From Germany to the world: SAP and the rise of ERP

In the history of SAP as a company is one that has been mirrored by many eventual users of its solutions since. Founded in 1972 by five IBM employees in Germany, the company’s initial premise was to create software which was capable of processing and presenting business data on demand.

SAP stands for “Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte,” which translates as “systems, applications, products.” The software was marketed initially to small businesses, who snapped up the solution as it offered a single place where business owners could get a computerized overview of assets, production, human resources, and most importantly, finance.

Like many successful software systems of the time, SAP deployed a server-client model, whereby multiple users (clients) could access the same data simultaneously (held on the server) without the risk of corruption that was (and remains) ever-present when sharing the same spreadsheet file.

Continuing the company’s story, and indeed the story of many of the product’s users, the latest iterations of SAP appear as cloud-based services.

Any ERP system (enterprise resource planning) like SAP is designed to remove repetition (and frankly dull) work from personnel and automate tasks to reduce human error and mistakes. Additionally, the data at the heart of an ERP acts as a single source of truth.

Therefore, all functions of the business such as the manufacturing, supply chain, operations, human resources, procurement, and payroll are all working with the same information. This centralization of data means that anomalies do not negatively impact business processes, causing problems further down the line.

With the primary resources of any business enterprise being people, money, materials, and time, coordinating between departments in real-time creates efficiencies which utilize all available resources to their fullest extent.

As companies grow organically, each department may well have deployed its own software solutions to help its day-to-day operations. The power of an all-encompassing ERP is that each area of the business can hone and refine the software with which it works so that it becomes, effectively, a bespoke offering.

Good ERP systems – such as SAP — can supply this type of tailored working environments to different departments, and yet retain the centralized data’s integrity.

Additionally, as businesses evolve over time, the latest ERP software changes in step, to take on board the changes that the company is experiencing.

SAP was one of the first pieces of software which had the capability of improving efficiency and saving costs in every area of the enterprise. Therefore, it has rightfully gained its place as one of the ERP heavyweights which power many of the top businesses in the world.

That’s not to say that an organization has to be enormous to get the best of SAP’s offerings. On the contrary, VARs (value-added resellers) of SAP will be able to advise businesses of any size which iteration of SAP would suit their needs best. As the company grows and changes, the business can stay within the SAP environment, simply taking on new functions as and when required.

Value-added resellers are an integral part of the SAP ecosystem, as these are the companies which provide insight and expertise in the field of software deployments into businesses.

With an encyclopedic knowledge of the products on offer, VARs can help organizations choose the software which will deliver the most positive impact in the shortest period, and also allow the company to grow and prosper in the long term. Think of a VAR as a consultative partner, capable of providing insight and advice, as well as providing materials such as software and hardware.

Here at Tech Wire Asia, we have considered three SAP resellers operating in the region. We feel that of all the offerings on the table, those companies listed below present value propositions which are worth the attention of any business serious about its growth.

SOLTIUS

This Indonesian company is a market-leader, capable of providing much more than just software systems for businesses. As part of the larger Metrodata group, it can offer true end-to-end solutions for any size of business, in just about any industry vertical.

Digital transformation is probably the most effective way of surmounting business challenges of emerging markets, economic or political uncertainties and satisfying legal or regulatory constraints. Therefore, you need an experienced team to hand-craft a digital solution for your organization.

With an impressive track record in industries as diverse as manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail, pharmaceuticals, automotive and plantation, Soltius can help you every step of the way:

• Conceptualization and consultation. Finding out what makes your business tick and discussing with you the best ways forward.
• Choice and implementation. Selecting the right solutions that fit your business, for now, and for the future.
• Analytics and business intelligence. Monitoring results and creating what-if simulations of the ways forward.
• Ongoing support and maintenance. Ensuring that systems perform at their optimum, from the boardroom to the factory floor.
• Advice and consultation. Soltius go beyond ERP, acting as a business’s partner going forward.

You can read more about Soltius here.

ASG GROUP

The Australian company operates not only on its native continent but also throughout the Asia Pacific Rim. As a specialist digital consultancy and empowerer, its remit is to provide a full digital transformation service for businesses of any size.

Because of its broad range of experience reaching back many years, the in-house experts combine technical know-how with an emphasis that’s always on the business bottom line.

In addition to being an SAP reseller, the company is also an Oracle, Microsoft and Salesforce partner, so ASG can recommend a technology stack that is suited to its clients, not the companies whose products it’s reselling.

It’s easy in today’s business environment to rush headlong into a digital transformation exercise without proper planning: even knowing how systems interface and link requires specialist knowledge. ASG is, therefore, that rare commodity as a purveyor of advice that’s business focussed – technology is merely the means to an end.

With a range of clients ranging from Australian government departments down to tiny, startup organizations, ASG offers tailored, bespoke advice with accompanying roll-out management and on-going monitoring.

Whether it’s a cybersecurity system or an ERP-scale digitization exercise, ASG Group represents one of the more forward-thinking companies operating in the APAC region.

ABEO

This year sees Abeo’s twentieth birthday, and its longevity is a testament to its particular position as one of Asia’s main SAP resellers and experts. Its history includes the winning of many SAP accolades for excellence, support, service, and implementation. This is a top-flight company.

With offices in Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and India, the company helps businesses of all sizes with their ERP needs right across the region. Whether it’s a simple helpdesk provision to support SAP users in your area, or a full, end-to-end business transformation project, Abeo has the in-house skills to partner with your organization.

It has particular expertise in retail and advanced manufacturing systems improvement, but whatever your market vertical, the company can draw out the best in your operations.

The creation and examination of business intelligence is a cornerstone of an Abeo provision: it’s only by drawing out of key results that companies can learn and improve. Cutting costs and improving efficiencies, while creating brand loyalty B2C or B2B is what makes Abeo tick.

SAP Business All-In-One is particularly well-supported, plus for the smaller end of the enterprise market, there’s a range of implementation options on the table via SAP Business One.

But deploying software suite(s) is clearly only part of the picture. You need the right discovery process, auditing, advice, installation and maintenance in the medium to long-term, too. And that’s where the teams at Abeo can really make the difference.

*Some of the companies featured on this editorial are commercial partners of Tech Wire Asia

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