SAP Global Partner Summit 2016: Exploring Co-Innovation Opportunities with Partners
On May 16, 2016, the SAP Integration and Certification Center (SAP ICC) attended as an exhibitor and had the opportunity to interact with many partners. Given the recent announcements for SAP HANA Cloud Platform and SAP S/4HANA, most partners wanted to understand how to leverage these platforms and technologies to build next generation applications in order to better service their SAP customers and prospects.
As such, SAP ICC rolled out a series of campaigns that would allow partners to build and certify their applications and solutions for as little as nothing – for free – or the option to obtain a discount on select certification programs. This would lessen the barrier for partners to adopt a platform or technology to get them started on building applications and solutions that would eventually earn the SAP Certified Logo to create market distinction and encourage SAP customers and prospects to explore the latest platforms and technologies for in-house use.
SAPPHIRE NOW 2016: Selecting the Right Platform for Co-Innovation
On May 17-20, 2016, SAP ICC met with over 45 partners, who wanted to discuss the latest promotions, but more importantly review their existing certifications and understand how to migrate them onto SAP HANA Cloud Platform and SAP S/4HANA. Many wanted to take advantage of the campaigns offered by ICC, but they still needed to select a platform that would best suit their customers, but would work for prospects in the future as well.
In the end, the best advice was for them to conduct a poll or survey among their existing SAP customers to understand if they were going to upgrade their in-house systems and if such was the case, what technologies or platforms were they considering. This information is vital, since it allows partners to invest wisely where it makes sense initially, then continue to invest as the demand grows over time as prospects become SAP customers.
Planning For The Next Certification with SAP
Once partners completed their due diligence with SAP customers and got their questions answered at the SAP Global Partner Summit and SAPPHIRE NOW 2016, they now needed to plan their development based on the platform or technology they selected to build their applications, add-ons or solutions.
To help with planning, the following questions should be asked:
- Do I have the necessary know-how in-house to build and integrate applications or add-ons with SAP HANA Cloud Platform and SAP S/4HANA?
- Do I have access to the right development licenses to start development?
- Do I understand the pre-requisites for certifying applications or add-ons with SAP HANA Cloud Platform and SAP S/4HANA?
Posing these questions ahead of time is vital, in order to understand and scope out your certification project, so the proper technical resources are in place with a full understanding of the financial investment involved when building, integrating, and certifying applications with SAP.
Now, to get started, prepare and provide a high-level architecture diagram outlining the key-integration points between SAP HANA Cloud Platform or SAP S/4HANA, so that an ICC Consultant can review it and provide feedback on suggesting the most appropriate certification program based upon your integration criteria with SAP. Now, use this information to plan ahead and e-mail your high-level architecture diagram with a summary of what you’re looking to accomplish during certification to icc-info@sap.com.
If you plan to be at SAP TechEd, please e-mail us at icc-info@sap.com to schedule a meeting with SAP ICC!
To learn more, please visit with the to explore potential certifications with SAP S/4HANA and SAP HANA Cloud Platform. In addition, explore the latest promotional offers available with SAP S/4HANA and SAP HANA Cloud Platform for future certification projects.
