After you migrate SAP to the Cloud, your next goal is to ensure that your SAP Cloud operations run smoothly and deliver the benefits you expect. Unfortunately, not every company achieves that goal. You can help ensure that your company successfully runs SAP in the Cloud by addressing the common pitfalls that trap many companies.
Migration Issues
This pitfall raises its ugly head even before your migration is complete and it usually happens because you just needed a better migration plan. A list of things must be addressed when you plan an SAP migration. For example, your migration plan needs to focus on operations, not just the migration process itself.
If you don’t have experts in Cloud computing in your organization, it’s possible you’ll miss some of the things on that list. You may want to have a proof of concept and/or an SAP on Cloud landscape assessment completed that will demonstrate how you can migrate with near-zero downtime and reduce the risk associated with an SAP migration.
Excessive Downtime
Migrating to the Cloud will prompt changes organization-wide and if any resulting downtime, either during the migration or after it’s completed, is excessive, it can ruin the reputation of your SAP operation and negatively impact your business.
It’s a fact that SAP runs mission-critical applications and system downtime can paralyze many processes. It is also true that those affected by the lack of access to the technology they need to do their jobs typically have long memories. You’ll need to ensure that you can control planned downtime and avoid unplanned downtime.
Moving Too Fast
Many companies make the mistake of thinking that moving very fast can lessen the pain of a transition– and sometimes that’s true. But it’s a philosophy that doesn’t work well when migrating SAP or running the resulting operation in the Cloud.
For example, if you move too fast, you could end up with faulty projections for the time and budget that will be required to complete the migration and then run your SAP systems in the Cloud. This is especially true if you don’t have the depth of talent in Cloud operations that is really needed, and you neglected to account for that in your plan.
You could also ignore the benefit of a phased-in approach to migration. You’ll learn a lot during the phases of your migration and those learnings can be applied to subsequent phases.
It’s also easy to get so focused on completing a migration that you ignore the importance of planning for the incorporation of Cloud-native capabilities after your migration is complete. The future of a company typically depends on its ability to innovate quickly. Using a range of Cloud-native capabilities will significantly improve your ability to future-proof your organization.
Underestimating the Need for Change Management
Managing change is always a challenge. When looking at an SAP migration and its subsequent operation, managing the changes that are required is critical. For example:
- You’ll need to acquire additional IT talent to make a move to the Cloud successful. Given the fact that demand for that talent exceeds the supply, recruiting talent is one alternative, but it doesn’t always give you the results you need. Further, training your existing IT staff is important, but it doesn’t always give you the results you need fast enough. That’s why many companies choose to work with an experienced partner.
- New operating models will be required because migrating to the Cloud will transform your business. Issues to be addressed include planning for how you manage applications, backup, scale, and test security, ensuring continuous availability and business continuity, scaling as needed, and maintaining robust security measures.
- To benefit from the expanded capabilities available in the Cloud, many employees in your organization will need to change how they do their work. They will need education to understand what is possible, and training to use the new tools.
Choosing the Wrong Partner
If you decide to work with a partner to reduce risk and help ensure success, you must carefully evaluate your alternatives.
Evaluate the partner’s assessment capabilities and determine their effectiveness at accurately identifying risk. Ensure the partner you are considering has effective tools to minimize downtime. And as mentioned earlier, an SAP migration needs to be focused on operation as well as migration. Not all partners will have this philosophy or skill, so this is something to look at during the evaluation process.
Working with a highly experienced partner with a track record of successfully completing migrations and planning for and supporting subsequent operations will ensure your SAP Cloud operation is a success.
SAP Cloud Operations Next Steps
Now that you have an overview of the common pitfalls that could plague your SAP Cloud operations, you need to make sure you’re not going to have these problems. Though not “born in the Cloud” like Cloud-native applications, SAP systems excel at running in the Cloud. Done well, this has the potential to help your company increase its competitive edge, experience enhanced services and drive innovations that offer even more flexibility, efficiency, and opportunity. To talk to an expert, contact us or connect with Kausik Chaudhuri, Chief Innovation Officer, Lemongrass Consulting
Download the full report here: “Doing Nothing is Not an Option“.
