SAP SuccessConnect 2022, the global premier HR event of the year, brought together the top HR executives, industry thought leaders, and line-of-business managers under one roof to share their experiences and best practices. The Silicon Partners was a Gold-level sponsor of the two-day engaging in-person experience at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas held from 9/13/22-9/14/22, focusing on how HR leaders are adapting to the changing ways companies are engaging the workforce both inside the workplace and at home.
This year’s theme centered around Changing Work for Good. 2021 was about dealing with a new hybrid workforce. 2022 is about addressing the skills gap as well the mental health crisis. The HR of 2022 needs to have the right tools and processes to be flexible and adaptable to manage people and the organization with agility and speed. To that end, many of the sessions and partner sponsors focused on how to connect HR to every facet of the business. HR is no longer just a part of the business – HR leads the business.
SuccessConnect 2022 Significant Highlights:
2022 had been a turbulent year for HR leaders, who acted as ‘superheroes without capes’ supporting their organizations and instilling resilience through an array of unprecedented challenges, such as inflation, skills gaps, labor crisis, mental health epidemic, etc. Hence, most organizations are looking forward to SAP SuccessFactors’ vision for human experience management (HXM) to help them enhance innovation, increase agility, and deliver better employee experiences that deepen workforce engagement and improve profitability.
Aaron Green, SAP SuccessFactors’s chief marketing and solutions officer addressed the opening session of SuccessConnect 2022 by saying that “the future is people-led.” Green spoke about the new era of work that required a fresh approach to business that elevates people and culture. He stated that it is pretty evident now than ever that placing people at the company’s heart is no longer just the absolute thing to do, but it is imperative and of utmost necessity to create a resilient workforce for the future.
Let’s recap critical takeaways from a few tremendous successful sessions at SuccessConnect 2022.
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The importance of the “whole-self model.”
Aaron Green, spoke about the importance of the “whole-self model,” which identifies a person’s skills, strengths, preferences, work style, and aspirations, continuously evolving as they eventually climb their career ladder and life changes. Analyzing an employee’s whole-self model helps organizations to holistically understand people as they move ahead in their career path and matches them with opportunities that best suit their interests and aspirations.
SAP SuccessFactors HXM will include various new modules to meet modern workforce requirements.
The new modules will include the following:
- Dynamic teams will assist companies in managing organizational structures evolving from hierarchical structures to flat, cross-functional teams.
- Growth portfolio is a dynamic library of employee attributes using an adaptable and open architecture that reflects the whole-self model and lets employees showcase their skills, preferences, and ambitions.
- Skills ontology will utilize machine learning and automation to continuously identify an employee’s skills based on their role, responsibilities, experiences, and accomplishments.
In addition, SuccessFactors has also partnered with SAP technology teams to integrate SuccessFactors HXM with SAP applications like SAP Ariba and third-party applications from Qualtrics through the SuccessFactors Work Zone digital workspace. January 2023 will likely witness the low-code, no-code development environment SAP AppGyver integrated into SuccessFactors Work Zone, enabling users to build or modify experiences quickly and easily.
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Building a Future-Ready Resilient Workforce
Organizations are under constant pressure to adapt quickly to the pace of change. The only way to survive industry-wide disruption and ever-changing work models is to implement various people sustainability strategies that is capable of supporting a skilled, agile, and healthy workforce.
Meg Bear, chief product officer and president for SAP SuccessFactors, and Josh Bersin, a global industry analyst, discussed why building a future-ready workforce is of utmost importance through skills and learning. They also reasoned why the talent supply pipeline had become the top priority for chief executives.
Bersin stated that it is a crucial time in HR, with a huge need for talent and reskilling. Today organizations do not have enough people to fill available roles as companies grow and adapt to macroeconomic conditions.
Organizations have always relied on SAP SuccessFactors solutions to survive and thrive through critical situations like pandemics and labor shortages by making transformative investments in their people. They agree that clear and constant communication is the key to placing people at the heart of their businesses.
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Connected cloud ERP and HXM contribute additional value to the organization.
Human Experience Management (HXM) and ERP solutions significantly impact an organization’s operations and success. But even more, significant impacts are realized and accelerated by intelligently combining and connecting these two solutions.
