. Therefore, you can create more targeted marketing and sales strategies that are sure to convert leads.

Reinforce Data-Driven Decision-Making

Much like ERPs, CRMs also collect and analyze information to help users make data-backed business decisions. With this, users can get access to metrics such as conversion rates, lead-generation status, and agent performance.

Improve Collaboration

CRMs may use Kanban boards, Gantt charts, unified document databases, and in-platform communication systems like ERP systems do. As such, they can help team members stay in the loop on the status of all leads and customers.

Which Is Better for Your Company, ERP or CRM?

ERPs and CRMs benefit businesses in different ways, so it’s hard to say one is better than the other. For instance, if the goal is to improve lead conversion, a CRM platform is ideal. But, it won’t help much if the goal is to eliminate supply chain inefficiencies. On the other hand, if a company needs a solution for multiple business processes, an ERP would be a better choice.

However, with changing consumer demands and industry standards, businesses probably require a multifaceted approach to operations. So, having both platforms in the tech stack is worth considering. Luckily, companies don’t have to weigh ERP vs. CRM. Simply invest in integrated solutions.

For example, Approyo offers a comprehensive suite of solutions. With its SAP consulting services, businesses can easily deploy an ERP system that includes a CRM module. This gives access to all the features needed for day-to-day processes. Contact Approyo today to learn more about what they can offer.

SAP on Azure: The Definitive Guide to Cloud Integration

Cloud computing is shaping the future of work as enterprises both big and small turn to the cloud to optimize their operations. Be it data storage, processing, or collaboration, many businesses prefer solutions such as SAP on Azure for the flexibility and convenience they provide.

A Gartner study suggests that up to 90% of companies will have transitioned to the cloud or be using some sort of cloud integration service by the end of 2022. This aligns with RightScale’s 2019 State of the Cloud Survey, in which 94% of respondents reported using at least one public or private cloud.

Working in the cloud has opened opportunities like never before. Cost saving is one main benefit; cloud computing also removes the need for local hosting or on-premise software. This not only simplifies the IT environment but also reduces the associated infrastructure costs.

That said, there’s much more that cloud integration brings to your business. For starters, fixing scalability issues through seamless collaboration as well as providing the business intelligence needed for growth.

Here, we’ll find out how cloud services such as SAP on Azure work—and why your business needs them.

How Cloud Integration Works

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Cloud integration brings multiple platforms together so they can operate as a cohesive unit. This requires a system of tools and technologies that connect different applications and IT environments to create a real-time exchange of processes and data.

Additional names for cloud integration include cloud system integration or cloud data integration. Another is iPaaS, or Integration Platform as a Service. Regardless of the name, the goal of cloud integration remains the same—to create a unified, efficient, and easily accessible enterprise IT infrastructure.

Cloud integration aims to improve connectivity and visibility, solve regular data problems, and ensure that businesses run at optimal efficiency.

To transition to the cloud, companies need to transfer data and applications that may be sensitive or critical to their business. Running cloud integrations such as SAP on Azure helps make the transition to the cloud much smoother.

A number of companies are already using a hybrid blend of Software as a Service (SaaS) and on-premises systems. This has the advantage of providing an overall faster base for the integration of cloud data.

Let’s dive in and learn more about the types of cloud integration.

Types of Cloud Integration

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Cloud integration is achieved by integrating either data or applications—and sometimes even services and systems. Integration can take place from cloud-to-cloud, cloud-to-on-premise, or a combination of both.

Data Integration

Data integration refers to the synchronization between data repositories—the procedure whereby data is transferred, processed, or transformed. The objective is to create an effective flow of data between different repositories.

Application Integration

Application integration is more about interoperability, and it focuses on various applications that add enhanced functionality. Compared with data integration, it involves much more than simply sending requests and applying system commands. In addition, application integration gives a company complete control over their digital infrastructure.

With SaaS, businesses can choose to build their own cloud integration platform. However, this tends to be a complicated course of action that comes with added challenges and extra expenses. Moreover, this type of platform is not scalable.

Another option is for companies to use a third-party cloud integration platform—for instance, running SAP on Azure. It’s a great alternative that can maximize efficiency while minimizing integration time.

