#SAP S/4 HANA Implementation

[hardinternetkid]

Empower Your SAP S/4HANA Journey: The Rulebook for Success

When looking for enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for your business process, SAP has captured a noticeable amount of ERP market share and placed itself as a leading expert among other competition. SAP S/4HANA is one of the well-adopted ERP solutions for organizations to embrace innovation and an evolution-friendly environment. Implementing S/4HANA has the ability to transform company…

[lorhanit]

Business Process Intelligence with SAP RISE Cloud Solutions

The RISE with SAP business process intelligence capabilities is innovatively engineered and designed to meet market needs and cloud industry requirements. Here is some information about the software and its trend. The analyse component enables data scientists to dig deeply into system data to determine what is and how it is operating effectively, how users interact with the system, and other things. Users of the design and simulate component can construct and execute business simulations using current business data to see which will produce the desired and targeted results. The enhanced component offers solutions to boost productivity using no-code automation, artificial intelligence, and more sophisticated process automation tools like SAP Intelligent RPA with RISE tools and technology.

Creating business breakthroughs across verticals

The rollout and govern component facilitates collaboration and the distribution of essential documentation to all users from a single source with a focus on process management and governing for end users. The monitor part ensures sure everything is working well by monitoring solution performance. By providing departments with a management area to work on and view essential processes, the model and manage "Home Base" component links back to the rollout and govern component.

In order to give a detailed comparison study and recommendations on where improvements may be made, the benchmark component compares a company to industry-wide data collected by SAP S4 HANA Consulting and Digital transformation. The functionality SAP obtained and in fact strengthened the business process intelligence capabilities to create business breakthroughs across verticals.

Tools and Services Embedded

When switching to a cloud ERP solution like SAP S/4HANA Cloud, RISE with SAP gives you access to a wide range of services relating to lifecycle management, analytics, support, and more. Deployment support, legacy code removal, supply chain process improvement, business scenario planning, and intelligent business design are a few examples of these services.

SAP's RISE pathways

A business that is interested in RISE with SAP has a few options for setting up the solution. Although SAP is the source of the specific business solutions featured with RISE with SAP, businesses can partner with a selected hyper-scale and systems integrator to receive specialised implementation and management assistance.

Advisory Services/System Integrators

Numerous systems integration consulting firms have joined up with SAP for RISE with SAP deployments. Some of the top IT firms can be mentioned as follows Accenture, Capgemini, Cognizant, Deloitte, EY, HCL Technologies, Infosys, NTT, Tata Consultancy Services, and Wipro Limited are just a few examples.

Resellers

There are thousands of partners in SAP's extensive network who have shown their proficiency with the software. Customers have the choice to work with these resell partners to set up SAP, tailor the service to match certain company requirements, and more rather than being forced to do so. SAP partners include several of the systems integrators mentioned in the section above. Here, you may examine the whole partner ecosystem.

Software Associates

There are now four cloud hosting options for RISE with SAP: Microsoft, Google, AWS, and Alibaba. However, there is still opportunity for more private cloud hosting options to join, such as AWS and Alibaba, which have experience hosting SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP Software Implementation instances.

Conclusion

RISE with SAP aids in overcoming many of the challenges that many current on-premise and SAP S4HANA Cloud ERP Software Implementation & ERP customers are encountering. SAP has made it clear for some time that they aim to become a cloud-first business. They have paved the road for simpler cloud solutions by merging what was previously different (such as licencing and maintenance) into one offering. I advise going straight to the professionals if you have any extra queries regarding RISE with SAP because this solution is still very new. You may join the conversations on various platforms across social media by searching SAP with RISE.

[technology-and-beyond]

A Roadmap to SAP S/4 HANA Implementation Success

Discover a step-by-step guide to achieving successful SAP S/4 HANA implementation. Learn key strategies, best practices, and solutions for a seamless transition.

[ingenx]

Investing in SAP S/4 HANA is a major decision, but it's only the first step. By strategically leveraging SAP ABAP development technology consultant services, SAP best practices, SAP HANA data migration services, and intelligent asset management alongside testing automation, you'll ensure a successful transition, maximize the return on your technology investment, and build a solid foundation for digital innovation.

[iyal09]

SAP Implementation Services

SAP Implementation Services

Samah offers comprehensive SAP Implementation and Support Services. Their expert team counsels develops and maintains customized SAP solutions. It's a one-stop solution for multiple business functions. SAP collects, stores, and processes data across business applications and functions in one simplified platform. For more SAP services like SAP HANA S/4 on public cloud, SAP S/4 HANA Cloud Application implementation, Rise with SAP implementation, Grow with SAP implementation, BI, BO, Analytics, Data Visualization, S/4 HANA Cloud Upgrade, SAP Successfactor, SAP Annual Maintenance Service, and SAP AMS service provider.