Parul Thakuria, an SAP HR Value Advisor, in her session on ‘KPIs to Measure Value from Your Cloud HR and ERP Digital Transformation,’ pointed out how organizations can ensure they are on the correct path to achieve their organizational goals via a four-step value realization process. She also shared the tools SAP provides to assist organizations with their value realization, including the SAP Value Lifecycle Manager.
One of the significant scenarios highlighted was having SAP S/4HANA and SAP SuccessFactors solutions, which deliver added value in the areas of Time to value, Compliance and risk management, Total cost of ownership, and Business performance.
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People Sustainability Becomes a Business Imperative
People sustainability was the crux of SuccessConnect 2022. It was discussed how it had become business imperative to support people and human potential to create a resilient, agile and more sustainable future.
SAP SuccessFactors defines people sustainability as treating people ethically and fairly across organizations, supply chains, and communities. Organizations across the globe believe that investing in people’s sustainability can drive positive environmental and economic sustainability. However, they would find it valuable to have more tools and technology available to support critical people sustainability use cases.
SAP SuccessFactors technology looks forward to supporting their customers’ people sustainability strategies and enabling them to achieve a better understanding of the individual to create a sharpened and improved employee experience.
Aaron Green stated that the initial part of developing a sustainable workforce is fabricating a culture of belonging and ensuring the visibility of every individual. He further added SAP SuccessFactors is built with inclusivity at its core. The organization should create a culture where employees feel valued for who they are today and what they aspire to become. They need to be resilient, results-driven, and people-first organization. The goal should be to become simultaneously equipped to meet today’s business needs and adapt to tomorrow’s business needs.
In a nutshell
SuccessConnect 2022 identified the next era of work requires the next level of intelligent thinking – a fresh approach that unlocks more potential from your people and more profit for your business. The attendees: (Founder & CEO), (SVP – HXM Business Unit), (Executive Vice President – Innovations), (SVP – Global Marketing and Communication), (SVP, SAP Services – LATAM), (SAP SuccessFactors Consultant), (Director Sales), (Partner and SVP of Alliance), (Partner and SVP of Sales) from TSP grabbed the opportunity to be a part of this mega HR Event SuccessConnect 2022. It was a massive hit and helped attendees understand how individualizing the work experience with the SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite by giving every employee the tools they need to thrive and Connect HR across your organization will help build a resilient workforce for the future, unleashing the maximum potential and achieving the pinnacle of profitability.
SAP SuccessFactors has created a system for managing the organization of the future and awaits launching one of its most significant releases in a decade. SAP SuccessFactors’s new architecture and capabilities represent a quantum leap forward in providing what organizations need to understand, manage, grow, and enable their people and teams and skyrocket their profitability.
Want to learn more? Contact us at marketing@tsp.tech
SAP S/4HANA is the next-gen ERP system from SAP which can help organisations transform into an Intelligent Enterprise. We have prepared a definitive guide to everything you need to know about SAP S/4HANA that will help you in understanding the ERP, how it can benefit you and how should you start your transformation to the intelligent enterprise
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What is SAP S/4HANA?
An ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system is a software that organizations regularly use to manage day-to-day business activities such as accounting, project management, procurement, compliance, and supply chain operations. ERP systems bind multiple business processes and seamlessly enable data flow between them. SAP S/4HANA is the latest ERP system from market-leading ERP vendor SAP’s software product line.
SAP S/4HANA is an abbreviation of SAP Business Suite 4 SAP HANA, an ERP software package. S/4HANA is the successor to the core product SAP ECC, an intelligent ERP system of the new generation. While the earlier SAP ERP solutions support the most common databases, SAP S/4HANA exclusively uses the SAP HANA in-memory database developed by SAP. The “S” in S/4HANA stands for “simple,” while the “4” refers to the generation sequence.
S/4HANA is the first SAP Business Suite to run only on the proprietary SAP HANA (High-Speed Analytical Appliance) database platform. SAP S/4HANA helps organizations deliver mission-critical applications on a streamlined infrastructure with a single database, OS, and user interface.
