What is RISE with SAP for S/4HANA?
RISE is SAP’s offer of a “full fat” SAP S/4HANA system hosted on hyperscaler with subscription licenses. You can get a Public Cloud Edition too, but there is not much new there. So for the pros, cons and more details of the Private Cloud Edition keep reading
Let’s dive into more details. So, what’s in the box?
- A full fat SAP S/4HANA system
- Hosted on Azure, Google, AWS – as you choose
- A Business Network Starter Pack
- Business Technology Platform credits
- Basis services
- The ability to convert an existing ECC to SAP S/4HANA
- The ability to implement new greenfield SAP S/4HANA
- System tools e.g., code analyzer, business process intelligence
What does some of that actually mean?
The RISE with SAP tag line – “Business Transformation as a Service” – Since the only service provided is low-level Basis , it is more appropriate to describe RISE as a transformation enabler.
“Full fat SAP S/4HANA” – It Is the same code line as on-premise, and full access to the IMG is provided. However, operating system access is not allowed, and that means that some partner products may not work. In addition, some other SAP components are not available in the RISE with SAP hyperscaler-hosted environment, potentially splitting a large SAP estate across data centers.
Business Network Starter Pack – This covers Ariba, Asset Intelligence Network, and the Logistics Business Network. However, it is just a starter. Only the smallest organization, maybe a coffee shop, would manage a year of transactions in what is provided. It is really ‘try before you buy.’
Similarly, the BTP credits are limited to less than $20,000. This amount may get you an app up and running, but start using the power of BTP and those credits will go faster than Usain Bolt.
The system tools – most of these are available free to any customer, so not really a bonus for RISE with SAP.
Basis services – While you won’t need a separate contract, these are effectively “lights on” basis services. You will still need people to deliver a project or make changes to the system. Having two Basis layers is like two sofa cushions – it has the potential for items to fall in the gap.
So, is RISE with SAP any good? Yes.
SAP S/4HANA has been a hard sell for SAP, offering the full fat version as a subscription model means the CFO doesn’t need to find so much cash right now. There is still the cost of implementation or conversion to consider, but it makes the business case for moving to SAP S/4HANA much more attractive. In addition, the hosting costs on offer are low and very competitive.
Offering the full-fat version as a subscription model makes it ideal for CFOs looking to save costs.
For the first time, all of this is accessible to customers with existing ECC landscapes that just want to convert to SAP S/4HANA. So for those organizations that are not yet looking for transformation, RISE with SAP is a good option with real cost advantages.
