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Reasons Why You Should go to S/4HANA as Soon as Possible

According to a report, SAP will stop supporting SAP Business Suite 7 by the end of 2027. So, for an IT team, who have spent years and years honing their ECC skills – this can pose quite a conundrum. Do they stay and use the same ECC system they know or will it be better for the organization to upgrade and modernize their infrastructure? 

In that case, SAP S/4HANA can be an option for you. 

But, will it really be an upgrade over SAP ECC though? How will it benefit your business? Is it different or better than whatever competition it has in the market? 

Here is what you need to know about it. 

SAP S/4HANA – A Brief Introduction

SAP, though S/4HANA, promises to offer customers with all the advantages that SAP ECC is providing, and more. And, in addition, there will be some other brand new capabilities too.  

In this section, we will discuss five reasons why you must move to SAP S/4HANA as soon as possible. But, before that, let’s learn the basics of SAP S/4HANA, first.  

What is SAP S/4HANA? 

SAP S/4HANA is a SAP HANA-based ERP business suite that enables a company to conduct a digital transformation successfully. It does so by letting the organization evaluate and assess business data properly and perform transactions in real-time.  

S/4HANA is the digital core of the SAP system that allows companies to be more flexible, resilient, and responsive to customer demands and ever-changing requirements. That’s why it is known as the intelligent enterprise of SAP. 

How is It Different from SAP ECC? 

Technically, SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA are quite different. Whether it’s the database they are using or the user experience they are offering – you can find distinctions everywhere. 

Some of the opportunities may include – 

1: Database. 

SAP S/4HANA only operates and runs on HANA while ECC can run on the HANA database along with a few others, including – SQL Server, Oracle, DB2, and SAP MaxDB. 

2: User Experience. 

S/4HANA uses a modernized version of SAP Fiori UX to offer an excellent user experience. It has a more consumer-friendly tile design and can be accessed through different devices. 

3: Deployment Options. 

S/4HANA can be deployed through various deployment options, including public and private cloud.  

ECC, on the other hand, can run on a hosted public-cloud environment and deployed in an on premise deployment option. 

4: Functions and Features. 

As an advanced ERP Business Suite, S/4HANA is specifically designed to take advantage of various modern technologies, including robotic process automation, embedded analytics, etc. 

These advanced features and capabilities are yet to be available on SAP ECC. 

SAP S/4HANA – Should You Move to It or Not? 

With SAP S/4HANA, you can enjoy almost all the benefits of SAP ECC while getting access to a few more features along the way. Here’s what you need to know about them. 

1: It’s Simple and Easy to Use. 

The data structure of SAP S/4HANA was quite simplified initially. Nonetheless, thanks to the introduction of the UJ (Universal Journal), the reporting capabilities of the system has become even better. Moreover, it also offers the opportunity to adopt different business procedures and increases the operational flexibility of an organization. 

Furthermore, the Fiori-based UX also makes it easier for the user to find whatever function he or she is looking for instantly. Also, it’s much easier to use due to having a fluid UI in place. 

2: Better User Experience. 

The inclusion of Fiori makes the user interface of S/4HANA extremely sublime and simple. It is quite intuitive and, therefore, can let you find whatever you want to use with a single click. And you can get the same experience on both a smartphone and a PC. 

Users can also access more than one transaction in a single app and use role-based worklists. It can be used to list reports and keep them in a single place as well. In addition, you are able to process transactions with fewer screens and clicks to populate them. 

3: Excellent Reporting Capabilities. 

Thanks to the Universal Journal and the simplified data structure of SAP S/4HANA – you can create a huge table and put down all the relevant information from controlling, material ledger and finance. It, in turn, allows you to streamline the Chart of Account while slicing and dicing the information available in real-time. The tool does it with the in-memory HANA database. 

Now, if you want to get even more accurate data, make sure to use a simple visualization tool, like SAP Analytics Cloud. It will offer correct information through graphs and pictures. 

4: Innovative In-Memory Technology Platform 

With its latest architecture, HANA processes data in memory instead of reading from a disk, resulting in faster data processing and analysis. This technology eliminates the need for separate data warehouses, simplifying the IT infrastructure and reducing operational costs. HANA’s ability to perform real-time analytics and data access provides businesses with valuable insights that enable them to make informed decisions quickly. 

 

Additionally, HANA’s advanced features such as machine learning and predictive analytics provide businesses with a competitive advantage by allowing them to identify patterns and trends that might otherwise go unnoticed. 

 

Why Should You Turn to S/4HANA Now? 

2027 might seem too far away, but you should begin your planning to transform to S/4HANA as soon as possible. Keep reading till the end to learn the reason behind it. 

1: The Planning Requirements are Quite Time-Intensive. 

Depending on the overall complexity of your system, the conversion to S/4HANA might take two or more years to get completed. And if you want to adopt an agile and iterative approach, the time taken may increase even more. That’s because, when you are moving to S/4HANA, it is important to get each and every data from your previous architecture. 

Furthermore, customizing your new space can also take some time to complete. Licensing and structural cleaning will also be required to de-risk the system conversion process. 

2: Avert Paying A Premium Price. 

Till 2027, the consulting partners of SAP will be increasingly in demand to offer assistance to businesses for upgrading to SAP S/4HANA. After all, everyone wants to make their business agile, and that can only be done by ditching SAP ECC and integrating S/4HANA. 

So, the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to find or get help from a competent agent from SAP. To make the matters even worse, the services might also capitalize on this scarcity and demand inflated prices for the ERP suite. 

The Final Say! 

SAP S/4HANA is all about making your job easier as a manager or owner of a business. But, it might not be easy to implement or integrate within your organizational architecture easily.  

So, if you need any help or assistance regarding anything, don’t forget to opt for a consultant. With their experience and expertise, they can help you set up the technology efficiently. 

Good luck!