Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We’ve gathered answers to the most frequently asked questions about ERP, Cloud ERP, SAP S/4HANA, RISE with SAP, and GROW with SAP. Whether you’re exploring digital transformation, looking to modernize your business processes, or just curious about how SAP solutions can benefit your organisation, you’ll find valuable insights and clear explanations here.
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is software that helps businesses manage and integrate their core processes within a single system. These processes typically include finance, procurement, manufacturing, supply chain, human resources, and customer relationship management. By centralising data and automating workflows, an ERP system provides real-time visibility across departments, improves operational efficiency, and supports better decision-making. It's especially valuable for growing organisations looking to streamline operations and scale effectively.
An ERP system typically includes several core modules that work together to manage different aspects of a business. Each module shares data through a centralised database, ensuring consistency, reducing manual effort, and enabling cross-functional visibility and collaboration. Here are the main components:
- Financial Management: Tracks financial transactions, manages budgets, and ensures compliance, giving businesses real-time insight into financial performance.
- Human Resources (HR): Manages employee records, payroll, recruitment, and performance, helping businesses support and develop their workforce effectively.
- Manufacturing/Production: Plans, schedules, and monitors production processes to ensure product quality, meet demand, and minimise waste.
- Inventory and Supply Chain Management: Optimises stock levels, automates replenishment, and enhances visibility across the supply chain to improve efficiency and reduce delays.
- Sales & Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Tracks leads, manages customer interactions, and supports sales processes to drive growth and improve customer satisfaction.
- Procurement: Streamlines purchasing processes, controls costs, and manages vendor relationships to ensure timely and cost-effective sourcing.
Accounting software focuses solely on financial management, while an ERP system integrates finance with other core business functions like sales, procurement, inventory, and HR for a unified view of operations. Typical differences lie in their scope, functionality, and purpose. Read this blog for more information: https://g3g.com/blog/why-transition-to-erp
Common mistakes include selecting an ERP system that doesn’t align with your business needs, underestimating the importance of change management, and focusing solely on cost instead of long-term value. Other pitfalls include neglecting to involve key stakeholders in the decision-making process, overlooking integration capabilities with existing systems, and failing to plan for future scalability. Choosing the right implementation partner and ensuring proper user training are also critical for long-term success. To learn about a few approaches to overcoming the most common challenges, read our blog: https://g3g.com/blog/overcome-organisational-challenges-when-changing-erp
Cloud ERP
Cloud ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is a modern business management solution hosted in the cloud, providing companies with real-time access to critical data anytime, anywhere. Unlike traditional on-premise ERP systems, Cloud ERP offers scalability, automatic updates, and lower IT costs, making it ideal for growing businesses.
With Cloud ERP, businesses can integrate and manage core functions like finance, supply chain, procurement, HR, and analytics in a single, secure platform. It enables faster decision-making, improved efficiency, and enhanced agility, allowing businesses to adapt quickly to market changes. To learn more about Cloud ERP, click here: https://g3g.com/sap-cloud-erp
Cloud ERP is hosted on a vendor’s servers and accessed via the internet, offering scalability, lower upfront costs, automatic updates, and remote accessibility. In contrast, on-premise ERP is installed locally on a company’s own servers, requiring more internal IT resources for maintenance, updates, and infrastructure management. Cloud ERP is often preferred by businesses looking for flexibility, faster implementation, and reduced total cost of ownership.
Cloud ERP offers several advantages, including lower upfront costs, faster implementation, automatic updates, and the ability to access the system from anywhere with an internet connection. It also provides greater scalability to support business growth, reduces the burden on internal IT teams, and often includes built-in security and compliance features. These benefits make Cloud ERP a flexible and cost-effective solution for modern, dynamic businesses.
Cloud ERP systems can be deployed in various models—public, private, or hybrid—each offering distinct advantages depending on your business’s needs:
Public Cloud ERP
- Multi-Tenant Environment: Multiple businesses share the same infrastructure and application instance, with data securely partitioned.
- Cost-Effective: Lower upfront costs with a subscription-based pricing model.
- Rapid Deployment: Standardised processes enable quicker implementation times.
- Automatic Updates: Regular updates managed by the provider ensure access to the latest features.
- Scalability: Easily adjust resources to meet changing business demands.
Ideal for small to medium-sized businesses seeking agility and cost savings without extensive customisation needs.
Private Cloud ERP
- Single-Tenant Environment: Dedicated infrastructure for one business, offering greater control and customisation.
