SAP S/4HANA Implementation

Q: What is the difference between Private and Public Cloud?

Public Cloud is a ready-to-run ERP system which delivers system best practices. It is a preconfigured solution, which means you can connect your disparate business assets efficiently, swiftly, and affordably without adding extraneous complexity . This edition was built to allow a broad range of customers to get the most out of their cloud ERP owing to its simplified UI and agile software. In comparison, Private Cloud allows you to adjust and modify your system to your specific business needs, while utilising the latest innovation and technology.

Public Cloud

A modern, scalable, and quick-to-deploy business solution

The SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud Edition is your gateway to the latest industry best practices, continuous innovation, and regular upgrades. With preconfigured features, it supports a core set of SAP S/4HANA software, ensuring a seamless transition to cloud ERP.

Our expertise and experience with SAP Public Cloud accelerates implementation, helping you adopt cloud ERP quickly and predictably. This edition offers the scalability, ease of management, and security your company needs to excel in today’s economy.
Let us help you make this transition smooth and efficient.

Key Benefits

Best Practice

SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud follows industry best practices and prioritises protecting the system’s core. This functionality ensures your implementation and future maintenance will be seamless.

Ready-to-Run

Coming preconfigured with end-to-end processes and innovative data management solutions, the Public Cloud Edition provides an efficient, agile, and cost-effective way to connect your business without adding extraneous complexity.

Innovation

With built-in intelligent technologies, including AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics, the Public Cloud Edition can deliver the latest innovations into your integrated business functions.

Time-proof

With the Public Cloud, you invest in a system that will grow with your business, automatically update and continuously improve. Upgrades from SAP are released every two years and installed at your request.

Security

Hosting your system on SAP S/4HANA Cloud means your data will be secure and safe. Any risk of data loss or data breach will ultimately decrease.

Your SAP S/4HANA implementation: Where to Start?

The Public Cloud uses greenfield implementations which is a new implementation of an S/4HANA system, starting from the very beginning. This approach can be used by companies who are completely new to SAP, but it’s popular among existing SAP customers who would like to use this as an opportunity to re-engineer their processes and who would like to start using best practice processes for their industry.

The Implementation: Step by Step

For some companies, the journey to S/4HANA may take place in one step; for others, it will be a series of steps undertaken over a period of years.
It’s important to note that the maintenance for SAP ECC is set to end in 2027, making it crucial to plan your journey accordingly.

Your individual journey will be influenced by perceived benefit, budget, appetite for change, business need, broader IT strategies, and the end of maintenance and Absoft is here to support you on every step of your migration journey.

Your SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud implementation is unique to you and your business; no one size fits all, and every piece of code needs to be considered. As such, choosing a partner who will be beside you and listen to your needs, especially as 2027 approaches, is crucial for success.

Starting Readiness Assessment

3 months

Business Case
& Implementation Approach

9-12 months

Backfill Planning Data Preparation

12 months

Implementation

4-7 months

Contingency

12 months

SAP ECC Maintenance Ends

2027

Testimonials

The Absoft team has some of the best experts in the industry on board, and we are proud to be recognised for our transparency and customer-centric approach. As a go-to SAP S/4HANA implementation service provider, we understand how crucial your implementation is for your business. We are ready to make your journey as seamless as possible and make the most of your SAP investment.

Absoft will determine what you want and deliver that, with no fluffy answers.

Payroll & Systems Manager

Pirelli

Absoft are fast and proactive. We are comfortable with them, and they are a very good, responsive partner.

IT Operation Manager

International Manufacturer

No other SAP company could have done the lifting and shifting of part of our SAP system that Absoft handled.

Senior IT Leader

Large Oil and Gas Client

Absoft have delivered everything they were supposed to deliver, and have also overcome hurdles they encountered.

Technical Specialist

City Council

We are in awe of the Absoft team – having an appreciation of the task that you’ve achieved, it’s still hard to believe how easy you made the transition look. You have done an exceptional job in keeping us all on the straight and narrow; we work with so many IT suppliers and I must say that working with Absoft has been an absolute pleasure.

Head of ICT

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council

Absoft and our company work well together, and we are very open with each other. They react well to last-minute changes of scope and in addition to that, they have good relationships with customers

SAP Coordination Lead

Large Oil & Gas Client

Absoft are extremely knowledgeable, and they always deliver what they say they will deliver.

Large Council

I am very impressed at the level of expertise of the Absoft consultants. I feel that Absoft could handle anything within the remit of SAP.

Technical Specialist

Sunderland City Council

We are a family-owned business and Absoft has proved itself to be more than a technology provider. They are a trusted partner, with whom we can communicate openly and who we know always has our company’s business interests at heart

IT & Projects Director

Frank Roberts & Sons

It goes beyond technical expertise. Absoft is proactive in suggesting best practice, and we know they provide us with the right solutions.

SAP Administrator

SQA

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Private and Public Cloud?

Public Cloud is a ready-to-run ERP system which delivers system best practices. It is a preconfigured solution, which means you can connect your disparate business assets efficiently, swiftly, and affordably without adding extraneous complexity. This edition was built to allow a broad range of customers to get the most out of their cloud ERP owing to its simplified UI and agile software. In comparison, Private Cloud allows you to adjust and modify your system to your specific business needs, while utilising the latest innovation and technology.

How can an SAP Partner support the move to SAP S/4HANA?

An SAP Partner can assist you with your move to S/4HANA by bringing experience and resources to your project. There are many options for assessing and migrating your S/4 system and a partner with credible experience of the journey to S/4HANA is imperative for the success of your upgrade. A cultural fit for you business is an important resource, a project that crosses many vital business processes needs to be done right – and be fit for purpose.

When is the current implementation deadline?

The date of which SAP will end Maintenance for SAP ERP customers has always been driven by the deadline for conversion.

In February 2020, SAP announced an extension of mainstream maintenance for ERP 6.0 customers on EHP 6, 7 and 8.

Maintenance for these customers has been extended up until the end of 2027, with further extended maintenance options through to 2030.

We advise you to start building your business case for S/4HANA as the industry is gearing up for this shift. Absoft is well-versed in S/4HANA migrations and our teams have the skills, knowledge and track record. Speak to our S/4HANA migration experts to review your options and journey.

How does AI play into S/4HANA?

S/4HANA uses AI to enhance business processes, analyse data, and give predictive insights. SAP hopes to further consolidate this AI functionality in 2024 with the introduction of Joule, an AI assistant integrated into SAP’s cloud-based platforms that aims to provide various business solutions via generative AI that is relevant, reliable, and responsible. The assistant can analyse data from SAP and third-party sources to provide critical business insights from across different domains, such as HR, finance, supply chain, procurement, and customer experience.

SAP Joule is already available in SuccessFactors, and will be deployed across the rest of S/4HANA throughout 2024.

What are S/4HANA's additional functionalities apart from finance and procurement?

Whilst SAP S/4HANA is designed to tackle a business’ finance and procurement needs out of the box, additional functionalities can be configured by installing other specialised modules. These modules collectively cover a broad suite of business areas including data analytics, HR & payroll, and oil and gas logistics among others. Whilst an implementation of any of these modules individually is technically possible, setting them up as part of a larger S/4HANA project will allow users to leverage their full capabilities.

SAP S/4HANA Implementation