Navigating Finance Transformation: Assessing Your Path in the Face of SAP’s Migration
As SAP ushers its extensive user base towards the S/4 HANA landscape, finance leaders worldwide are at a strategic crossroads. With tens of thousands of ERP customers poised for transition, SAP’s push toward modernization is both momentous and tumultuous, representing a pivotal shift for large, complex organizations.
Why Does SAP’s Move Matter?
This migration isn’t merely a technological shift; it’s a financial and operational disruption. For the largest enterprises, the transition can translate into multi-million-dollar investments and a timeline stretching across years. In practical terms, the promise of transformation, while seemingly close, is still years away.
The Trilemma Facing SAP EPM Users
As a global leader in CPM and a Diamond OneStream Partner, we see SAP’s narrative unraveling into a trilemma for finance teams using their Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) products. Here’s a perspective on the paths you may consider:
Choice 1: Clinging to Legacy – A Risky Comfort Zone
Persisting with legacy SAP EPM products might appear the least resistant path. But it’s like steering a ship in unchartered waters. Here’s the reality:
Stagnant Technology: SAP pledges to maintain these legacy systems without promising innovation — a clear signal to set your sights elsewhere for growth.
Aging Solutions: With a technology stack over 15 years old, innovation and maintaining the demands of agility and speed continue to mount.
Support Gaps: SAP has communicated unclear dates of support and coverage, resulting in potential support gaps. These gaps simply provide risks in financial and operational interference that organizations must plan against.
Choice 2: Leaping into the Unknown – SAP’s New Proposition
For those seeking immediacy in finance transformation, SAP proposes a new mix of products including SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC), Group Reporting, and the mandatory S/4 HANA. This path, however, is full of uncertainties:
Uncharted Territory: The SAP’s next-gen EPM solutions are in their infancy with limited customer references — a high-stakes gamble for any enterprise.
Fragmented Approach: The promise of a comprehensive solution is undercut by a fractured ecosystem, punctuated by multiple integration points and a prolonged time to value.
Choice 3: The OneStream Advantage – A Leap Towards True Transformation
This is where Black Diamond Advisory and OneStream step in. Completely agnostic to ERP strategy, we offer an alternative path — a coherent, robust platform empowering over 300 former SAP customers and over 1,400 customers globally.
Unified Operations: OneStream’s platform is a platform; uniting actuals, plans, and analytics in one solution, abolishing the need to manage data across disparate systems.
Mastering Complexity: No risky integrations and countless validations. OneStream’s platform is designed to tame complexity, not compound it.
Financial Consolidation and Reporting: With advanced capabilities built into the core, OneStream aligns with various reporting standards, from US GAAP to IFRS, catering to intricate accounting needs.
Integrated Business Planning: OneStream aligns operational and financial planning, where HR, Sales, and Finance converge within a system that speaks the language of both detail and big-picture analysis.
Scalability for the Future: As your organization expands, so does OneStream. Without the need for additional licensing purchases, OneStream’s marketplace solutions grow with you, addressing new challenges and complexities as they arise.
