SAP strengthens its India cloud strategy

SAP India, a subsidiary of SAP AG, announced a unified strategy of delivering next-generation cloud solutions to enable customers better manage their critical assets and relationships, namely HR, Finance, Customer and Procurement.

SAP has fortified its cloud offering to enable customers transform their businesses and get better ROI. John Ruthven, Senior Vice President, Cloud and Line of Business, SAP Asia Pacific Japan said, "The cloud has profoundly changed the way people interact. In enterprises today, IT is required to scale up, provide real-time insights into business and help companies decide, respond boldly and quickly." He further added, "As we accelerate the transition to the cloud by offering customers choice, we will bring even more options to help provide enterprises with remarkable business value, radical simplification of their IT landscapes and tremendous competitive advantages."

Ruthven at the press meet informed, "We believe and are witnessing a significant surge in hybrid models of cloud adoptions. Currently, our global revenue is around €20 bn wherein cloud business contributes something around €1.1 bn. However, we are expecting this business to cross €3-3.5 bn by 2017."

SAP in India has infused the cloud DNA, into its business and has seen a surge in the demand from customers of all sizes giving companies the flexibility and choice they need to innovate for growth across their entire business on cloud. SAP hybrid cloud offerings in gaining momentum as Indian companies realize the potential for transforming business capabilities and driving new innovative services.

SAP's currently key focus areas include CRM, HCM, collaboration and procurement. Going ahead, they will add more features to its offerings. Rajamani Srinivasan, Vice President & Chief of Staff, SAP India said, "Businesses today are exposed to situations beyond cloud that includes managing people, costs and achieving customer satisfaction." He further said. "With a well-defined cloud road map and customer-first focus approach, SAP is empowering customers to leverage and extend their existing investments with the flexibility of deployment choices."

Built to help customers more easily navigate their journey to cloud, the unified cloud offering provides simpler, faster and richer than ever before with a holistic approach that include:

- Cloud HR: Solutions from SuccessFactors, an SAP company, to drive workforce strategies and insights with confidence, and empowering people to take charge of their career.

- Cloud Finance: SAP Cloud for Financials (formerly SAP Financials OnDemand), SAP Cloud for Travel (formerly SAP Travel OnDemand) and SAP Business ByDesign® solutions enable real-time intuitive financial insight to everyone across the business, assisting in compliant accounting and financial reporting for global enterprises.

- Cloud Customer: SAP Cloud for Sales, SAP Cloud for Service, and the new SAP Cloud for Marketing are collaborative, connected and insightful solutions using the underlying technology available in SAP Cloud for Customer (formerly SAP Customer OnDemand). A user-centric design makes it easy-to-use, while also empowering customer-facing personnel to make every customer engagement more relevant, personal and differentiated.

- Cloud Procurement: Ariba, an SAP company, combines industry-leading cloud-based procurement and invoicing applications with the world's largest Web-based trading community to help companies connect and collaborate with a global network of partners more efficiently and effectively than ever before.

Srinivasan said, "We have witnessed excellent adoption of cloud solutions and also that of cloud solutions from SAP. Most of the company's are opting hybrid models utilizing both on-premise and cloud solutions from SAP. One interesting aspect that is emerging these days is that the decision is being made by business head these days and in some cases in budgets are being allocated by them. This has enabled them to take decisions and roll outs faster."

Additionally, the rising expectations from Milennials, whose diverse expectations of employers, the workplace and the market itself, are forcing businesses to completely reconsider traditional business models. Milennials are pushing businesses to innovate - to do things faster, smarter and more sustainably and ultimately change the world. India is a key market for SAP with highest numbers of Milennials. The company is working with the best and brightest of Milennials in country to provide the disruptive and exciting innovations to the market.

Srinivasan said, "We have had a 3 digit growth in 2013-14 in terms of adoption of cloud and for us this has been the fastest in India. As of today, we are seeing a 75:25 ratio where the later are new customers for SAP."

SAP India already has large enterprise customers such as Ranbaxy Laboratories, Dabur India, Dr Reddy's Laboratories, Shapoorji Pallonji & Co, Balasore Alloys, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Max Life Insurance, Asian Paints, TCL Corporation, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries and Lupin are on SAP Cloud.

Furthermore, Ruthven said, "We have launched subscription pricing. Also, we have opened two datacenters recently." Going ahead, the company has indicated that new offerings and solutions will be added to its offerings. The company in future will be looking at growth through acquisitions and organic models. Also, there have key collaborations in place to facilitate its cloud business and are having partnership with vendors like Adobe to drive its cloud solutions into the market.