August 8, 2023
As useful as SAP HANA is already, it’s constantly evolving with emerging technology. Cloud adoption, artificial intelligence (AI) integration, the Internet of Things (IoT) advancements, digital transformation—it’s hard to keep up. To maximize the enterprise software’s value, it’s critical to determine which trends are worth following.
Some of the newest trends are revolutionizing SAP HANA deployments, giving organizations a leg up on the competition. One doesn’t want to overlook these innovations, but it can be tricky to separate truly valuable trends from the hype.
A managed SAP HANA solution solves this problem by delivering only the most useful and necessary upgrades. Let’s walk through the software’s trends that are worth following.
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Using SAP HANA in the cloud overlaps with the broader industry trend of cloud migration. Each year, more businesses transition to the cloud for its numerous advantages, including speed and cost-effectiveness. The move also addresses challenges around data security and bandwidth.
The SAP HANA database can be run in several different configurations: public cloud, private cloud, multi-cloud, and the classic on-premise. While on-premise may suit some companies, it’s often better to run the software in the cloud. An SAP service provider can advise the best approach based on an organization’s needs.
Using SAP HANA in the cloud provides instant and essentially unlimited scalability. It doesn’t matter how long a company has been using this software or the size of its deployment—cloud resources can accommodate the system handily.
The SAP HANA cloud also includes security tools. Because the cloud adds some risk exposure, SAP has added data access controls and identity management features. For instance, it can encrypt data for another layer of protection. The cloud solution also has monitoring capabilities to detect any problems. This collection of tools makes SAP HANA on the cloud safe and worth the speed, scalability, resilience, and cost-effectiveness it delivers.
Among the main new features integrated with SAP HANA are AI and machine learning (ML). These are among the top trends in IT.
Machine learning is a sub-category of artificial intelligence. Together, the techniques streamline operations by automating tasks previously done by humans. SAP AI lets companies process information faster, which leads to higher profitability. Given its business value, it’s obvious why AI and ML are such a hot trend.
The machine learning functionality is native in HANA, so it’s easily deployed in applications. This technology benefits from HANA’s in-memory speed and access to all the organization’s data. What’s more, the AI/ML duo has even further synergy with the cloud, where more sophisticated mathematical modeling is possible.
The included libraries handle “predictive analysis” for forecasting, classification analysis, and many other techniques. Users can even model financial events to plan intelligently for the future—and the model keeps adapting to incoming information. SAP also has an automated framework for non-technical users to create and train machine learning models.
The Internet of Things (IoT) comprises all the electronic devices connecting to the internet—a rapidly growing number. It has many applications, such as running factories more efficiently and improving the safety and performance of medical equipment.
The massive number of IoT devices coming online implies a need to handle their big data output. Each device produces a lot of data that must be processed or analyzed to add value. For example, an IoT medical device may produce a stream of patient readings that should be assessed to detect any changes of condition.
SAP HANA IoT comes to the rescue by intelligently handling big data. This lets the technology understand and control the output that connected devices amass. For instance, its predictive maintenance module uses IoT sensor data to help businesses service their equipment more reliably.
More networked devices connect each year, growing the practical importance of this trend. SAP HANA IoT isn’t useful for all organizations yet, but it’s already critical for some and is set to expand. IoT data combines the physical and digital worlds to remake business processes from the ground up.
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Digital transformation is perhaps the largest trend of all, encompassing cloud migration and the rest. Technology is spreading into all corners of our lives, so businesses must adapt if they’re to keep pace. The response is to develop a digital transformation strategy, incorporating tech into business activities.
SAP HANA supports digital transformation initiatives—it lets organizations become more agile, data-driven, and customer-centric. As a result, the entire repository of enterprise data works quickly and securely. Employees have access to the insights they need and only the data they need. In a sense, SAP HANA is built for digital transformation because it unites all business functions into one database.
The phrase “digital transformation” has been used and misused often enough to have become something of a buzzword. Nonetheless, there’s real merit in digitizing processes with SAP HANA. Companies can then respond faster to customer demand.
Digital tools really are remaking industry, just as steam engines and other technologies have in previous times. SAP HANA delivers better insights and customer experiences while boosting employee productivity. But remember, the technology also needs business transformation with the right people and processes.
Some trends are just hype, but others indicate a better way to work. Industries then find these trends and adopt them to drive growth. It takes time and effort to sort the good trends from the hype, but companies can get there faster with an SAP HANA expert like Approyo.
Approyo is SAP Certified in SAP HANA Operations Services, Cloud and Infrastructure Operations, and Hosting Operations. When vetting vendors for a tech solution, it’s important to consider which certifications they hold. The right certifications instill trust, ensure vendor competence, and contribute to the success of implementations. Prioritize certified vendors to maximize the potential of the investment.
Contact Approyo now to gain a trustworthy partner with years of experience delivering SAP HANA’s advantages.