[mikekelvin]

A Beginner's Guide to SAP S/4HANA Implementation: Simplifying the Process

SAP S/4HANA is an intelligent enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that enables businesses to streamline their operations, make data-driven decisions, and embrace digital transformation. Implementing SAP S/4HANA can be a complex process, but with the right approach and understanding, it becomes much easier. In this beginner's guide, we will walk you through the steps involved in a successful S/4HANA implementation.

Step 1: Define Your Objectives and Strategy Before starting the implementation, it is crucial to identify your organization's objectives and develop a clear strategy. Understand the specific goals you want to achieve with SAP S/4HANA, such as improving operational efficiency, enhancing financial reporting, or optimizing supply chain management. This clarity will help guide the implementation process.

Step 2: Assess Your Current Landscape To ensure a smooth transition, you need to assess your current landscape. Evaluate your existing systems, business processes, and data models to identify areas that need improvement or customization. This assessment will help you determine the scope and complexity of the implementation project.

Step 3: Plan and Prepare Create a detailed implementation plan that outlines the tasks, timelines, and resources required for the project. Identify key stakeholders and establish a project team responsible for managing the implementation. Develop a communication plan to keep all relevant parties informed about the progress and changes.

Step 4: System Conversion or New Implementation There are two primary paths for implementing SAP S/4HANA: system conversion and new implementation. System conversion involves transforming your existing SAP system to S/4HANA, while a new implementation entails building a new system from scratch. The choice depends on your current system's complexity, customization, and readiness for migration. Consulting with SAP experts can help you make the right decision.

Step 5: Data Migration and Integration Data migration is a critical step in implementing SAP S/4HANA. Identify the data you need to migrate and develop a data migration strategy. Ensure data integrity and accuracy during the migration process. Integration with other systems, such as CRM or HR, should also be considered to maintain seamless data flow across your organization.

Step 6: Customization and Configuration SAP S/4HANA offers a range of pre-configured industry-specific solutions. Customize and configure the system according to your organization's unique requirements. This step involves adapting business processes, defining workflows, and setting up master data. Take advantage of the SAP Best Practices to simplify and accelerate this phase.

Step 7: Testing and Training Thorough testing is essential to validate the implementation and ensure its functionality. Test various scenarios, perform user acceptance testing, and address any issues or bugs. Additionally, provide comprehensive training to your end-users to familiarize them with the new system and maximize its potential.

Step 8: Go-Live and Post-Implementation Support Once all testing is completed successfully, it's time to go live. Migrate your operations to the SAP S/4HANA system and closely monitor its performance. Provide post-implementation support to address any issues that arise, and continue to optimize and refine your processes based on user feedback and changing business needs.

Conclusion: Implementing SAP S/4HANA is a transformative journey that requires careful planning, collaboration, and expertise. By following these essential steps, you can simplify the implementation process and ensure a successful transition to SAP's intelligent ERP solution. Remember to engage with experienced SAP consultants and leverage available resources to make the most of your S/4HANA implementation project.

[sap-01]

SAP S/4 HANA Services

SAP S/4 HANA Services

By switching to SAP S/4 HANA, your business can take advantage of the digital economy. The migration to SAP S/4 HANA, however, differs from past, more conventional SAP migration operations. It necessitates an entirely different style of thinking and must be planned to address the particular difficulties each firm faces. Many current SAP clients are currently unaware of the changes associated with the new SAP S/4 HANA environment. This makes the decision-making process and the switch to SAP S/4 HANA challenging.

To provide a seamless move from your current SAP Business Suite to SAP S/4 HANA, we adopt a non-disruptive SAP S/4 HANA Migration strategy.

SAP HANA Migration services provided by Automatic include:

Service contract administration, business solution portfolio management, service order management, service request management, service invoicing, and client engagement may all be configured and managed on SAP S/4HANA.

All essential business activities, such as finance, the supply chain, customer support, and marketing, can be revolutionised with SAP S/4HANA. In a world that is becoming more uncertain, it enables businesses to execute transactions and assessments.

Since Automatic Infotech was the first company to cooperate with SAP end-to-end from product innovation to development and delivery of SAP S/4HANA and new industry solutions, it is recognised as SAP's top business partner.

The establishment and execution of processes and activities for service contract administration, business solution portfolio management, service order management, service request management, service invoicing, and client engagement are supported by the SAP S/4HANA Service platform.

The enterprise Corporate model is a new option for managing corporate organisations since it removes superfluous maintenance and allows direct access to sales organisational hierarchies.

Through S/4HANA, SAP offers CS-related solutions.

