Growing businesses need the tools and processes in place to support growth. A key component of enabling growth is having an ERP solution in place that supports not only where a business is today, but also where the business will be in five years. This process of getting the right system in place is a lot smoother with the help of SAP implementation services.
For many businesses, having the right ERP solution in place means running operations with SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition. S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition is SAP’s ERP solution for fast-growing small and medium-sized businesses that want all the power and functionality of SAP’s flagship offering but without the cost and complexity of running and maintaining the software themselves. SAP enables this by offering a hosted and fully managed version of S/4HANA in a public cloud environment similar to the way other cloud services deliver applications today.
Smaller fast-growing businesses that need a system that will grow with them but do not require all of the advanced functionality of SAP’s flagship offering will want SAP Business ByDesign instead. ByDesign comes with all the core ERP functionality that a growing business needs, but it has a smaller set of configuration options and is intended as a first step before migrating to the larger S/4HANA ERP solution. Some businesses will stay on Business ByDesign for the whole life of the business, and some will migrate up to S/4HANA as they continue to expand.
ERP Rollout is Easier With SAP Implementation Services
Putting a new ERP system in place is a significant project because ERP is end-to-end business software that involves all business processes, data, and departments within a company.
Typically, an ERP implementation consists of seven phases. There’s planning the ERP rollout, configuring it for the needs of the business, customizing it where custom code is required, migrating business data, integrating the ERP with other systems, testing it to ensure it is fit for purpose, and training employees on the system.
Done in-house and without outside assistance, a business easily can spend more than a year rolling out S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition even with a dedicated ERP implementation team. By partnering with an SAP implementation services partner such as Navigator Business Solutions, however, a business can go live with a new SAP ERP solution in as little as three months.
There are several reasons why an SAP implementation services partner makes all the difference when it comes to ERP rollout.
1. SAP Product Knowledge
S/4HANA and Business ByDesign are complex software solutions that function as a Swiss army knife for running a business. They come with a multitude of modules, configuration options, automation possibilities, and integration hooks. Deep knowledge of the chosen SAP solution therefore is important for efficiently implementing the system for a particular business.
An SAP implementation services partner knows these products inside and out and is able to work with the business on selecting the right modules, configurations, and processes for the desired outcomes. Instead of a business hunting for the right way to achieve a desired goal in the system, an SAP implementation services partner can quickly hone in on the modules, configurations, and processes for getting the job done efficiently and in line with industry best practices.
2. Best Practices Knowledge
Every business is unique, but not when it comes to basic business processes. A company innovates with products and services, not usually with how it handles accounting and inventory management. Best practices with backend business processes help a growing company focus on true areas of differentiation instead of reinventing the wheel where it doesn’t bring a competitive advantage.
An SAP implementation services partner knows the best practices for common business workflows, and it understands how to implement these best practices in the ERP system. A good SAP implementation partner will work with the business and suggest time-tested ways for handling common workflow scenarios during ERP rollout.
3. ERP Implementation Expertise
A company knows its industry and needs but doesn’t necessarily know ERP implementation and the numerous steps necessary for rolling out an SAP solution. A business creates data, but it might not know how to easily move it from one system to another. A business might know how to use an industry-specific application, but it doesn’t necessarily know the best way to connect this application with other software within the ERP suite.
The business of an SAP implementation services partner is ERP implementation. So an implementation partner serves as an adjunct to the business, combining the client organization’s knowledge of its business with the implementation partner’s ERP implementation and SAP product expertise.
4. A Range of Implementation Experience
There’s more than one way to configure an SAP ERP solution for a given need, especially with SAP S/4HANA Cloud. During the course of implementation, a business will encounter many workflow decisions and configuration challenges that require creative solutions. This will be the first time that the business has encountered many of these decisions and challenges, but it probably isn’t the first time that an SAP implementation services provider has seen them.
An SAP implementation services provider has the advantage of experience implementing ERP solutions across a range of businesses and industries. With this deep and wide implementation experience, an implementation partner can more easily guide an SAP implementation and suggest creative ways for solving workflow problems within the system.
Choose the Gold Standard for SAP Implementation Support
Navigator Business Solutions is an SAP Gold Partner that has been helping growth-focused businesses implement ERP for more than 15 years. With upwards of 300+ successful ERP implementations under our belt, and prepackaged SAP industry solutions we’ve developed based on this experience, we know how to roll out an ERP solution on time and under budget.
So if your business is thinking about implementing a new SAP solution, be it SAP S/4HANA Cloud or SAP Business ByDesign, learn more about how we can help. Contact one of our experienced ERP consultants at (801) 642-0123 or by writing us at info@nbs-us.com.
