Deloitte Signs Up as Certified Cloud MSP for SAP HANA
Firm will help enterprises move to cloud using SAP S/4HANA and other solutions
Deloitte is now a certified cloud MSP of SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud, enabling the consulting firm to deliver services aimed at helping organizations deploy and manage services around SAP’s in-memory platform in hyperscale computing environments.
The Lowdown: The agreement with SAP announced Monday adds another capability in Deloitte’s broad cloud service business, which includes its Cloud Managed Services (CMS) suite and OpenCloud platform for automating the firm’s best practices in such areas as infrastructure and service management, cybersecurity, and DevOps.
The Details: Through the agreement, Deloitte can be the default provider of cloud managed services for businesses that leverage the SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud in hyperscale cloud environments. Deloitte counts such top-tier cloud providers as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud among its list of technology partners, as well as IBM and Oracle, both of which have cloud businesses.
SAP’s HANA Enterprise Cloud is a managed private cloud solution for organizations that want to adopt the HANA in-memory database and related solutions that leverage it, including S/4HANA and SAP ERP. The agreement comes at a time when enterprises are moving more of their business – including mission-critical applications – into the cloud, and SAP can now better help them leverage SAP solutions for their efforts.
Organizations also can use Deloitte’s OpenCloud framework to give them an integrated view of the managed services they have in the various hyperscale platforms. Deloitte has been an SAP partner since 1989, and the two companies earlier this year expanded the partnership around improving the customer experience.
The Impact: In May, SAP launched Project Embrace, a program aimed at accelerating the adoption of S/4HANA and the development of frameworks and systems to drive cloud adoption and migration. The program has garnered the support of the top cloud providers, and the agreement with Deloitte will only help push SAP’s cloud ambitions.
Background: SAP released S/4HANA four years ago to replace Business Suite 7. Earlier this year, SAP rival Rimini Street released a survey finding that 35% of SAP Business Suite 7 customers had no plans to upgrade to S/4HANA when the vendor discontinues the software package in five years. In addition, 32% said they were undecided whether to take on S/4HANA to replace Business Suite 7. If the numbers are accurate, that could cause problems for SAP. Rimini Street competes with SAP, however, so releasing such survey results could help it. Deloitte is betting that many will embrace S/4HANA.
The Buzz: “Many businesses that use SAP solutions are moving to the cloud, taking full advantage of the flexibility and scalability that it provides,” said Abdi Goodarzi, U.S. SAP practice leader and principal at Deloitte Consulting. “Hyperscale cloud environments become especially attractive as data continues to grow — and as companies continue to rely on data to generate insights and improve the customer experience. Today’s companies understand that they need more than traditional on-premises data centers and hosting services. They need scalable, innovative cloud infrastructure and partners who can help them get the most out of their investments in cloud and SAP solutions. Deloitte’s cloud management framework, OpenCloud, can help by providing clients with a secure and integrated view of managed services across all hyperscale platforms. The new agreement with SAP should make it even easier for organizations to simplify the cloud transformation journey and the move to SAP S/4HANA.”
“In this role, Deloitte can better help clients reimagine their businesses, accelerate digital enterprise transformation, and innovate at scale,” said Pavan Srivastava, U.S. SAP cloud leader and principal at Deloitte Consulting. “Deloitte already provides application management services to many SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud clients. The new agreement adds cloud managed services to the mix, allowing us to provide end-to-end support, build the intelligent enterprise, and enable clients to use their data to its fullest in today’s experience economy.”
“SAP S/4HANA can run in a private cloud environment on SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud,” said Schaffer Hilton, global SAP lead client service partner and principal at Deloitte Consulting. “As businesses move toward SAP S/4HANA, this new agreement between SAP and Deloitte will help ensure they have access to a rich ecosystem of services to support their cloud journeys.”
Related Links:
CHANNELNOMICS:
> Survey: SAP Facing Steep Resistance to S/4HANA Adoption
> Cloud Giants Embrace SAP Cloud Initiatives
> Deloitte, SAP Partner on Improving Customer Experience