The new service function existed as a S/4HANA add-on called Customer Management prior to S/4HANA 1809.

Key Components

Future-proofing your business with SAP S/4HANA service. This includes the following qualities:

Master Data maintenance – For services like Material Master, Business Partners, etc., Fiori apps for master data management are available.

Technical Object maintenance –  Section with a more straightforward Fiori designed to safeguard technological objects

Interaction Center –  This part of SAP S/4HANA Care gives you the tools you need to communicate and connect with your customers across a variety of channels, ensuring effective and dependable customer care.

On-site service and In-house Repair –  Service management has been split into two categories with the launch of the most recent version (S/4HANA 2022): on-site repair and in-house services.

Service Contract –  Service S/4HANA SAP Contract management is available out of the box with services. Service contracts can be used to construct and maintain customer-specific price agreements.

Service Quotation –  This feature is built-in to SAP S/4HANA Service right out of the box. The quotation can be turned into a service order for processing and billing if the customer accepts it.

Field Service Management Integration (FSM) – S/4HANA SAP C/4HANA Field Service Management is simple in terms of service integration. Therefore, after being released and kept, service orders are duplicated.

Service S/4HANA to provide clients with more management alternatives for business Corporation , the enterprise corporate model will be adopted in 2022 in addition to the current and historical corporate models. The enterprise firm design makes it simple to hire enterprise service organisations and service teams and to have direct access to the sales company structures from S/4HANA Sales.

Our SAP S/4HANA-trained specialists are prepared to work with you to develop best practices and dedicated SAP teams in order to obtain business and IT benefits. Reduce risks while quickening time to value.

It's comparable to realising how a HANA implementation would work and what a business suit would actually look like. Because it included activities beyond only financials, SAP initially chose to refer to logistics as S/4 HANA Enterprise Management. S/4HANA has opted to refer to itself as enterprise management in order to include all business sectors, as it now covers both finance and logistics.

Custom Code Migration is a step in the process of moving from the standard SAP Business Suite, which works with any database, to the SAP S/4HANA system. Because a significant amount of SAP code inside SAP S/4 HANA was simplified and in some cases updated in a way that is incompatible, custom ABAP code needs to be modified in the context of this system conversion. Because they are outdated, some of your custom code objects no longer work as intended, produce syntax errors, or spill.

HANA Readiness Evaluation

Workshop - In order to create a thorough migration and solution road map, our HANA solution experts hold workshops to better understand your company's operational environment.

Readiness assessment ​- Our team can do a technical and functional audit of your system to determine whether your current SAP ERP setup is HANA-ready.

Custom Code analysis - The process of switching from the traditional SAP Business Suite that runs on any database to the SAP S/4HANA system includes Custom Code Migration. Custom ABAP code needs to be modified in the context of this system conversion because a lot of SAP code inside SAP S/4HANA was streamlined and in some cases updated in a way that is incompatible. Some of your custom code objects no longer function as intended, create syntax errors, or dumps because they are out of date. Before preparation for the SAP S/4 HANA migration, the existing SAP system must be upgraded to UNICODE if it is not already UNICODE. For this, UNICODE compliance is also required for all of your specifically designed ABAP programmers. Automatic team can assist you in the analysis of your present development environment for UNICODE and SAP S/4 HANA readiness.

SAP S/4 HANA code compliance & optimisation - The Automatic team can help you make sure that your custom developments are correctly refined to make them SAP S/4 HANA compatible after the custom code has been analysed.

 Technical migration

We work together with you to achieve a smooth migration to the SAP S/4 HANA environment after your current SAP environment has been evaluated and readied for SAP S/4 HANA migration.

Hardware sizing, architecture and design​ Since the conception of the SAP S/4 HANA platform, SAP has collaborated closely with a number of top hardware providers (such as IBM, HP, etc.) in order to not only optimise the software component but also to make the most of hardware improvements.

We can help you analyses your future sizing needs and provide a road map for the hardware architecture and requirements of the future.

 Technical Migration

Our technical team helps you with the actual migration of your current SAP ERP Business Suite to the SAP S/4 HANA environment once the preparation phase is complete and the required hardware eco-system is in place.

 We follow a multi-step migration approach covering:

Migration Sandbox

Awareness training

Functional check

Acceptance

Migration

Throughout this entire phase, our team works very closely with your internal team assisting in each step of the SAP S/4 HANA migration

 Contact us today on sales@automaticinfotech.com to know how AUTOMATIC can help you migrate to the SAP S/4 HANA environment without business disruption.

