INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Cloud
True innovation-
led business
transformation
starts in the cloud
Cameron Beveridge, Director:
Cloud at SAP Africa, explains
why future-proofing your
business begins with the cloud.
N
o matter your industry sector or geographic location, all
businesses today have one overriding thing in common:
to be successful and sustainable you must be digital.
While the rewards of moving a business towards digital are
considerable, the initial transition can be challenging. Innovation
requires the ability for businesses to collect, manage, analyse
and leverage data of all types, to extend and connect to
business networks, and to innovate new edge scenarios to allow
the business to continuously adapt and advance.
Regardless of size, shape or location, companies also need the
ability to build and extend applications for every department
and every role quickly, easily, and economically. The only way
to do this is by leveraging a powerful cloud platform; solving
individual business problems, empowering employees, and
engaging customers requires a scalable accessible platform
with real time computing capabilities that can future-proof
the business and unlock the ROI of technology investment.
In a recent study commissioned by SAP Hybris and conducted
by Forrester Consulting, enterprises using SAP Hybris
Marketing Cloud saw 306% increases in ROI.
Hyper-connectivity demands scalable,
reliable solutions
A cloud platform enables companies to achieve business
agility, create a truly integrated and optimised enterprise,
and accelerate digital transformation across the business –
all without the requirement of maintaining or investing in
on-premises infrastructure. There is also an urgent need for
businesses to modernise their technology infrastructure. At
the centre of all modern business infrastructure is data: the
ability to transport data from devices on the edge of the
organisational network to the heart of the business – the
enterprise core – is an essential step to companies realising
the business benefits of their technology. Businesses need a
powerful cloud platform at the heart of the enterprise, one
that can consolidate data across heterogeneous system
landscapes and infrastructures.
50
INTELLIGENTCIO
Cameron Beveridge, Director: Cloud, SAP Africa
South African enterprises driving wholesale
cloud adoption
According to a recent IDC study of the South African cloud
landscape, 93% of South African companies are pursuing
a cloud strategy, and are either in implementation phase or
planning to implement. Companies are typically looking for a
way to get ahead of the pace of disruption.
Local businesses are constantly challenged to improve their
operations and transform to keep pace with rapidly changing
customer expectations. To do this, they need intelligent
systems that eliminate redundant tasks while providing
real time analytical insights that can give business leaders
predictive capabilities. And as technology hastens the pace of
change, businesses will increasingly need enterprise systems
that provide access to the latest technologies while giving
the business the agility and flexibility they need to constantly
adapt to changing conditions.
The leading edge of enterprise cloud
SAP S/4HANA Cloud is the intelligent, next-gen cloud ERP that
takes enterprises into the digital age. Giving companies access
to global best practices and innovation, SAP S/4HANA Cloud
delivers immediate and continuous business value with the
ability to scale and adjust to future needs.
Cloud will have an impact on all businesses regardless of
their location, size or nature. Organisations need to embrace
innovation to remain relevant. And in a modern, constantly-
evolving business environment, the only way to do this is by
building a future-proof business on the best cloud platform. n
www.intelligentcio.com