- Enhanced Security: Tailored security measures meet specific compliance and regulatory requirements.
- Customizable: Greater flexibility to modify and extend functionalities to fit unique business processes.
- Controlled Updates: Businesses can plan and manage updates according to their schedules.
Suitable for larger businesses with complex operations, stringent compliance needs, or specific customisation requirements.
Hybrid Cloud ERP
- Integrated Approach: Combines elements of both public and private clouds, allowing data and applications to move between them.
- Flexibility: Run sensitive or critical workloads in a private cloud while leveraging the public cloud for less-sensitive operations.
- Optimized Performance: Balance between control, security, and scalability to meet diverse business needs.
- Cost Management: Optimise costs by allocating resources based on workload sensitivity and demand.
Best for businesses that require a mix of scalability, control, and flexibility, often used during transitional phases or for specific workload distributions.
For a visual explanation and more details on SAP S/4HANA Cloud deployment options, you can watch the video on the SAP S/4HANA Cloud page.
SAP & SAP S/4HANA
SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing) is a global leader in enterprise software, founded in 1972 by five former IBM engineers in Germany. The company pioneered ERP software and has grown into a multinational corporation serving over 425,000 customers in 180+ countries.
The company offers software solutions for various business functions, including finance, supply chain management, human resources, and customer relationship management.
SAP's impact on the business world is significant, providing centralised data management and global standardisation across industries, while continuously innovating to incorporate emerging technologies like IoT and generative AI.
Whether you're a small business or a global enterprise, SAP provides the tools to simplify operations and drive growth.
SAP S/4HANA is SAP’s next-generation Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system designed to help businesses run their operations more efficiently and intelligently in the digital age. Built on the high-performance SAP HANA in-memory database, it delivers real-time insights, streamlined business processes, and automation powered by AI and machine learning. SAP S/4HANA can be deployed in the cloud, on-premise, or in a hybrid model, and supports end-to-end business functions such as finance, supply chain, manufacturing, sales, and procurement—all in a single, unified platform.
SAP S/4HANA and SAP ECC (SAP ERP Central Component) are both enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems developed by SAP, but they differ significantly in terms of architecture, technology, user experience, and capabilities:
- Technology & Architecture: S/4HANA is built on the SAP HANA in-memory database, which provides faster processing, while ECC relies on traditional database technologies.
- User Interface: S/4HANA uses Fiori for a modern, user-friendly interface, while ECC has the older SAP GUI.
- Functionality: S/4HANA includes simplified processes, advanced analytics, and better integration with other SAP products, whereas ECC may require additional customisations and integrations.
- Cost & Upgrades: There are considerations around the costs of upgrading, licensing models, and the long-term benefits of moving to S/4HANA.
Transitioning to SAP S/4HANA offers numerous long-term benefits that can significantly enhance your business operations and IT landscape. Here are some key advantages:
- Faster, Real-Time Data Processing
SAP S/4HANA runs on the in-memory SAP HANA database, which dramatically accelerates data processing. This enables faster decision-making through real-time insights and analytics, allowing businesses to respond quickly to market changes. - Simplified IT Landscape
With S/4HANA, businesses can streamline their IT infrastructure by eliminating legacy systems, reducing customisations, and minimising the need for complex integrations. This results in lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and simplified management of your SAP environment. - Improved User Experience (UX)
SAP S/4HANA uses the modern Fiori interface, designed for ease of use across devices. The intuitive, user-friendly design improves employee productivity, enhances collaboration, and reduces the need for extensive training. - Advanced Analytics and Insights S/4HANA is built with embedded advanced analytics, such as real-time reporting and predictive analytics. This gives you actionable insights from your business data, empowering decision-makers to optimise operations and uncover new growth opportunities.
- Better Integration and Scalability
SAP S/4HANA is designed for seamless integration with other SAP solutions and third-party applications, providing a more cohesive enterprise system. As your business grows, S/4HANA scales to meet your evolving needs with minimal disruption. - Cloud-Ready for Future Growth
With SAP S/4HANA, you have the flexibility to choose between cloud, on-premise, or hybrid deployment options. Moving to the cloud with S/4HANA allows for better scalability, enhanced security, and reduced maintenance costs over time. - Reduced Complexity and Lower Costs
S/4HANA's simplified data model and streamlined business processes reduce system complexity. This leads to more efficient business operations and lower operating costs in the long term. - Enhanced Innovation and Agility
With S/4HANA’s flexible architecture, businesses can innovate faster by adopting new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT), directly into their business processes. - Continuous Updates and Support
SAP offers regular updates for S/4HANA, ensuring your business always benefits from the latest features and enhancements. This reduces the need for expensive and disruptive system upgrades in the future. - Future-Proof Your Business
As businesses continue to evolve, SAP S/4HANA ensures you're equipped with a future-proof platform that supports ongoing innovation and prepares you for changes in technology and market demands.