SAP S/4HANA integrates and manages business functions – such as human resources, finance, procurement, sales, manufacturing, and service – in real-time. It natively integrates with line-of-business solutions from SAP SE. Along with intelligent ERP functionality, the suite includes customer relationship management (CRM), supplier relationship management (SRM), product lifecycle management (PLM), and supply chain management (SCM) functionality.
Hence SAP S/4HANA serves as the digital core for connecting enterprises with people, business networks, big data and IoT, enabling organizations to make business decisions informed by real-time insights, machine learning, IoT scenarios, and predictive computing. Hence S/4HANA allows the companies to be more responsive, flexible, and resilient to ever-changing business requirements, customer demands, and environmental conditions.
SAP S/4HANA Features
SAP S/4HANA was designed to make ERP better, faster, and easier to use through a simplified data model, lean architecture, and a new user experience built on the tile-based SAP Fiori UX. S/4HANA integrates several advanced technologies, including AI, machine learning, advanced analytics, and IoT.
SAP S/4HANA delivers high-volume real-time analytical processes (OLAP) and high-volume transaction processing (OLTP)based on a unified data model without the redundant data layers typically required by traditional RDBMS-based systems.
The critical SAP S/4HANA features include:
- Smaller total data footprint
- Higher throughput
- Faster analytics and reporting
- ERP, CRM, SRM, SCM, and PLM co-deployed
- Unlimited workload capacity
- SAP HANA multi-tenancy
- New SAP Fiori UX for any device (mobile, desktop, tablet)
- Three deployment options: on-premise, public cloud, and managed cloud.
Significant Differences between SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA
SAP S/4HANA was initially released as a next-generation financial solution at the SAPPHIRE NOW 2014 Conference under the name SAP Simple Finance. A few months later, SAP announced that it was expanding the solution’s core to become a full-fledged enterprise resource planning platform and eventually named the suite SAP S/4HANA.
It is imperative for SAP ECC users to understand how their current SAP ERP system compares to S/4HANA when considering their options for the future. The most significant differences between SAP ECC and S/4HANA are listed below:
- Database– ECC is SAP’s legacy suite of enterprise applications. It is one of the traditional on-premise ERP systems and is characterized by its modular structure designed to run on a third-party database like Oracle, MaxDB, and IBM. However, SAP S/4HANA only runs on the HANA database, an in-memory modern technology.
- The merger of Controlling (CO) and Finance (FI)- In SAP ECC, FI GL accounts are mapped to CO’s primary cost elements. In contrast, the structure of the universal journal is used to store both cost elements and GL accounts in S/4HANA.
- Customer vs. vendor to Business Partner- SAP ECC maintains separate vendor and customer files, even in those scenarios where an organization partners with a company for both functions. However, S/4HANA combines common data structure elements into a Business Partner record.
- New General Ledger (GL)– SAP ECC can run on either a “new” GL structure or the “classic” GL structure. In contrast, S/4HANA uses only the new GL structure. However, S/4HANA requires the new GL’s functionality as a prerequisite for new asset accounting.
- Primary User Interface– SAP ECC uses GUI, whereas S/4HANA uses Fiori and GUI as secondary.
- Rebates– Customer rebates through existing SD rebate processing in ECC have been replaced by settlement management through condition contracts in S/4HANA.
- Primary data load tool- Legacy System Migration Workbench (LSMW) is ECC’s primary data load tool, whereas SAP S/4HANA uses Legacy Transfer Migration Cockpit (LTMC)
In a nutshell, the intelligent ERP system SAP S/4HANA has much faster reaction times due to the in-memory database, and OLAP and OLTP functions are no longer separated in S/4HANA, allowing complex analyses. SAP S/4HANA uses machine learning and artificial intelligence, and because of the unambiguous data model and simplification of the entire system landscape, it can eliminate redundant data and interfaces. Thus, SAP S/4HANA enables intuitive operation and helps companies react swiftly to the changes and automate the necessary processes.
Difference between SAP S/4HANA and SAP HANA
It is pretty common for new ERP users to get perplexed by similar-sounding terms like SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA. The basic difference between SAP S/4HANA and SAP HANA is relatively simple, where SAP HANA is a database type, and SAP S/4HANA is an ERP suite explicitly developed for SAP HANA.
