When following a fit-to-standards approach, an SAP enterprise resource planning solution (ERP) will meet roughly 80 percent of your organization’s needs right out of the box. The other 20 percent will require extensions that bring specific functionality needed for your business and integrations that connect your ERP system with other systems, such as third-party logistics or specific online marketplaces. For these business-specific needs, SAP consulting and implementation services can help.
ERP connects and manages all parts of your business. That’s the value proposition of ERP. Many business functions and workflows are common among different types of organizations. Think payroll, for instance, or human resources. These common processes and functionality needs come standard out of the box with an SAP ERP solution.
However, not all the needs of a business are met with core ERP functionality. Different industrial verticals require specific functionality, such as extended warehouse management or integration with online marketplaces or POS systems. This makes sense because the needs of a life sciences business, such as validation services, will vary from those of a manufacturing business that requires barcode scanning and electronic data interchange connections with supplier networks.
Extend Your System Easily with the BTP and SAP Consulting and Implementation Services
SAP is modular and built for this range of business needs. The ERP itself is built around a small, clean core that provides basic functionality and hooks for add-on extensions and integration. Additional functionality, from robust financial tools to materials resource planning then is added through extensions and add-ons built by SAP or third-party developers. For most businesses, these add-ons can be found in the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), an online marketplace for extending the ERP.
With the BTP, businesses can even develop their own custom add-ons and integrations. The BTP includes a low-code, drag-and-drop development environment, SAP Build, that helps businesses integrate custom code without having to modify it every time the core ERP solution has a system update.
While the BTP helps simplify integration and system extension, implementing on time and under budget is easier with SAP consulting and implementation services. That’s because an experienced consultant will not only understand the needs of a business he will also know what it takes to meet these needs within the ERP ecosystem. SAP consulting and implementation services can help select extensions and integrations and properly configure them for their purpose.
Examples of Common Extensions and Integrations
The universe of extensions for SAP ERP solutions is vast, and SAP consulting and implementation services can help an organization select the right extensions for its given line of business. But some common examples include:
- Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Robust back-end EDI for SAP ERP provides an instant two-way connection between internal business systems and your trading partners without an expensive software setup.
- Quality Management Solutions (QMS). QMS works in concert with ERP to give regulated companies seamless, out-of-the-box integration of enterprise and quality management processes through a single interface.
- SAP Customer Checkout. With advanced capabilities for growing sales, increasing customer satisfaction, and streamlining your checkout processes, SAP’s Point-of-Sale (POS) helps retailers get the most from their ERP.
- Digital Manufacturing Cloud. SAP Digital Manufacturing solution is a manufacturing execution system (MES) that supports sustainable, risk-resilient manufacturing operations through a resource-efficient Industry 4.0 approach.
- Extended Warehouse Management (WMS). The integration of WMS with ERP can help extend inventory management functions and streamline warehouse operations.
- SAP Integrated Business Planning for Supply Chain (IBP). IBP for Supply Chain is a cloud-based solution that helps businesses centralize and manage supply chain planning on a single platform.
SAP consulting and implementation services also can help with the integrations necessary for a given line of business.
Some common integration scenarios include:
- E-commerce and Shopping Cart Integrations. Integrations such as Amazon, Magento, Shopify, WooCommerc,e and Ebay.
- Shipping + 3PL Integrations. Integrations such as DHL, UPS, iAbol, Pacejet, ShippingEasy, and ShipWorks.
- Credit Card Processor Integrations. Integrations such as Authorize.net, PayFlowPro, CyberSource, USAePa,y and Stripe.
- Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Platform Integrations. Integrations such as SPS Commerce, DiCentral, and Templated EDI Integration.
- Sales, Marketing, and Service Integrations. Integrations such as Salesforce, HubSpo,t and ZenDesk.
Navigator: Your Trusted Partner for SAP Consulting and Implementation Services
As an SAP Gold Partner, we know SAP solutions inside and out, whether it is SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, SAP Business ByDesign, or SAP Business One ERP. Having worked with a wide range of businesses over the past 25 years and helped implement more than 300 ERP solutions, we also understand the functionality and process needs of various industries.
Let our SAP consulting and implementation services help you get where you need to go on time and under budget.
Learn more about our SAP consulting and implementation services by calling one of our experienced consultants at (801) 642-0123 or writing us at info@nbs-us.com.