CIO OPINION
The era of large on-premises deployments was typified by big winners and big losers , but the new era of cloud has changed the dynamic entirely . In the old days , if you defined the scope of the project correctly upfront and quoted accurately , you could deliver a successful implementation that delivered new capabilities and was profitable to the technology provider and their implementation partner .
The era of cloud requires a change of mindset . Today , technology vendors and partner organisations need to strive for near-continuous innovation , with KPIs around unlocking additional business value from existing technologies built into managed services contracts . It puts the onus on partners to unlock features and benefits from software , with the goal of ongoing value generation .
Reducing customisation can also keep things simple while driving costs down . Partners need to avoid customisation to limit technical debt and achieve quicker time to value . Adopting best-practice standards for core business processes opens the door to incremental innovation which can suit cloud-first companies better .
SAP ’ s Beveridge says this requires a change in mindset to how digital transformation initiatives are approached , both by customers and partners . The most successful technology partners will be the ones that develop strong commercial models that meet customers ’ expectations of what value digital transformation projects should deliver . However , there is no blueprint for how this should work .
Wortmann adds that companies should be smart when choosing how they start their cloud journey . Aspects such as Human Capital Management are perfect starting points for cloud adoption , with solutions like SAP SuccessFactors offering a high-value , low-risk way to assess how cloud migration plays out in the organisation . Larger , more critical business processes such as core finance , sales and logistics carry high degrees of risk due to fears of disruption and business continuity in the event of downtime .
Flint believes one of the keys to successful cloud adoption is simplification . “ Organisations should collaborate with their partners to understand their application landscape and identify opportunities for simplification .”
Organisations should work closely with technology providers and implementation partners to develop strong business use cases and change management programmes to ensure each initiative delivers business value and unlocks new capabilities , efficiencies , and opportunities for growth .
SAP introduced RISE with SAP in 2021 to help companies get started with SAP cloud solutions , accelerate cloud adoption , and simplify the process of shifting core business processes to cloud environments . Companies undertaking digital transformation initiatives that could benefit from RISE need to ensure their implementation partners are accredited and have the skills capacity to support the project throughout . p
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