SAP S/4HANA uses the infrastructure of the in-memory platform to enable rapid access to and analysis of data. SAP HANA serves as a platform for user-defined applications in software development as well.
Business Benefits of SAP S/4HANA
SAP S/4HANA can provide speed, simplicity, flexibility, faster analytics, lower costs, and the strength of HANA’s in-memory database for today’s highly agile business models. The top business benefits of SAP S/4HANA are as follows:
- Performance: SAP S/4HANA runs only on SAP HANA. The simplified in-memory database allows exponentially faster processing and simplified transactions with better aggregate table structures. S/4HANA improves performance and enables your business to plan, execute and generate reporting and analytics on live data.
- Agility: SAP S/4HANA end-user interface is entirely SAP Fiori driven. The user-friendly rendition of real-time business insights and intelligence on any mobile device becomes an added business advantage anytime and anywhere.
- Simplicity: SAP S/4HANA has a simplified infrastructure with a digital core that includes multiple applications like IBP, BI, etc. It brings unparalleled simplicity to the management and administration of the complete IT landscape coupled with the cloud adoption potential that it brings to the fore; hardware and network resources have never been so centralized.
- Reduced Total Cost of Ownership– S/4HANA brings functions like Global Available-to-Promise and master data governance into the core. The fewer the boxes to manage implies lower ownership and maintenance costs from an infrastructure point of view. Companies can visualize up to a 17% reduction in IT costs by moving from the old physical infrastructure into a more cloud-native environment supported by S/4HANA.
- More accurate forecasting- Embedded AI and machine learning applications continue evolving slowly but steadily in S/4HANA to enhance modeling, predictive outcomes, and forecasting.
- Tedious tasks automated– S/4HANA provides light process automation so organizations can automate routine tasks such as running reports that were previously done manually, freeing workers to focus on more productive actions.
- Innovation: Innovation is made simple with an open platform (SAP HANA Cloud Platform) to drive advanced applications – for example, predicting, recommending, and simulating – while protecting existing investments.
SAP S/4HANA Lines of Business
SAP S/4HANA has re-organized core modules in SAP ERP known as its lines of business (LoBs). The S/4HANA LoBs are listed below:
1. SAP S/4HANA Finance
The S/4HANA Finance LoB focuses on all the monetary activities associated with a business. This module includes financial accounting, treasury and risk management, controlling, financial planning, financial close, and consolidation.
2. SAP S/4HANA’s SRM and SCM Offerings
The SRM and SCM Offerings comprise the S/4HANA logistics LoBs consisting of supplier relationship management and supply chain management solutions.
3. SAP S/4HANA Sourcing and Procurement
Sourcing and Procurement LoB deals with the activities associated with the acquisition of raw materials required to fulfill orders. It includes extended procurement, supplier and contract management, and operational purchasing.
4. SAP S/4HANA Manufacturing
The S/4HANA Manufacturing LoB focuses on the product manufacturing process. It includes responsive manufacturing, scheduling and delivery planning, production operations, and quality management.
5. SAP S/4HANA Supply Chain
This LoB encompasses overall business planning activities, from pre-planning production runs to dispatching products to purchasers. It includes production planning, warehousing, and inventory management.
6. SAP S/4HANA Asset Management
The S/4HANA Asset Management LoB focuses on maintaining a business’s fixed assets, from machinery and tools to buildings. It includes EHS monitoring and plant maintenance.
7. SAP S/4HANA Sales
The S/4HANA Sales LoB focuses on the activities associated with completing sales orders. This LoB includes pricing, quotes, sales inquiries, contracts and agreements, free-of-charge orders, repair orders, individual requirements, credit, and debit memo requests, packing and picking, and revenue recognition.
8. SAP S/4HANA R&D/Engineering
The R&D LoB manages a product’s lifecycle, including defining the product structure and bill of materials, managing portfolios and projects, product lifecycle costing, driving innovation, and other sensitive materials used in the development.
9. SAP S/4HANA Human Resources
The S/4HANA Human Resources LoB is currently being developed by SAP, with an on-premise solution planned for 2022.
SAP S/4HANA Deployment Options:
There are multiple approaches through which SAP S/4HANA can be deployed. It can be deployed either on-premise or to the cloud.