The main drawback of the former route—building an in-house cloud integration platform—is that it needs to be upgraded every time a new app arrives or a further requirement emerges. Third-party platforms such as SAP on Azure solve this problem.

By using a cloud integration platform, you can expect both data and application integration to be fast, efficient, scalable, agile, and reusable.

Next, we’ll unpack the key benefits and challenges of cloud integration.

Benefits and Challenges of Cloud Integration

Cloud solutions are meant to optimize business activities. They make data integration easier and improve information visibility and sharing.

Businesses rely on a hybrid mix of SaaS platforms, where cloud data integration is becoming increasingly essential. Here are some of the more important advantages.

Benefits of Cloud Integration

Synchronizes Data

The first and main benefit of cloud integration is that it enables IT systems and applications to operate on the same data. Synchronization helps businesses avoid data conflicts that could lead to errors and produce low-quality, unreliable information. Further, data synchronization is fundamental to ensuring that diverse operational functions remain secure and compliant.

Effective synchronization gives users access to the latest data—including real-time updates. Additionally, cloud integration maximizes business efficiency by enabling the quick and streamlined transfer of data.

Automates Workflows

Another major benefit of cloud integration is that it automates workflows. Many manual tasks have been made redundant as a result of improving technology. Today, these responsibilities are taken care of by software and tech instead of employees. In addition to eliminating boring and repetitive tasks, automation reduces the chance of human error—and work gets done faster too!

Cloud integration can fully automate tasks such as data entry. And in the case of workflow automation, data gets transferred seamlessly and doesn’t lose its integrity when shifting from one app to another.

Enables Flexibility and Scalability

Cloud integration enables flexibility and gives organizations the chance to scale their IT systems. By upgrading work practices, identifying new systems, and providing additional benefits to their customers, companies are able to increase their value proposition.

Removes Duplicate Data

Redundancy is quite common in IT. This is because having to store multiple types of the same data can often be problematic. Cloud integration makes it easier to ditch that redundant data while creating better company workflows. Added advantages include reduced storage costs and time-saving for synchronization efforts.

Expands Visibility

Data visibility is vital for business intelligence, and it’s one of the pros of incorporating the cloud into your systems. Visibility allows your team to analyze and assess data in real-time. This means being able to see which applications are being used and where the data is being sent or received. In addition to giving companies superior control over their data, visibility lets you pick up errors quickly and deal with them straight away.

Reduces Unnecessary Spending

One of the top reasons that cloud integration is a must-have for any business? The amount of money that can be saved. By using the cloud, companies can control their spending on data handling. That’s because they can see which applications are being used the most and where to cut costs—all without having to sacrifice performance.

In other words, businesses can make adjustments and use their resources in the most efficient manner possible.

Furthermore, the upfront cost of setting up a cloud integration service—for example, running SAP on Azure—is much lower than building an in-house solution.

Challenges of Cloud Integration

Even though cloud integration is a great solution for your business, it comes with a set of challenges—and some of those challenges might be quite unexpected!

Security and Privacy

Privacy and security are integral to any business. A significant challenge with cloud integration is that your data is exposed to a third party. While this doesn’t necessarily mean that the service provider will steal your data, it’s nonetheless an important factor when choosing an integration platform.

A data breach is a serious security issue with the potential to damage your reputation and business. Opt for a service provider with a good reputation and a name for delivering top-notch solutions for their clients. Moreover, remember to take additional steps to protect your data—for example, implementing measures that enable authorization and encryption.

Lack of Standardization Policies

A lack of standardized policies for compliance can be a huge issue for enterprises when migrating SAP to the cloud. Each business has its own way of maintaining data. And because there are no set rules, this may well impact security and data privacy.

At the same time, cloud integration platforms such as Azure, Jitterbit, and AWS have their own data standards. Here, the diverse formats of data can result in issues like data loss or corruption during migration.

Another challenge arises from hybrid cloud storage. In other words, maintaining two divergent data formats—one for on-site and another for the cloud. This has the potential to create further confusion.