[itsamitysoftware]

Amity Software is one of the top SAP S4/HANA solution providers. We provide high-quality solutions and solutions using SAP S4/HANA, helping our clients to migrate from their old system to better technology. We provide consultation and implementation services for multiple applications from different vendors and can help you choose the best option based on your needs, budget and time frames. Amity Software specializes in SAP S/4HANA implementation and migration services. We develop customized solutions to help you find the most cost-efficient and application-ready solution that fits your business needs.

[thankujjuff]

Career Paths for SAP S/4 HANA FI Certified Professionals

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, organizations need to leverage data and technology to stay competitive. One of the key players in this arena is SAP, a global leader in enterprise software solutions. SAP's S/4 HANA Financial Accounting (FI) module has become integral to the operations of countless organizations, making certified professionals in this field highly sought after. 

If you're considering a career in SAP S/4 HANA FI, you'll be pleased to know that there are numerous career paths open to you. In this article, we'll explore nine exciting career options for SAP S/4 HANA FI certified professionals.Before we get into these job choices, Finprov Learning is a reliable platform that offers high-quality SAP training and certification programs. Finprov Learning can help you succeed in this industry and obtain your needed skills.

Careers in SAP S/4 HANA FI

SAP S/4 HANA FI Consultant

To implement, adapt, and improve your client's financial accounting systems, you will collaborate closely with them as a SAP S/4 HANA FI consultant. This position includes reviewing business procedures, setting up SAP systems, and offering continuous assistance and training.

Financial Analyst

S/4 HANA SAP Professionals with FI certification are well-suited for employment as financial analysts. They can use their knowledge of SAP systems to analyze financial data, provide reports, and offer insights to help organizations make better decisions.

SAP S/4 HANA FI Project Manager

In SAP implementations, project management is essential. Strong communicators and project managers who are SAP S/4 HANA FI certified may successfully oversee the planning and implementation of SAP projects.

SAP S/4 HANA FI System Administrator

SAP systems need to be maintained and troubleshot by system administrators. You can operate as a system administrator, ensuring the efficient operation of financial modules and resolving any technical issues if you have certification in SAP S/4 HANA FI.

SAP S/4 HANA FI Trainer

If you enjoy teaching and are passionate about SAP, consider becoming an SAP S/4 HANA FI trainer. Many organizations require in-house employee training, and your expertise can be invaluable in this role.

SAP S/4 HANA FI Data Analyst

Data analytics is a growing field, and SAP S/4 HANA FI-certified professionals can apply their skills to extract valuable insights from financial data. This career path involves using tools like SAP Analytics Cloud to analyze and visualize financial information.

SAP S/4 HANA FI Auditor

Financial audits are a crucial part of any business. SAP S/4 HANA FI certified professionals can work as auditors, ensuring financial compliance, risk management, and fraud detection within organizations.

SAP S/4 HANA FI Solution Architect

Solution architects design and plan the implementation of SAP solutions, ensuring they align with business objectives. With certification in SAP S/4 HANA FI, you can become a solution architect, shaping the financial systems of the future.

SAP S/4 HANA FI Business Analyst

Business analysts bridge the gap between technical SAP knowledge and business processes. They evaluate how SAP solutions can meet specific business needs and work on improving financial processes.

Conclusion

The certified SAP S/4 HANA FI professional opens doors to numerous exciting and financially rewarding opportunities. Whether you're inclined to work closely with clients, delve into data analysis, or manage projects, there's a career path tailored to your unique skills and interests. The demand for SAP S/4 HANA FI experts is on a consistent rise, cementing it as a prudent choice for those seeking success in the dynamic realm of finance and technology. And if you're contemplating a career in this field, rest assured that the possibilities are extensive, and the future looks promising. To kickstart your SAP S/4 HANA FI journey, consider Finprov Learning, where you'll find top-notch resources and guidance to excel in this flourishing domain. With Finprov Learning, your career possibilities in SAP S/4 HANA FI are bound to expand.

[cbs01010101]

Unlocking Business Potential with SAP S/4 HANA: A Closer Look at the Intelligent ERP Solution

The advancement in technology is resulting in providing enough options to businesses, like SAP S/4 HANA. Now you can select from the many choices when it comes to planning and managing resources. Improved capabilities for communication and automation for SMEs have now become a necessity to choose correctly.

There is no secret that digital transformation is intimidating. However, the latest ERP systems make it possible to achieve. Tech companies that realize the potential have already started implementing SAP S/4 HANA. It provides new opportunities to businesses and helps them to get a competitive edge in today's era.

Growth of SAP

SAP has already started its innovative products after the 21st century. It has brought a global economy. Digital transformation enables companies to integrate systems wherever they want and whenever they need. This means that it provides an unparalleled level of customizability while choosing these models.