On-premise
SAP S/4HANA on-premise deployment involves traditional in-house IT infrastructure models. This deployment model includes an instance of SAP S/4HANA that is physically hosted on customer property.
Cloud
There are several cloud options for SAP S/4HANA deployment, all of which encompasses the use of external cloud integration. SAP S/4HANA Cloud is the (Software-as-a-Service) SaaS edition of the S/4HANA ERP system designed for the SAP HANA in-memory database. It is shared with other customers and is available on a subscription basis (available as RISE with SAP). SAP S/4HANA Cloud is the “standard” cloud deployment option. S/4HANA Cloud (public) is a restricted version of the whole S/4HANA Cloud software, while S/4HANA Cloud (private) has a more significant scope and flexibility.
- SAP S/4HANA Cloud deployment provides S/4HANA functionality by placing a customer’s solution instance on a partitioned cloud server alongside other customers. However, the functional scope is limited due to its standardized setup.
- Private cloud deployment renders SAP S/4HANA functionality without needing the customer to maintain the technical backend. It is best for companies running SAP ERP with some cloud experience; with this, they can host the solution on their cloud without having the need to share space with other tenants, as the standard SAP S/4HANA Cloud deployment provides.
- RISE with SAP license gives access to either an SAP S/4HANA Cloud or SAP S/4HANA hosted on a private cloud.
Hybrid
A hybrid SAP S/4HANA instance is the combination of both the world, i.e., on-premise and cloud deployments. This arrangement may be adopted for several reasons, including hosting an on-premise deployment at headquarters while utilizing a cloud deployment in a satellite office or testing the feasibility of both instances.
Migration approach to SAP S/4HANA
Prior to migrating to SAP S/4HANA, it is crucial to make a few fundamental decisions influencing the entire migration strategy. For instance, migrating to SAP S/4HANA Cloud System requires a different approach than switching to SAP S/4HANA On-Premise System. The various migration approaches available to a company are as follows:
Greenfield approach
Greenfield strategy involves abandoning a company’s existing ERP system. The advantage of this approach is that a new, uniform system can be implemented that only contains the data and processes that are necessary. If a company completely overhauls its enterprise architecture, innovations can be integrated comfortably coupled with a high level of functionality. The Greenfield approach is unavoidable while switching to the SAP S/4HANA cloud version, as the systems require complete replacement.
Brownfield approach
The Brownfield approach follows a system conversion. It implies that existing business processes are taken and optimized if necessary. EA tools are utilized to divide the conversion into clear phases to ensure a smooth transition. These tools also ensure that the old processes are reevaluated so that redundancies and complexity are not adopted. However, the brownfield strategy is by far the most popular migration path.
Landscape Transformation
The landscape transformation is not an independent migration strategy. It is a method usually adopted by large companies with complex system landscapes to prepare for migration. In this approach, databases are cleaned up and consolidated to reduce the footprint before the change. Companies use this approach to combine several ERP systems from different vendors.
SAP S/4HANA Release Cycle
SAP S/4HANA receives multiple updates a year. The on-premise deployments are updated once a year, whereas the Cloud-deployed instances receive quarterly updates. The SAP S/4HANA naming conventions for releases follow a four-digit year/month format.
SAP S/4HANA ‘2021 Release Highlights
The latest release for SAP S/4HANA was October 2021, the 7th version of this intelligent ERP. The 2021 release is available for SAP S/4HANA on-premise, Cloud Private Edition, and on RISE with SAP, offering a simple and holistic approach to SAP S/4HANA transformation. The 2021 release brings innovation to all lines of business and industry sectors. A few release highlights are as follows:
- Seamless integration of MRP with supplier systems so change requests are automated and improve supplier collaboration in Manufacturing.
- The use of financial planning content in SAP Analytics Cloud through the integration with SAP Integrated Business Planning for sales and operations planning in Finance.
- Seamless handling of intercompany relationships in overhead cost management, supporting the needs of international businesses in Finance.
- The new Kanban control cycle analysis helps control Kanban cycles with a focus on checking the container statuses that help identify critical situations and solve them early and quickly in Supply Chain.
