Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard a lot about RISE with SAP and how it can help SAP customers take on digital transformation and become intelligent enterprises. This newest offering from SAP is a bundled subscription package that aims to make it easier for customers to move to the cloud and implement SAP S/4HANA. Since SAP CEO Christian Klein first announced this offering, ASUG has been hosting a series of webcasts focused on RISE with SAP and helping members understand its value and how they should utilize it.
On Feb. 11, Damien Johnson, chief architect for customer success at SAP, joined David Wascom, SVP of executive programs at ASUG, to discuss how a specific and vital group in the SAP ecosystem fits in RISE with SAP: partners. Not only do SAP partners help customers with their implementation strategies, but they can also sell SAP solutions and develop applications to be used in the SAP ecosystem. Figuring out how partners fit in RISE with SAP is important, so that they can quickly and easily assist RISE with SAP customers.
“RISE with SAP is—very much at its heart—a partner-centric approach,” Johnson told attendees.
During the webcast, Johnson answered questions from Wascom and attendees about the partner-specific aspects of RISE with SAP and how the partner network can help RISE with SAP customers moving forward.
Where Do Partners Fit into RISE with SAP?
At its core, RISE with SAP is a bundled package. Customers who purchase RISE with SAP get access not only to SAP S/4HANA Cloud and the hyperscaler service of their choice, but also to the SAP Business Technology Platform and the SAP Business Network Starter Pack. Additionally, the offering also includes solutions to help companies re-examine their business processes and tools to assist during the migration to SAP S/4HANA.
SAP has been touting the fact that all these tools, solutions, and services—even the hyperscaler infrastructure—fall under one offer and a single contract. In an earlier ASUG member-exclusive webcast, Robin Manherz, VP and chief performance officer at SAP, told attendees how partners and systems integrators are not part of this single contract. Johnson reiterated this point in this partner-focused webcast.
“The goal is that SAP will have one contract related to all things requiring and running the SAP systems,” he said.
Partner services will not be under this single contract, and Johnson noted that two contracts will be necessary to RISE with SAP customers who choose to leverage partner services. With that being said, partners are still an important part of RISE with SAP. Johnson laid out where they fit into the equation and how they can interact with RISE with SAP customers.
Selling RISE with SAP
One of the main ways partners fit into RISE with SAP is by reselling the offering to SAP customers. The SAP PartnerEdge platform helps the software company’s extensive roster of partners do many things: build, service, run, and sell.
Throughout the webcast, Johnson mentioned that partners who are part of the SAP PartnerEdge program will be able to resell RISE with SAP to customers, like any other SAP solution that can be resold. So, even though partners aren’t part of the RISE with SAP bundle, they can still sell it to customers to help them along with their digital transformation journey. Yet, Johnson emphasized that partners have to be authorized by SAP, obtaining certifications and meeting minimum requirements. He also noted that there are some restrictions by region.
Providing Service
The other way in which partners fit into RISE with SAP is by providing advisory and implementation services alongside application management services. Partners have been helping SAP customers as they implement SAP S/4HANA and other SAP solutions. The same remains true for RISE with SAP customers. While a single contract will govern the SAP aspects of the offering, customers are still able to have SAP partners assist with migration and implementation.
Johnson noted that, like the reselling aspect of RISE with SAP, partners need to go through a certification and accreditation process to service RISE with SAP. These requirements are defined by having a set number of employees certified in certain areas and with certain products.
Watch the on-demand recording of this webcast. Stick with ASUG for more content on RISE with SAP. On Feb. 22, 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT, join ASUG CEO Geoff Scott as he talks with SAP CEO Christian Klein about this new offering.