The design experts and experienced engineers at SAP are making use of new solutions and incorporating best practices to leverage the utmost benefits. The rise of SAP can be helpful for enterprises to bring positive change. Implementing the latest and cutting Edge ERP module has increased the number of benefits.

What do you mean by SAP S/4 HANA?

SAP S/4 HANA is the latest technological development. Enterprises and industries have started realizing the potential of the latest ERP solution with an easy interface. It is known for improved capabilities like the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and Blockchain. Thus, ensuring excellent results with the implementation of this system.

Another excellent quality of the ERP system is HANA itself. It makes use of an in-memory database for storing data directly in the main component of the memory. Therefore, it can drastically reduce the response time and perform even better with more traffic. There are several other benefits of using a HANA database based on the industry and company.

It has improved capabilities for data compression and product tracking and provides better access to caches. Additionally, companies can enjoy real-time bidding for products with higher demand than online ads.

SAP HANA is definitely a great starting point to unlock the many potentials while reducing inefficiency in businesses.

SAP HANA helps to leverage the business's potential

It contains a significant level of enhancement. This is why SAP S/4HANA is known to be the best choice to unveil the real possibility of businesses. It has been designed meticulously with the right processes and components to make it beneficial for companies. Following are some of the specific features that become advantages for any business.

Fiori interface:

The Fiori interface of SAP has revolutionized user experience for customers, business partners, enterprise employees, and other stakeholders. It helps teams to design and develop applications. It can also reduce the development cost to 80%, and help professionals focus more on security and performance.

Analytics:

The embedded analytical information that one can get from this improved SAP module can be beneficial for organizations. There is no secret that communication is one of the most common problems for organizations due to the different departments. The HANA system not only offers actionable and accurate data insight, but the analytics embedded in this system helps to get a proper view of the performance.

Conclusion: It requires choosing the right product for companies to walk hand-in-hand with the competition. Therefore, it is vital for customers and businesses to realize the potential of SAP HANA and implement this ERP solution to unlock true business potential.

[saphanaexperts]

SAP S/4HANA Implementation service – Denpro technologies

Advanced ERP software, SAP S/4HANA, helps businesses streamline their operations and offers real-time business analytics. It is constructed on the in-memory SAP HANA platform, which facilitates quicker data processing and analysis. While implementing SAP S/4HANA can be challenging, it is crucial for companies that wish to remain competitive in the fast-paced market of today.

In this Blog, we'll talk about the advantages of implementing SAP S/4HANA, potential difficulties for businesses, and the tasks needed.

Advantages of Using SAP S/4HANA:

Using SAP S/4HANA has numerous advantages, including:

1. Real-time Business Insights: SAP S/4HANA implementation offers enterprises real-time views into business processes, empowering them to act swiftly and intelligently.

2. Increased Productivity: By streamlining business operations, SAP S/4HANA lowers the time and resources needed to execute activities.

3. Improved User Experience: SAP S/4HANA has a cutting-edge, user-friendly interface that makes it simple for users to get information and complete activities.

4. Improved Financial Management: By providing real-time financial data, SAP S/4HANA enables businesses to make informed financial decisions and enhance financial management.

5. More Agility: SAP S4hana implementation helps businesses react fast to shifting market conditions, allowing them to remain competitive in a setting that is changing quickly.

SAP S/4HANA Implementation Difficulties notwithstanding SAP S/4HANA's advantages, enterprises may encounter difficulties during the deployment process. Some difficulties include: 1. Data Migration: Transferring data from outdated systems to SAP S/4HANA can be a challenging operation that calls for careful planning and execution.

2. System Integration: Connecting SAP S/4HANA with other systems can be difficult and requires both knowledge of business operations and system integration experience.

3. Customization: Customizing SAP S/4HANA to meet the unique needs of an organization can be complex and requires in-depth knowledge of the software.

[lorhanit]

[ingenx]

It’s important that we start embracing SAP solutions and consulting services. It provides organizations with the tools and expertise to transform their operations, achieve digital transformation, and drive sustainable growth. By partnering with SAP certified experts, leveraging innovative products like SAP S/4HANA, and incorporating cutting-edge technologies, businesses can stay ahead of the curve and unlock their full potential.

[cloudatlasinc]

Accelerating transformation with SAP on Azure

Microsoft continues to expand its presence in the cloud by building more data centers globally, with over 61 Azure regions in 140 countries. They are expanding their reach and capabilities to meet all the customer needs. The transition from a cloudless domain like DRDC to the entire cloud platform is possible within no time, and a serverless future awaits. Microsoft gives the platform to build and innovate at a rapid speed. Microsoft is enhancing new capabilities to meet cloud services' demands and needs, from IaaS to PaaS Data, AI, ML, and IoT. There are over 600 services available on Azure with a cloud adoption framework and enterprise-scale landing zone. Many companies look at Microsoft Azure security compliance as a significant migration driver. Microsoft Azure has an extensive list of compliance certifications across the globe. The Microsoft services have several beneficial characteristics; capabilities are broad, deep, and suited to any industry, along with a global network of skilled professionals and partners. Expertise in the Microsoft portfolio includes both technology integration and digital transformation. Accountability for the long term, addressing complex challenges while mitigating risk. Flexibility to engage in the way that works for you with the global reach to satisfy the target business audience.