By transitioning to SAP S/4HANA, you are not just upgrading your ERP system—you’re setting yourselves up for a future of enhanced efficiency, agility, and long-term growth. Click here to learn more about SAP S/4HANA: https://g3g.com/sap-s4hana-cloud
SAP ERP Cloud Journeys
RISE with SAP is a comprehensive transformation journey to help SAP ERP customers transition to SAP Business Suite, to stay ahead of competitors and continuously innovate. It offers a unified package that includes:
- SAP S/4HANA Cloud: An intelligent ERP system that integrates various business processes.
- Business Process Intelligence: Tools to analyse and optimise existing processes.
- SAP Business Technology Platform: A platform for extending and integrating applications.
- SAP Business Network Starter Pack: Facilitates collaboration with trading partners.
- Embedded Tools and Services: Support for technical migration and continuous innovation.
With a single contract and one point of accountability, RISE with SAP simplifies the move to the cloud, enabling businesses to become more agile, resilient, and sustainable.
RISE with SAP is tailored for businesses aiming to modernise their SAP ERP systems, streamline operations, and transition to the cloud with a comprehensive, guided approach. It is particularly beneficial for:
- Existing SAP ERP Customers: Businesses currently using SAP ECC or other on-premise SAP solutions looking to migrate to SAP S/4HANA Cloud to leverage advanced features and cloud benefits.
- Companies Seeking Business Transformation: Businesses aiming to redesign and optimise their business processes, enhance agility, and drive innovation through integrated tools and services.
- Enterprises Prioritising Sustainability and Compliance: Firms focused on achieving sustainability goals and adhering to regulatory compliance, benefiting from built-in features that support these objectives.
- Businesses Requiring Simplified IT Management: Businesses looking to reduce the complexity of IT operations by adopting a single contract model that encompasses infrastructure, software, and support services.
- Companies Desiring Flexibility and Scalability: Enterprises that need a scalable solution to adapt to changing business needs, with the flexibility to choose deployment options and integrate with existing systems.
Learn more about G3G Shift to SAP S/4HANA if you are considering the RISE with SAP transformation journey: https://g3g.com/shift-to-sap-s4hana
SAP's flagship product, SAP S/4HANA, is a cloud-based ERP solution that leverages in-memory computing, AI, and machine learning.
GROW with SAP is a ready-to-run cloud ERP solution designed for growing businesses that need agility, scalability, and rapid time-to-value. Built on SAP S/4HANA Cloud, it provides a modern, flexible platform that helps companies streamline operations, gain real-time insights, and automate key business processes.
With industry best practices, built-in AI, and continuous innovation, GROW with SAP enables businesses to scale efficiently, adapt to market changes, and stay competitive—all with the security and reliability of SAP’s enterprise-grade technology.
Suited for clients new to the SAP world and existing SAP clients who want to start fresh with a greenfield implementation.
GROW with SAP is specifically designed for small and midsize businesses (SMEs) aiming to adopt cloud ERP solutions swiftly and efficiently. It caters to businesses seeking to modernise their operations, enhance scalability, and drive innovation without the complexities typically associated with traditional ERP implementations.
Ideal candidates for GROW with SAP include:
- Midsize Companies Seeking Rapid Cloud Adoption: Businesses looking to transition to cloud-based ERP systems quickly, leveraging preconfigured best practices to minimize deployment time.
- Businesses Requiring Scalable Solutions: Companies anticipating growth and needing ERP systems that can scale with their evolving business needs.
- Businesses Aiming for Continuous Innovation: Firms that desire ongoing access to the latest technologies, including AI and automation, to stay competitive in their respective markets.
- Enterprises Seeking Simplified IT Management: Businesses that prefer a streamlined IT infrastructure with reduced complexity and lower total cost of ownership.
Click here to learn more about G3G’s Launch Foundation if you are considering the GROW with SAP journey: https://g3g.com/launch-foundation
