SAP Migration to Cloud- Benefits and Best Practices You Need to Know

SAP solutions have brought revolutionary changes in workflows and corporate culture of modern enterprises. Robust and advanced SAP software like SAP Business One is useful in transforming processes across different departments. SAP cloud migration strategy can enable your company to take the benefits of both worlds.

On one hand, SAP streamlines processes, and on the other hand, SAP data migration to the cloud can enhance flexibility and scalability of processes. Simply put, this migration can open the doors of long-term success for your company by optimizing operational costs and various processes.

A comprehensive strategy for SAP to cloud migration can act as a roadmap to success in this digital age. Let's go through a step-by-step guide for migrating SAP solutions to the cloud. We will dig deep into the benefits, best practices, and key considerations of this entire process.

Benefits of SAP Cloud Migration

Migrating to the cloud offers a powerful security shield to your SAP data along with other business benefits. Here are some of the key benefits of migrating SAP to the cloud.

Cloud Data Centers:

You can get industry-leading physical security with tier III/IV data centers, redundant components, and over 99.9% uptime with cloud migration. Secure cages, guards, and advanced controls safeguard your confidential information.

Disaster Recovery:

Another way to safeguard your data is disaster recovery functionality. Resilient data centers and automatic backups ensure data availability and minimal downtime. Moreover, you can recover critical systems and data after natural disasters or cyberattacks.

Automation and Orchestration:

SAP supports the cloud environment with secure defaults and follow industry best practices. It can automate deployment and offers continuous monitoring for meeting compliance. SAP's SaaS and private cloud solutions have this built-in functionality.

Comprehensive Fusion Center:

SAP has a dedicated Cyber Fusion Center for ensuring vigilance on a 24x7. This multidisciplinary team uses AI-powered threat detection and automated responses to address sophisticated threats.SAP migration to cloud can enable users to access this advanced center.

Compliance Support:

SAP undergoes rigorous third-party audits and holds numerous certifications like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. It demonstrates their commitment to compliance and prevalent regulations. By migrating to the cloud, you can leverage these measures and reduce your burden.

Altogether, SAP data migration to the cloud brings an array of benefits for modern companies, and that too, without spending a small fortune. Let’s dig deep into the best practices to make the most of migrating SAP to the cloud.

Best practices for Successful SAP Data Migration to Cloud

Successful Migration of SAP data to the cloud requires careful planning and proper execution. Following best practices will help ensure effective migration-

1. Set Your Goals:

It is essential to define your objectives prior to migration whether it's cost reduction, scalability, or agility. You can make a cross-functional team consisting of IT, business analysts, and end-users to make a roadmap.

2. Address Data Issues:

You need to analyze your existing data thoroughly and address data quality issues like duplicates, inconsistencies, and missing entries. You can leverage data cleansing tools and establish data governance practices.

3. Choose Right Strategy:

After evaluating different migration strategies like lift-and-shift, selective data migration, etc.you need to select the right one for your company. You can consider factors like data volume, complexity, and budget.

4. Leverage SAP Tools:

SAP Data Services, SAP Information Steward, and SAP Cloud Solution Appliance Library are available to follow the best migration practices. These advanced tools can address specific needs effectively.

5. Conduct Data Tests:

Before migrating the data, it should pass through data conversion testing in a non-production environment. It is necessary for validating data accuracy, completeness, and functionality in the target system.

6. Ensure Data Security:

Implementing robust security measures throughout the migration process is imperative to safeguard your valuable data. Another important aspect is adherence to data safety regulations to leverage the cloud's benefits.

7. Train Your Employees:

Finally, it is beneficial to inform and train all the stakeholders, employees, and partners throughout the process. You can give clear communication on timelines, potential disruptions, and post-migration procedures.

You can ensure a successful and secure SAP data migration to the cloud by following these best practices.

Lift and Shift- A Popular SAP Cloud Migration Strategy

Lift and Shift is a popular cloud migration strategy to move an existing on-premises application or workload to the cloud. This strategy requires minimal changes to the code or architecture. As the name suggests, here the app or SAP solution essentially "lifted" from its on-premises environment and "shifted" to the cloud to take advantage of the cloud's capabilities.

This strategy enables companies to get rid of refactoring or rearchitecturing of existing applications.

Lift and Shift migrations offer a quick and easy way to move workloads to the cloud. However, they may not always be the best option. For example, Lift and Shift migrations may fail to take advantage of the scalability and elasticity of the cloud, and they may not improve the performance or efficiency of the application.

Key Considerations in Cloud SAP Migration

Migrating SAP to the cloud is a popular trend as 88% of organizations have already made the move at least partially. But then, concerns about cost, security, availability, and complexity loom large. SAP solution providers need to understand the company's unique needs to minimize these issues.

First things first. Companies should make their team aware about the realities of cloud migration. Secondly, companies need to recognize the growing prevalence of SAP cloud adoption. Finally, you need to choose the most suitable cloud model that best fits your current and future needs.

Top Steps Involved in Migrating SAP to Cloud

SAP to cloud migration is a well-defined journey comprises the following processes-

1. Pre-migration Preparations:

This is a planning phase that involves the understanding of your current infrastructure, identifying migration goals, and assessing potential challenges. You can consider factors like cost, security, compliance, and integration complexities.

2. Data Migration Process:

This stage is crucial for transfering your corporate data to the cloud. You can consult a reputed SAP Partner to choose a suitable technique lift-and-shift or selective migration based on your specific requirements.

3. Testing and Validation:

After the migration process, the data should go through a rigorous testing process. It can validate functionality, performance, and data integrity. You can also get the details about stability, user access, and integration with other systems.

4. Monitoring and Optimization:

Last but not the least is continuous monitoring. It is useful for security threats, performance bottlenecks, and resource usage. Optimization based on this monitoring enables you to leverage automation and enhanced efficiency with cost optimization.

These steps and meticulous planning will ensure a smooth transition when migrating SAP to cloud.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, SAP Cloud migration brings more security and efficiency for your business. You can get all the benefits of SAP solutions with a higher flexibility and scalability of the cloud. Hope this comprehensive guide will help you in SAP to cloud migration. It is, however, essential to consult a reputed SAP partner for executing the migration process to leverage the benefits.

Silver Touch is a leading SAP solution provider in India. We offer advanced SAP solutions and add-on development services to meet the diverse and complex needs of modern businesses. Do you want to know more about the cloud SAP migration process or share your needs? Simply drop us a line at sap@silvertouch.com and we will contact you soon.

FAQs of SAP to Cloud Migration