SAP and Microsoft Azure

SAP and Microsoft bring together the power of industry-specific best practices, reference architectures, and professional services and support to simplify and safeguard your migration to SAP in the cloud and help manage the ongoing business operations now and in the future. SAP and Microsoft have collaborated to design and deliver a seamless, optimized experience to help manage migration and business operations as you move from on-premises editions of SAP solutions to SAP S/4 HANA on Microsoft Azure. It reduces complexity, minimizes costs, and supports end-to-end SAP migration and operations strategy, platform, and services. As a result, one can safeguard the cloud migration with out-of-box functionality and industry-specific best practices while immaculately handling the risk and optimizing the IT environment. Furthermore, the migration assimilates best-in-class technologies from SAP and Microsoft, packed with a unified business cloud platform. 

SAP Deployment Options on Azure

SAP system is deployed on-premises or in Azure. One can deploy different systems into different landscapes either on Azure or on-premises. SAP HANA on Azure large instances intend to host the SAP application layer of SAP systems in Virtual Machines and the related SAP HANA instance on the unit in the 'SAP HANA Azure Large Instance Stamp.' 'A Large Instance Stamp' is a hardware infrastructure stack that is SAP HANA TDI certified and dedicated to running SAP HANA instances within Azure. 'SAP HANA Large Instances' is the official name for the solution in Azure to run HANA instances on SAP HANA TDI certified hardware that gets deployed in ‘Large Instance Stamps’ in different Azure regions. SAP or HANA Large Instances or HLI are physical servers meaning bare metal servers. HLI does not reside in the same data center as Azure services but is in close proximity and connected through high throughput links to satisfy SAP HANA network latency requirements. HLI comes in two flavors- Type 1 and 2. IaaS can install SAP HANA on a virtual machine running on Azure. Running SAP HANA on IaaS supports more Linux versions than HLI. For example, you can install SAP Netweaver on Windows and Linux IaaS Virtual Machines on Azure. SAP HANA can only run on RedHat and SUSE, while NetWeaver can run on windows SQL and Linux.

Azure Virtual Network

Azure Virtual Network or VNET is a core foundation of the infrastructure implementation on Azure. The VNET can be a communication boundary for those resources that need to communicate. You can have multiple VNETs in your subscription. If they weren't connected, we could call them Pierre in Azure wall; there will be no traffic flow in between. They can also share the same IP range. Understanding the requirements and proper setup is essential as changing them later, especially with the running production workloads, could cause downtime. When you provision a VNET, The private blocks must allocate address space. If you plan to connect multiple VNETs, you cannot have an overlapping address space. The IP range should not clash or overlap with the IP addressing in Azure while connecting on-premise to Azure via express route or site-site VPN. Configuring VNET to the IP address space becomes a DHP service. You can configure VNET with the DNS server's IP addresses to resolve services on-premise.VNETS can be split into different subnets and communicate freely with each other. Network security groups or NSGs are the control planes we use to filter traffic. NSGs are stateful but simple firewall rules based on the source and destination IP and ports.

 Azure Virtual Gateway

 For extensive connectivity, you must create a virtual gateway subnet. When you create a virtual gateway, you will get prompted for two options: VPN or Express Route Gateway; with VPN, you cannot connect to the Express Route Circuit. If you choose the Express Route Virtual Gateway, you can combine both.

 There are two types of VPN;

1) The point-to-site VPN is used for testing and gives the lowest throughput.

2) The site-site VPN connection can offer better benefits by bridging networks.

This VPN offers zero support for SLA and uses this connection as a backup for the recommended connection on Azure, called the express route. Express route is a dedicated circuit using hardware installed on your data center, with a constant link to ‘Microsoft Azure Edge’ devices. Express route is inevitable for maintaining the communication between application VNET running in Azure and on-premise systems to HLI servers. The express route is safer and more resilient than VPN as it provides a connection through a single circuit and facilitates second redundancy; this helps route traffic between SAP application servers inside Azure and enables low latency. Furthermore, the fast path allows routine traffic between SAP application servers inside Azure VNET and HLI through an optimized route that bypasses the virtual network gateway and directly hops through edge routers to HLA servers. Therefore, an ultra-performance express route gateway must have a Fast Path feature.