To overcome these deficiencies in the current policy environment, you’ll need to enlist the help of an experienced service provider. That means finding someone who understands how to integrate different formats without causing data loss or corruption.

High Dependency on Internet Connectivity

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Cloud integration and running cloud-based services such as SAP on Azure require a stable and high-speed internet connection. Downtime simply isn’t an option.

An erratic internet connection could prove highly disruptive. For instance, if you use a cloud-based POS for managing a restaurant chain, everything from tracking revenue to managing staff schedules takes place on the cloud. However, without an internet connection, even straightforward tasks like running daily processes can come to a screeching halt.

In this example, traditional systems have a distinct advantage over the cloud. That’s because they run on a closed network. Information is held on a local server that is not dependent on the internet.

Cloud Management Costs

Cloud computing has the potential to save and cost you money. Granted, you won’t have to invest in or maintain IT infrastructures such as hardware and servers. However, there are some hidden costs that may well come to the fore if the cloud is not managed properly.

According to the Flexera 2022 State of the Cloud Report, 32% of cloud spending is wasted. Items in this category range from unused services, apps, and features to underutilized server bandwidth.

Businesses may also not be aware of the numerous discounts and customized packages available to make deployments more efficient.

Insufficient Resources and Lack of Industry Experts

Because cloud technology is a relatively recent phenomenon, professionals need to keep themselves updated with current developments. In addition, it’s necessary to create internal compliance if you want to extract the maximum return from cloud-based applications. That said, finding industry experts with sufficient knowledge can be an obstacle to cloud integration.

Choosing the Best Cloud Integration Platform

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Software systems such as SAP on Azure provide significant benefits, including numbering data intelligence, cost reductions, and more. Moving to the cloud not only boosts efficiency but also gives your business an edge over the competition.

Today, more than 77% of businesses use at least one cloud-based service.

How do you choose the best cloud integration platform? Here are some important requirements to add to your checklist.

Provides a secure way to protect data. A key indicator of a good cloud integration platform is data security. It should provide a secure way to protect data—while transferring and at rest—without any chance of loss or a data breach.

Makes it easy to integrate with other applications. Businesses often require a suite of services and applications to perform daily tasks. Communication between distributed systems, microservices, and serverless applications is essential to streamline operations and enhance the customer experience.

A reliable cloud integration platform should allow seamless integration between different applications. Further, it should provide all the tools and features that enable interoperability—without the need to write custom code every time a new application is added.

Avoid any platform that makes it difficult to integrate with other applications. This is especially the case with features such as reporting or troubleshooting, where complications are likely to arise.

Moves data in real-time. Another feature of a great cloud integration platform is the ability to automate and move data in real-time. This way, you can track the progress of your data and monitor it for any suspicious activity. Make sure that your preferred platform offers real-time connections to data and applications.

Top Cloud Integration Platforms

Whether you’re searching for SAP to cloud migration solutions or just general cloud adoption, these are some of the best cloud integration platforms available today.

Microsoft Azure

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Microsoft Azure is one of the most trusted platforms for transitioning SAP to the cloud. This comes after collaboration between SAP and Microsoft, resulting in the creation of SAP on Azure solutions. This option is highly scalable and adaptive to business needs. In fact, a Forrester Total Economic Impact study estimates that hosting SAP on Azure can lead to a massive ROI of 102%.

Azure is an SAP-certified platform. Further, it’s the most high-performing tool available to scale your SAP cloud infrastructure. Azure offers 192GB to 12TB SAP HANA virtual machines in several regions.

SAP on Azure is probably the best bet for mission-critical SAP workloads. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) predictability to speed up processes and also comes in handy when developing a new product.

In addition, running SAP on Azure delivers real-time, AI-backed insights and deep analytics—tools that can help you improve business outcomes and make better decisions. With Azure, the focus shifts from constantly solving IT issues to working on real business problems. Little wonder that it’s known for fostering innovation and growth.

Moreover, integration with Microsoft 365 makes it easier for employees to collaborate and leverage the full power of the software’s capabilities. Once all its enabling features are taken into account, SAP on Azure comes out tops for cloud integration.

