What SAP S/4HANA cloud solutions are there?

Basically, different cloud solutions can be distinguished, for example private cloud solutions from public cloud solutions.

We provide information on the various options in cloud computing and also present SAP's special offerings and solutions.

Public cloud: One for all

Public cloud solutions make information and services accessible to a broad public via the Internet. Examples of such public cloud applications are Microsoft 365, Dropbox or Google Drive - solutions that have established themselves in the environment of private Internet users.

A public cloud is characterized by the fact that all customers - under the technical term Software as a Service (SaaS) - share the same hardware and network infrastructure, while the processing of data takes place in protected areas.

But is the delivery model also suitable for enterprise applications? Absolutely, SAP agrees. For example, the SAP S/4HANA business suite has long been available as a public cloud solution.

The name has changed several times in recent years: SAP currently refers to it as "SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition".

Earlier designations such as "Multi Tenant Edition", "SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Essential Edition (Cloud ES)" or just "SAP S/4HANA Cloud" no longer apply.

SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition is operated and hosted by SAP. The scope includes the core of SAP S/4HANA and solutions for specific industries in 42 countries. Companies can only use this solution via a new implementation (greenfield) route.

Such offers are catching on: According to the IT industry association Bitkom, around one-third of companies already use enterprise resource management applications in the form of SaaS.

However, this requires the willingness to change established processes in such a way that the software manufacturer's specified standard can be implemented. Extensions are only possible to a limited extent - in the case of SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition - for example via the Business Technology Platform.

Individual customizations of the cloud solution by customers, on the other hand, cannot be implemented. On the other hand - and this is one of the greatest advantages - the solution can be introduced and operated comparatively quickly and cost-effectively.

In addition, a cloud solution of this kind always remains "up to date" because new innovations are regularly made available to the customer.

SAP, for example, regularly and fully automatically introduces the necessary updates and upgrades - in the case of SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition, there are two automatic releases and several updates per year. This also ensures that any security gaps are closed reliably and promptly.

If you want a lean ERP solution that can be used immediately and does not require any user customization, you are backing the right horse in the case of SAP with SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition. The way to the public cloud at SAP is via the RISE with SAP or GROW with SAP bundle.

Private Cloud: A solution of your own

Those who do not want to share the infrastructure for their ERP system with others can use a private cloud solution. Many companies expect such a solution to provide greater security for their sensitive data, because all company data remains in-house.

SAP also offers such a private cloud solution: the SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition.

This is a customized subscription solution for all companies that want to combine the expandability and functional scope of an on-premise solution with the advantages of a cloud solution.

Here, too, the naming has changed again and again in recent years: Earlier designations such as "Single Tenant Edition", "Extended Edition" or "Cloud EX" are no longer used.

The "Private Edition" is operated by SAP and hosted by a hyperscaler. The scope corresponds to the on-premise solution (64 countries and 25 industries).

The SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition can be extended via side-by-side developments, in-app solutions and via the conventional method with ABAP. In addition, the program code of the ERP suite can be adapted, even if this is not recommended. In this way, individual processes of customers can also be mapped and do not have to be changed in terms of processes.

The technical updates are carried out by SAP. The dates are coordinated in advance and the customer does not have to perform an update (at least every 5 years) if he does not want to.

The only way to get this solution is through RISE with SAP. For implementation, companies can choose between Greenfield, System Conversion or Selective Migration. The use of SAP Best Practices is possible.

Hybrid Cloud: The best of two worlds

A hybrid cloud combines resources provided in the company's own data center or in a private cloud with a public cloud and provides the optimal basis for two-speed IT.

SAP S/4HANA Business Suite, for example, can be run

• operated via an on-premise solution or a private cloud solution (such as SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition), and
• supplemented by collaboration solutions or customer loyalty systems from a public cloud solution (such as the cloud solutions from SAP's CX portfolio).

The advantage: Security, data protection and compliance requirements are guaranteed on-premise or in the private cloud, but at the same time companies can use innovative solutions and technologies quickly and agilely.

The integration of new group companies or branches is also straightforward via hybrid deployment models. The IT team benefits from simplified resource management and the CFO is pleased with the rapid transparency in the figures of the new operating units.

Multi Cloud: The best of all worlds, but not for everyone

The multi-cloud offers companies even more scope than the hybrid cloud. While hybrid delivery models combine services from public and private clouds, the multi-cloud bundles different cloud providers under one roof.

In this way, companies can use a variety of different services, software applications and infrastructures from different cloud providers in parallel and do not have to commit to a single provider.

The advantage is greater flexibility. The disadvantage is that the more different providers and cloud models the multi-cloud integrates, the more difficult it is to control and the greater the risks of compliance violations and security breaches.