SAP HANA Architecture (VM)

This design gets centered on the SAP HANA backend on the Linux Suse or RedHat distributions. Even though the Linux OS implementation is the same, the vendor licensing differs. It incorporates always-on replication and utilizes synchronous and asynchronous replication to meet the HANA DB requirements. We have also introduced NetApp file share for DFS volumes used by each SAP component using Azure site recovery and building a DR plan for App ASCs and the web dispatches servers. Azure Active directory is used in synchronization with on-premises active directory, as SAP application user authenticates from on-premises to SAP landscape on Azure with Single Sign-On credentials. Azure high-speed express route gateway securely connects on-premises networks to Azure virtual machines and other resources. The request flows into highly available SAP central, SAP ABAP services ASCS and through SAP application servers running on Azure virtual machines. The on-demand request moves from the SAP App server to the SAP HANA server running on a high-performance Azure VM. Primary active and secondary standby servers run on SAP-certified virtual machines with a cluster availability of 99.95 at the OS level. Data replication is handled through HSR in synchronous mode from primary to secondary enabling zero recovery point objective. SAP HANA data is replicated through a disaster recovery VM in another Azure region through the Azure high-speed backbone network and using HSR in asynchronous mode. The disaster recovery VM can be smaller than the production VM to save costs.

SAP systems are network sensitive, so the network system must factor the design decisions into segmenting the VNETs and NSGs. To ensure network reliability, we must use low latency cross-connections with sufficient bandwidth and no packet loss. SAP is very sensitive to these metrics, and you could experience significant issues if traffic suffers latency or packet loss between the application and the SAP system. We can use proximity placement groups called PGS to force the grouping of different VM types into a single Azure data center to optimize the network latency between the different VM types to the best possible.

 Security Considerations

 Security is another core pillar of any design. Role-based Access control (RBAC) gets accessed through the Azure management bay. RBAC is backed up through AD using cloud-only synchronized identities. Azure AD can back up the RBAC through cloud-only or synchronized identities. RBAC will tie in those cloud or sync identities to Azure tenants, where you can give personal access to Azure for operational purposes. Network security groups are vital for securing the network traffic both within and outside the network environment. The NSGs are stateful firewalls that preserve session information. You can have a single NSG per subnet, and multiple subnets can share the same energy. Application security group or ASG handles functions such as web servers, application servers, or backend database servers combined to perform a meaningful service. Resource encryption brings the best of security with encryption in transit. SAP recommends using encryption at rest, so for the Azure storage account, we can use storage service encryption, which would use either Microsoft or customer-managed keys to manage encryption. Azure storage also adds encryption in transit, with SSL using HTTPS traffic. You can use Azure Disk Encryption (ADE) for OS and DBA encryption for SQL.

Migration of SAP Workloads to Azure

The most critical part of the migration is understanding what you are planning to migrate and accounting for dependencies, limitations, or even blockers that might stop your migration. Following an appropriate inventory process will ensure that your migration completes successfully. You can use in-hand tools to understand the current SAP landscape in the migration scope. For example, looking at your service now or CMDB catalog might reveal some of the data that expresses your SAP system. Then take that information to start drawing out your sizing in Azure. It is essential to ensure that we have a record of the current environment configuration, such as the number of servers and their names, server roles, and data about CPU and memory. It is essential to pick up the disk sizes, configuration, and throughput to ensure that your design delivers a better experience in Azure. It is also necessary to understand database replication and throughput requirements around replicas. When performing a migration, the sizing for large HANA instances is no different from sizing for HANA in general. For existing and deployment systems you want to move from other RDBMS to HANA, SAP provides several reports that run on your existing SAP systems. If migrating the database to HANA, these reports need to check the data and calculate memory requirements for the HANA instances.

When evaluating high availability and disaster recovery requirements, it is essential to consider the implications of choosing between two-tier and three-tier architectures. To avoid network contention in a two-tier arrangement, install database and Netweaver components on the same Azure VM. The database and application components get installed in three-tier configurations on separate Azure Virtual Machines. This choice has other implications regarding sizing since two-tier, and three-tier SAP ratings for a given VM differs. The high availability option is not mandatory for the SAP application servers.

You can achieve high availability by employing redundancy. To implement it, you can install individual application servers on separate Azure VMs. For example, you can achieve high availability for ASCS and SCS servers running on windows using windows failover clustering with SIOS data keeper. We can also achieve high availability with Linux clustering using Azure NetApp files. For DBMS servers, you should use DB replication technology using redundant nodes. Azure offers high availability through redundancy of its infrastructure and capabilities, such as Azure VM restarts, which play an essential role in a single VM deployment. In addition, Azure offers different SLAs depending on your configuration. For example, SAP landscapes organize SABC servers into different tiers; there are three diverse landscapes: deployment, quality assurance, and production.

