SAP Evaluation and Data Management Paper Example

Introduction

Due to the high running costs incurred on the company in running its activities, it might be necessary to look out for better opportunities and means of reducing these costs while at the same time maintaining quality service delivery. One such method is outsourcing other services to professionals who could manage them and with a reduced cost to the company. The purpose of this exercise was to evaluate the opportunities and services that the company can outsource in regards to IT software. This was done by evaluating the SAP website to look out for the opportunities for outsourcing available on the website. We looked at the various different fields that the company deals with and evaluated the solutions that might be available to our company's IT problems and the efficiency of the solutions provided in the SAP website which we might adopt.

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In order to look arrive at our conclusion, we looked at the software services that he SAP company offers and which might be in line with our company. The SAP Company offers opportunities in software development and management that were evaluated and that could be of great use to our company the main areas of interest for our company were identified and looked into to establish their usability and the efficiency that could be attained by engaging SAP. These were critically analyzed and recommendations made in regards to their usability to the company. Outsourcing software development and management to the SAP was found to have many advantages for the company and would be of great benefit.

The first item we looked at was data management. Also evaluated was the governance, compliance and the cybersecurity services (CRG) in the digital platform offered on the SAP website. Here, we looked at the methods used and the efficiency that might be accrued through the use of the software. Analytics including the predictive analytics used to drive business growth was also looked at in the effort to seek the best application for our company. The adoption of these software and outsourcing to the SAP could help improve efficiency in the running of the company ("Your Predictive Journey", 2018).

Data management

The SAP offers a way to manage data easily through their SAP HANA system that collects and combine different types of data on one platform, making it easier to manipulate it on a real-time basis. The main strengths of the system are instant data analysis and the reduction in data sprawl. The customer reviews deduce that the use of the SAP HANA reduces the data preparation time by up to 97%, and gives them a competitive edge in the market through dynamic maintenance. For security purposes, the data is stored in the cloud to avoid redundancy due to the change in applications over time. Additionally, it offers other variations such as the SAP Data hub and the SAP Enterprise Architecture Designer to streamline planning and execution while at the same time involving the stakeholders during the entire process ("Data Management | Data Platform", 2018).

GRC

The SAP's Cybersecurity and Governance, Risk, and Compliance software allow small and medium companies to adapt to the rapidly changing internet technology by providing security for their data and services. It is no secret that most companies of this day use the internet a lot in transacting and running their businesses. Of great interest was the cybersecurity services which include monitoring, detecting and responding to threats in a timely and flexible manner. To aid in this are the risk management, Process control, audit management, and business integrity screening software offered by SAP. Through the combined application, this software reportedly reduces security concerns by up to 87% ("GRC & Cybersecurity | Financial, IT, Vendor & Operational Risk | SAP", 2018).

Predictive analytics

SAP offers predictive analytic software that works through powerful algorithms that enable companies to get accurate and objective projections by engaging human inputs and machine learning. They also use automated decision making to guide in achieving the desired results. Through the use of this software, a company could increase their productivity and competitive edge, owing to faster prediction models, target marketing and improved prediction accuracy.

Critical analysis

The three objects of our interests as discussed above are not without shortcomings. The data management software, for instance, boasts of increasing efficiency by up to over 90%, which could be just a marketing ploy rather than an actual estimate. The purchase and implementation of this software are undoubtedly costly in terms of money and time. The upgrading to these systems also requires training and maintenance costs that might run high. In addition, the software is complex to use and might require a long time to familiarize and gain from them. However, the software is advantageous in that the flexibility it offers allow for customization and could thus be made to fit the company as best as possible. The use of the software could also drive the efficiency of the company up and with time decrease the costs of running the business.

Recommended actions

Through our analysis, we have seen the benefits and challenges of adopting the SAP systems. Though they may take a lot of time and money, the company should adopt its use to reap the immense benefits they could potentially return in the future. The company could do this by upgrading the existing systems one by one to minimize the immediate cost impact and train the employees with immediate effect so as to reduce the time taken to master them.

References

Your Predictive Journey. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.sap.com/documents/2017/01/3ef580ce-a07c-0010-82c7-eda71af511fa.html

GRC & Cybersecurity | Financial, IT, Vendor & Operational Risk | SAP. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.sap.com/products/technology-platforms/grc.html

Data Management | Data Platform. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.sap.com/products/technology-platforms/data-management.html