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Often prospects that are interested in our cloud solutions SAP Business ByDesign or SAP S/4HANA Cloud ask me whether the public cloud solutions are robust or not. Whether the solution can handle vast amounts of monthly transaction over different areas within the solution. We all know that the proof of the pudding is in the eating of it. This also applies for the answer to that very important question that prospects have.

Proof of the pudding
Beneath you can find a table that indicates the amount of monthly new transactions (November 2018 – December 2018) entered into the cloud solution that those example wholesalers are using. Of course, we will keep the names of the companies private. The number of daily users per customer varies between 20 to 200. Which indicates the broad suitability of the SAAS solution for typical mid-market companies within the Netherlands and abroad.

The shift
Over the years the usage of cloud solution shifted from best of breed solutions, such as HRM and CRM, to professional services and finally full ERP suites with a vast majority of logistical transactions. We have seen this transformation in the usage at our customers as well. Proving that full cloud ERP systems are here to stay and that developments in those solutions by for instant SAP are growing year over year. The “cloud first approach from SAP” is paying off. Nowadays every new opportunity within the ERP arena is being addressed with one of the two 100% private cloud solutions SAP Business ByDesign or SAP S/4HANA Cloud.
 
Transformation
This making the transformation from OnPrem for both SAP as well as their partners a necessity. Simply because of the fact that our future customers will, one day, migrate their current ERP environment to a cloud solution or implement a fully new cloud solution. Taking advantage from key elements that a SaaS solution will bring them. Real proven business value.  Ease of use, flexibility, standard business processes, open to other applications and partners, a reduction of the total cost of ownership, and not the least: operational excellence.
 
Experience matters       
Implementing a 100% SaaS solution for your core business processes is done in a different way than implementing an OnPremise system. Of course, you will still need to invest a vast amount of time to make the solution your own and therefore embed it within your organization. But the road you need to follow to get to a successful go live has shifted from a “Can we take your order”-approach to a more guided way of working by using the best practices that are available within the software.

The guided configuration possibilities combined with the experience of the supporting consultancy company will help you to reach your project goals within less time than a traditional implementation. And as a result of that by spending less money and less risk for your organization. This making it possible to benefit much earlier from the value that the SaaS solution promises to deliver.
 
The journey continues
My team and myself started to explore and implement cloud solutions more than 6 years ago. Over the years we matured in the way to successful implement cloud solutions. From stepping into potential project pitfalls into guiding our customers around them and helping them to transform and getting them ready to make the next step in their own business evolution: from operational excellence to full customer centricity and finally the value chain integration partner they want to be.
 
It has been an interesting journey so far but the road ahead is even more interesting….let’s keep exploring!
 
Hein