SAP experts recently provided the ASUG member community with insights into the benefits organizations can unlock from the SAP Business Technology Platform Enterprise Agreement (BTPEA), a new consumption-based model for SAP BTP services.
During an April 15 webcast (included with ASUG membership; watch the replay now), Sylvie Sollod, Vice President of Marketing & Solutions for SAP BTP at SAP, and Loren Corbridge, Global Pricing Consultant at SAP, explained why SAP is implementing this new model, how it can help customers pursuing digital transformation, and what key differences exist between SAP BTPEA and legacy SAP BTP licensing options.
The model enables SAP BTP customers to only leverage the services they need, as they require them, according to Sollod. “SAP BTPEA helps accelerate innovation and increase customer value through improving return on investment (ROI) and flexibility,” she explained.
How This Change Affects Current SAP BTP Customers
SAP is primarily implementing SAP BTPEA for net-new SAP BTP customers, but Corbridge noted that current customers leveraging the existing Cloud Platform Enterprise Agreement (CPEA) commercial model for SAP BTP will be able to do so “for the foreseeable future.”
However, customers interested in adopting the new model can do so within their standard renewal processes. “No one is going to start pressuring you to move off CPEA,” Corbridge said.
One of the most important notes for existing customers is that adopting BTPEA does not impact an organization’s technical landscape. “Your technical landscape will be preserved if you move [to BTPEA] at contract renewal,” Corbridge said, discussing the experience of customer-managed global accounts shifting to BTPEA. Moreover, no technical migration is required to make the switch.
“There’s no change,” she told attendees. “We can just flip a switch on your global account.”
Corbridge also discussed how customers leveraging services not currently included in the BTPEA model can still make use of those services once adopting the model. SAP will allow customers to purchase short-term and long-term subscriptions to any services not included in the BTPEA model so enterprises can continue leveraging them in their landscape without interruption.
CPEA v. BTPEA
During the webinar, Corbridge also discussed how the new BTPEA model differs from CPEA, noting that the similarities between these two models outweigh the differences.
The overall structure remains the same; BTPEA allows customers to pre-pay for cloud credits, and discounts are applied depending on the number of credits customers purchase. Organizations can use those credits over a specified credit period—typically one year. Additionally, SAP maintains a minimum price guarantee. So, if the price of SAP BTP services drops after customers sign their contracts, SAP will bill them at the new, lower price.
One key difference between the two billing models is an updated scope of eligible services. SAP included new services within BTPEA—such as SAP Analytics Cloud, public system option (BI and Planning)—while removing some legacy services with very low adoption.
Additionally, BTPEA will also feature a new deprecation policy to “streamline SAP BTP services,” according to Corbridge, who noted that this policy will have two groups. Group one will function similarly to CPEA and provide support for any deprecation service through the end of the current contract term. Group two includes innovation services, which can either be rolled into the first group over time or removed after a six-month notice.
Register to watch the full webcast, including the Q&A session, here.