Platform as a Service: The Basis of Your Digital Transformation

Never before have business models, processes, and information been as individualized and prone to change as they are today. Nor have businesses needed to react to new demands so quickly. Platform as a Service provides the technical basis for this.

In contrast to Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), you are provided with more than just the hardware. On the other hand, unlike Software as a Service (SaaS), you do not simply receive pre-set, and therefore less flexible, software. Instead you receive the entire infrastructure and services that enable you to develop, roll out, and operate your own tailored applications – straight from the cloud.

With the SAP Cloud Platform, you quickly and easily adapt your IT systems to the needs of other departments, without extensive use of resources. By using standard APIs, you can connect directly to the IT systems of your business partners, without the need for complex modifications. In this way, you are able to create continuous processes that go beyond the boundaries of your company.

Platform as a Service: You develop the applications, while the vendor provides you with everything you need.

SAP S/4HANA and all new developments from SAP are based on the SAP Cloud Platform – and not just cloud solutions, but all on-premise solutions, too. So whatever the future of your IT landscape, you need to know about this platform and its capabilities if you use SAP solutions. Extensions to existing solutions will also require this new architecture.

Digital transformation is fundamentally and permanently changing how companies work. Businesses need to be able to react much faster to the market as well as try out new business models and processes – without having to launch extensive IT projects. Only a flexible platform like the SAP Cloud Platform allows for fast development and testing of new solutions to meet sudden, company-specific requirements. Since important central functions such as user administration and backend integration are provided as standard, you can concentrate on your own innovations.

In the past, many companies operated relatively autonomously. Today, however, more and more products are developed together with customers.

The ability to open up your business to external organizations and work with partners within integrated IT systems is becoming an increasingly important business advantage. A standardized, open platform breaks down business boundaries to enable easier collaboration.

As a PaaS product, the SAP Cloud Platform offers a range of services that simplify and accelerate the development, rollout, and operation of your own applications. Services include:

• • Integration services: You can connect in-house developments to existing cloud-based and on-premise solutions from SAP and other providers. There are also interfaces for external systems, such as shared business networks like Ariba Network.
  • SAP HANA support: All applications developed using the SAP Cloud Platform can use SAP HANA database where necessary. Your applications are then equipped for the age of big data, thanks to in-memory technology.
  • User management and authentication: Role and authorization management, including single sign-on, can be integrated into the user’s own developments without significant additional programming.
  • Mobile and UX: The services and tools provided make it easy to equip your own applications with the SAP Fiori interface, allowing for more convenient mobile access, for instance. In addition, there is no need to develop and maintain multiple applications for different devices and operating systems.
  • Security: SAP ensures the highest standard of data protection and data security.

As an SAP innovation partner, we are always in touch with SAP Cloud Platform developments. From the outset, we have been involved in the development of SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA. We have built up extensive knowledge and a team of specialists who are competent in all aspects relevant to the platform.

Our experts in SAP Cloud Platform’s underlying technologies, such as Java, HTML5, and SAP Fiori, are available around the clock, worldwide. We also develop our own platform solutions that can be quickly and easily integrated into your cloud architecture and offer you extensive Application Management Services (AMS) for your SAP cloud solutions.

You have lots of ideas on clever business cases to implement? And, the only gap to be filled is how to map them technically?

In his first vlog, our expert Simen Huuse shows you how SAP’s Cloud Platform supports you to put your ideas into practice.

In his second vlog, Simen Huuse is talking about a completely new designed architecture, a unique combination of hardware and software.

See for yourself how – together with a web-based development environment – it will connect the external world with your ERP system.

Are you searching for answers or would like to receive more information on SAP platform as a service? Do you desire more detailed advice from our experts or would you like to book one of our SAP Cloud Platform workshops?

Just contact us – we will be glad to help you.