SAP has unveiled a new solution known as ‘RISE with SAP,’ designed to assist its clientele in navigating their digital transformations and evolving into what SAP terms ‘intelligent enterprises.’ RISE functions as a subscription-based service, integrating a comprehensive suite of services and product options.

Sven Denecken, head of product success at SAP (and its COO for S/4Hana), characterized it as “the premier support service available for your digital transformation” during a recent conversation. He explained, “Our priority is to empower our clients to embrace the changes they are currently experiencing.” He continued, “Transformation is an ongoing process. Every organization aspires to become more intelligent, agile, and efficient, but they also recognize the challenges they face now and will encounter in the future. Businesses are undergoing continuous transformation, and our experience demonstrates that clients fundamentally agree with this concept. They aim to be intelligent enterprises, capable of adapting and evolving. However, the central question remains: how do they achieve this? And they are asking us to provide guidance.”

The RISE with SAP program provides businesses with a dedicated point of contact within SAP to oversee their transformation, alongside access to the broader SAP partner network.

Denecken emphasized that the initial phase of this process doesn’t necessarily involve implementing new technology, although that is also a component. Instead, the focus is on assisting businesses in redesigning and optimizing their operational processes and adopting industry best practices—and subsequently, measuring the results. “Redesigning business processes involves analyzing current performance, identifying opportunities for tailored recommendations, and benchmarking against industry standards,” Denecken stated. “This approach establishes a clear direction and motivates both IT and business teams to embrace change.” He also highlighted the necessity of collaboration between IT, business leaders, and employees for a successful digital transformation.

This initiative also encompasses technology solutions and the adoption of technologies like robotic process automation (RPA). As Denecken pointed out, this builds upon SAP’s established work with customers in defining business processes and key performance indicators.

From a technical perspective, SAP is offering its own services, including the Business Technology Platform and cloud infrastructure, while also providing support for customers utilizing major cloud providers. RISE also incorporates support for over 2,200 APIs to facilitate integration between on-premises, cloud, and non-SAP systems, access to SAP’s low-code and no-code development tools, and its database and analytics solutions.

“Current global circumstances, including geopolitical instability, environmental concerns, and the continuing pandemic, are compelling businesses to adapt to change at an unprecedented rate,” stated Christian Klein, CEO of SAP, in today’s announcement. “Organizations that can quickly adjust their business processes will prosper—and SAP is positioned to help them achieve this. RISE with SAP is centered around enabling customers to continuously discover innovative ways to operate in the cloud and maintain a competitive edge.”

With this new offering, SAP is now delivering solutions to its customers that were formerly accessible through its partner ecosystem. Denecken does not perceive this as direct competition with its partners. Rather, he believes this is a collaborative effort that will likely attract more customers to the partner network.

“This development has, naturally, involved discussions with our partners,” he said. “While we are now taking on some responsibilities they previously handled, our goal is to achieve greater scale. The demand for digital transformation is only beginning, and we believe this offering, in conjunction with our partners, will be highly impactful.”