Migration Strategies:- SAP landscapes to Azure

 Enterprises have SAP systems for business functions like Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP), global trade, business intelligence(BI), and others. Within those systems, there are different environments like sandbox developments, tests, and production. Each horizontal row is an environment, and each vertical dimension is the SAP system for a business function. The layers at the bottom are lower-risk environments and are less critical. Those towards the top are in high-risk environments and are more critical. As you move up the stack, there is more risk in the migration process. Production is the more critical environment. The use of test environments for business continuity is of concern. The systems at the bottom are smaller and have fewer computing resources, lower availability, size requirements, and less throughput. They have the same amount of storage as the production database with a horizontal migration strategy. To gain experience with production systems on Azure, you can use a vertical approach with low-risk factors in parallel to the horizontal design.

 Horizontal Migration Strategy

 To limit risk, start with low-impact sandboxes or training systems. Then, if something goes wrong, there is little danger associated with users or mission-critical business functions. After gaining experience in hosting, running, and administering SAP systems in Azure, apply to the next layer of systems up the stack. Then, estimate costs, limiting expenditures, performance, and optimization potential for each layer and adjust if needed.

Vertical Migration Strategy

The cost must be on guard along with legal requirements. Move systems from the sandbox to production with the lowest risk. First, the governance, risk, compliance system, and the object Event Repository gets driven towards production. Then the higher risk elements like BI and DRP. When you have a new system, it's better to start in Azure default mode rather than putting it on-premises and moving it later. The last system you move is the highest risk, mission-critical system, usually the ERP production system. Having the most performance virtual machines, SQL, and extensive storage would be best. Consider the earliest migration of standalone systems. If you have different SAP systems, always look for upstream and downstream dependencies from one SAP system to another.

Journey to SAP on Azure

Consider two main factors for the migration of SAP HANA to the cloud. The first is the end-of-life first-generation HANA appliance, causing customers to reevaluate their platform. The second is the desire to take advantage of the early value proposition of SAP business warehouse BW on HANA in a flexible DDA model over traditional databases and later BW for HANA. As a result, numerous initial migrations of SAP HANA to Microsoft Azure have focused on SAP BW to take advantage of SAP HANA's in-memory capability for the BW workloads. In addition, using the SAP database migration option DMO with the System Migration option of SUM facilitates single-step migration from the source system on-premises to the target system residing in Azure. As a result, it minimizes the overall downtime. In general, when initiating a project to deploy SAP workloads to Azure, you should divide it into the following phases. Project preparation and planning, pilot, non-production, production preparation, go-live, and post-production.

Use Cases for SAP Implementation in Microsoft Azure

 Use  cases

How  does Microsoft Azure help?

How  do organizations benefit?

Deliver  automated disaster recovery with low RPO and RTO

Azure  recovery services replicate on-premises virtual machines to Azure and  orchestrate failover and failback

RPO  and RTO get reduced, and the cost of ownership of disaster recovery (DR)  infrastructure diminishes. While the DR systems replicate, the only cost  incurred is storage

Make  timely changes to SAP workloads by development teams

200-300  times faster infrastructure provisioning and rollout compared to on-premises,  more rapid changes by SAP application teams

Increased  agility and the ability to provision instances within 20 minutes

Fund  intermittently used development and test infrastructure for SAP workloads

Supports  the potential to stop development and test systems at the end of business day

Savings  as much as 40-75 percent in hosting costs by exercising the ability to control  instances when not in use

Increase  data center capacity to serve updated SAP project requests

Frees  on-premises data center capacity by moving development and test for SAP  workloads to Microsoft Azure without upfront investments

Flexibility  to shift from capital to operational expenditures

Provide  consistent training environments based on templates

Ability  to store and use pre-defined images of the training environment for updated  virtual machines

Cost  savings by provisioning only the instances needed for training and then  deleting them when the event is complete

Archive  historical systems for auditing and governance

Supports  migration of physical machines to virtual machines that get activated when  needed

Savings  of as much as 60 percent due to cheaper storage and the ability to quickly  spin up systems based on need.

  References

n.d. Microsoft Azure: Cloud Computing Services. Accessed June 13, 2022. http://azure.microsoft.com.

n.d. All Blog Posts. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://blogs.sap.com.

n.d. Cloud4C: Managed Cloud Services for Enterprises. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.cloud4c.com.

n.d. NetApp Cloud Solutions | Optimized Storage In Any Cloud. Accessed June 13, 2022. http://cloud.netapp.com.

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