At each event, customers ask me for clear guidance to their SAP S/4HANA centric application landscape. They expect information about the applications SAP recommends, the business value they can expect, integration, the available SAP services – and the implications for their license and subscription agreements.
We have listened intently and are working on providing clear guidance for customers.
Customer conversations have changed a lot over the past months. Digital transformation — and its impact on every business — is no longer just an interesting conference topic. Today, our customers know that digital transformation is an imperative and are actively transforming their own businesses. They digitally connect to customers, suppliers, the extended workforce, to production assets, and to the Internet of Things (IoT).
Core to these conversations is how the future application landscape will look like. Our customers are seeking clear guidance on what’s next for their SAP S/4HANA-centric application landscape. They want to understand how cloud offerings integrate and where to find the tangible business value that funds the transformation. They also want to understand the available services and the impact on their license agreements.
We cherish our role as a change agent and trusted advisor and we have made finding answers to these questions a top priority. This is why we have responded to your questions with a broad initiative to go from empathy to action. In doing so, we have created the framework and content to engage with you in the context of digital transformation and we can help offer a clear path forward to your SAP S/4HANA-centric application landscape.
The approach we are taking follows a few guiding principles:
- We want to give you clear guidance, starting with a self-service tool that frames the next engagement stages with SAP and our partners.
- We go beyond a technical landscape transformation but also give guidance how new digital business requirements are supported by SAP products and solutions.
- We build a living knowledge base, populated by the best SAP product, solution, and service experts.
Product roadmaps are an important element of the guidance we are providing. This month, we have published our first three-year product roadmaps for SAP S/4HANA and the first rolling-four-quarters roadmap for SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud. Roadmaps for additional key products will follow soon.
While we are proud of this step, we recognize it is only the first step of a journey. In January, we will do a limited roll out of the new “SAP Digital Transformation Navigator” tool to collect feedback and input. This navigation tool will give you great self-guided insights on how to shape your digital journey. We are planning to make this tool available for all customers in May.
I’ve shared our approach with many customers over the past weeks and feedback is very encouraging: We are on the right track. I truly hope you’ll check this out for yourself and leave a quick comment here with your feedback and whether you’re interested in joining the early validation community in January.
Author: Peter Maier