- It uses machine learning to give suggestions for object part code or damage code notifications to the technicians, which eventually decreases the time needed for analyzing incidents and will reduce downtime per asset in Asset Management.
- Continuous delivery of embedded phrases of regulatory content service such as dangerous goods management in R&D/ Engineering.
SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2202 Release Highlights:
With the new SAP S/4HANA 2202 release, SAP is actively expanding the range of functions and thus driving forward the promised integration with the involved departments in the end-to-end process. The key highlights of this release include:
- New planning strategies for products together with a selection guide in Manufacturing.
- In Finance, Advanced Valuation Processes offer a range of capabilities you need to gain proper insights and accelerate period-end closing activities, along with the ability to comply with the latest international accounting standards.
- The Greenhouse Gas Report template with formatting and additional functions allows the customers to specify the location and data classifiers that apply to a greenhouse gas report before generating the report file in Environment, Health, and Safety.
- SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2202 introduces a new end-to-end process as part of the Supply Chain. Using manual planning with freight booking documents in the transportation cockpit, businesses can perform manual transportation planning even for ocean freight.
- As part of the Two-Tier ERP with SAP S/4HANA Cloud 2202, the predictive maintenance with service integration in the subsidiary-headquarter model is made available to the customers. Predictive maintenance enables data analytics through the Internet of Things and ensures zero equipment downtime, enhancing customer satisfaction.
Conclusion
Buzzwords like “Intelligent Enterprise”, “digital transformation” and “experience management” are commonplace in today’s business world. These concepts highlight enhanced efficiency, more productive processes, innovation potential, and seamless adaptability to ever-changing market conditions. With SAP S/4HANA and all its features, your business will find an all-in-one solution for lifting your corporation to the next level: improving your financial planning, optimizing your supply chain management, enhancing your manufacturing or R&D processes, and a lot more. Leverage the powerful SAP ERP with built-in intelligent technologies, including AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics, to add agility and efficiency to your organization to instantly generate added value for your business and take the lead in your industry.
By integrating with SAP® SuccessFactors®, TSP Payroll solution delivers a local payroll system for customers
FOLSOM, CA — August 10, 2022 — The Silicon Partners, Inc. (TSP) today announced that its TSP Payroll solution is now available on SAP® Store, the online marketplace for SAP and partner offerings. TSP Payroll solution integrates with SAP® SuccessFactors® Employee Central to offer a local payroll solution in countries that do not have country localizations.
“Our TSP Payroll solution works on a single cloud-based platform for more than 40 countries with end-to-end global payroll processes in companies with fewer than 1,000 employees,” said Bruno Silva, SVP of Latin America and the Caribbean. “Our solution is configurable, requiring little effort to implement and execute while reducing customer’ payroll costs. The SAP-certified integration with SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central gives customers peace of mind that they can easily plug the TSP Payroll solution into their core HR systems.”
TSP Payroll solution fits the needs of small-to-large business accountant roles and is integrated with SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, allowing customers to improve gross-to-net calculations with a single source of truth for HR data. The solution saves high costs in acquiring, operating, and maintaining physical infrastructure to store your payroll data.
For US$6 per month per employee, companies will obtain TSP’s Recurring Edition, which includes multilingual pay slips, integration with SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, single sign-on with SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite, statutory compliance, and payroll management.
SAP Store, found at store.sap.com, delivers a simplified and connected digital customer experience for finding, trying, buying, and renewing more than 2,000 solutions from SAP and its partners. There, customers can find the SAP solutions and SAP-validated solutions they need to grow their business. And for each purchase made through SAP Store, SAP will plant a tree.
TSP is a Gold Sell and Service Partner in the SAP® PartnerEdge® program. The SAP PartnerEdge program provides the enablement tools, benefits, and support to facilitate building high-quality, disruptive applications focused on specific business needs – quickly and cost-effectively.
About The Silicon Partners
The Silicon Partners, Inc. is headquartered in Folsom, CA, with offices in the United States, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. As an authorized seller of SAP software solutions and provider of SAP implementation services, TSP helps companies transform into intelligent enterprises and elevate customer and employee experience by executing both greenfield and brownfield S/4HANA migrations, implementing SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite, and bringing together emerging technologies such as RPA, AI/ML, and Cloud.
