Cloud computing will accelerate time to value, drive higher adoption of new technologies, and connect value chains in real time. Organizations will need to evaluate exactly which delivery models will help them innovate faster.
- Software-as-a-service (SaaS) Saas is a mature trend, with companies like Ariba providing solutions via the cloud. SAP is the #1 company, with 80 million+ users leveraging SaaS. With SaaS growing more than 20%, we see more apps moving into the cloud. While this is dominated by CRM, procurement, and HR, other apps like ERP are also moving into the cloud.
- Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) PaaS provides an entire computing platform in the cloud, including hardware, software, and open APIs to build new businesses and create new solutions. Apple is a great example, and the SAP HANA Cloud Platform will also be a disruptive platform for business.
- Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) Businesses are leveraging IaaS to get up and running in a matter of hours, without spending significant capital expense. This is possible through IaaS, such as Amazon Web Services. Even Facebook and others are opening their platform and architecture to develop solutions via IaaS.
- Business networks Companies are connecting and sharing information and transactions within the cloud. This collaboration will change how commerce is transacted. Ariba is leading this collaborative effort with ~1.9 million companies connected and $800 billion+ in business commerce. We believe there will be trillions of dollars of business commerce creating efficiencies in the way business is conducted.
SAP HANA
Companies have to reimagine business processes to remain competitive and best serve customers in the digital economy. From sharing data securely and in real time, to providing personalized and contextual insights, to changing how companies exchange and offer products and services, collaboration across entire vertical markets is key to value creation. Several trends are redefining the game:
Consumer buying experience
Business applications must be effortless to learn and use, just like consumer applications such as iTunes, Amazon, or Google. Solution complexity leads to low adoption, increased costs, and lost opportunities.
Network of networks
An open network serving a single market (example: travel, suppliers, labor) is valuable to its ecosystem. But a vertical network that connects to other vertical networks in real time is revolutionary and can only be accomplished through a shared set of cloud-based services built on top of the SAP HANA Cloud Platform.
Business connectivity at scale
The greatest challenge and opportunity in connecting vast ecosystems is the exponential data growth generated and consumed by the network. Connecting millions of partners and processing petabytes of data in real time is the core requirement to becoming the de facto standard. Only SAP offers the platform to meet this challenge.