The interest in cloud computing continues to grow unabated across all industries, at the same time, it is well documented that cloud is a particular focus for SAP. Here at the User Group, we recently surveyed our members to ask their views on SAP’s cloud offerings. The survey found more than half (58%) of members are currently using or planning to use SAP’s cloud. Of these respondents, 39% were using or planning to use SAP Cloud for Customer, while 23% planned to use S/4 HANA enterprise cloud edition.
When it comes to the biggest benefits of using SAP’s cloud offerings, members cited reduced costs/capex (64%), followed by quicker deployment times (46%) and having greater mobile access to information (42%). However, on the other side of the coin, the biggest barriers to adopting SAP’s cloud solutions were given as existing investments in on-premise applications (57%) and a lack of clarity surrounding SAP’s product roadmap (52%).
At the User Group, we are seeing more of our members exploring moving some elements of their SAP estate to the cloud. However, the results of the survey also showed that many users are still facing challenges when it comes to adoption of SAP’s cloud solutions. One of the main reasons for this is that users lack clarity on SAP’s cloud portfolio – as Computer Weekly reported – with 60% stating that SAP has not done a good job in communicating the user benefits of its cloud offerings.
One of the biggest concerns that emerged from the survey was from users that are heavily invested in on-premise applications. More than half (58%) of these users expressed concern that due to the emphasis from SAP on cloud, there is a danger the company could lose focus on its installed on-premise user base, meaning they would miss out on future product enhancements. From our conversations with members, it’s imperative that for those organisations with on-premise investments, there is an attractive business case in order for them to move to the cloud.
It’s clear that SAP users are interested in its cloud portfolio, but need to understand the potential benefits and how to overcome any obstacles. At the User Group, we will continue to work closely with SAP, and ensure users get access to the information they need. We’ll also continue to bring together fellow SAP users to share advice on their cloud projects, as well as providing platforms for SAP to talk directly to users the latest developments to its cloud portfolio.
To read more about our recent research, please visit: https://www.sapusers.org/news/336/survey-reveals-more-than-half-of-sap-users-currently-using-or-planning-to-use-saps-cloud-offerings