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

IBM believes that the future is more about connecting applications on the cloud than it is about writing code. Their platform is an efficient and high-speed solution that has some of the most powerful tools and features for integrating SAP into the cloud.

The IBM Cloud Integration solution incorporates AI, using repeatable formats and low-code tooling to make integration faster and easier. Operational data can be used to secure deep insights, making the transition to the cloud smoother and more efficient.

With IBM Cloud Pak, companies can enjoy the benefits of API management, event streaming, and application integration. Moreover, it facilitates fast transfers to make the integration process quicker than ever when looking to transition from SAP to the cloud.

On the whole, IBM Cloud Pak is another great way to integrate SAP into the cloud. And the innovative tools and solutions they offer makes it much easier for companies to thrive.

Jitterbit

Jitterbit provides Electronic Data Interchange to integrate back-end applications, ERP systems, and accounting. By trimming costs and eliminating tedious and redundant manual activities, Jitterbit greatly improves the user experience.

As an added benefit, Jitterbit offers specialized solutions for a variety of industries. These include, among others, retail and distribution, manufacturing, electronics and hi-tech, and the automotive industry.

Jitterbit also helps drive the integration process between your business and other systems. Even with the most complicated workflow, Jitterbit’s tools can integrate your data with Microsoft, Sage, Oracle, Intuit, and Epicor, as well as software such as Quickbooks.

Jitterbit offers diversity through cloud-based or on-premise integration. Moreover, it has a web-based dashboard populated with all the data and tools to track progress and transactions. As a further recommendation, Jitterbit is known for its superior customer support and quick response time.

SAP

The SAP Cloud Integration tool brings together data in both business-to-business and application-to-application scenarios. Furthermore, it connects data to multiple endpoints—from both SAP and non-SAP sources—while delivering data on-premise and on the cloud.

SAP’s pre-packaged integration content heightens project efficiency. As a result, your engineers will spend less time writing code and more time connecting applications effectively. As SAP Cloud can be customized for different landscapes, the transition is clearly much simpler.

Over and above these benefits, SAP gives you the option of integrating data in synchronous as well as asynchronous scenarios. It also supports reliable asynchronous messaging with the use of queuing mechanisms.

SAP’s diverse use cases range from supply chain management and procurement to optimizing asset maintenance and sales procedures. In addition, it can modernize core functions such as HR and Finance by improving workflow methods and procedures.

Dell Boomi

The Dell Boomi platform allows you to connect applications, devices, and data to hybrid multi-cloud systems—all with relative speed and ease. Boomi’s drag-and-drop interface, which includes several connectors, is a standout feature. On top of this, Boomi is user-friendly and has an attractive time-value proposition.

Other notable features of Boomi include operational intelligence and reusable formats that help save time and maximize efficiency. As such, errors can be kept to a minimum with intelligent integration mapping and configuration. Furthermore, Boomi helps balance your team’s productivity with templates, process libraries, and custom scripting.

This means that businesses can choose from a vast array of pre-built starter procedures, deploy integrations as suited to their needs, and then centrally manage all applications with the help of a cloud-hosted dashboard.

Boomi claims to deliver a significant ROI in just a three-year period, along with reducing the integration development time substantially. If you’re looking to integrate SAP on the cloud, Boomi is another good option to try.

Approyo’s SAP on Azure Service

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The cloud is more than just a data storage platform. In fact, cloud services are becoming indispensable because of their innovation and business intelligence features that drive growth.

However, selecting the right cloud integration platform can be confusing, as the industry is constantly evolving. SAP on Azure is a good choice due to the capabilities that Azure offers. It not only supplies the best benefits but is also quick, easy to transition, and efficient.

Transitioning to the cloud can present your business with substantial benefits. That’s why choosing the right platform with the right features is vital. SAP on Azure provides you with critical analytics, meaningful insights, predictive tools, and more. It’s also highly adaptive, secure, and reliable, and can increase your ROI thanks to its low operational costs. Moreover, the scalability and improved risk management that SAP on Azure brings will also give you an edge over your competitors.

Approyo offers a complete transition of SAP on Azure to better streamline your business. If you’re looking to transition your SAP tools from on-premise to Azure, have a chat with Approyo today.