Research from SAP partner, Basis Technologies, has shown that 59 percent of enterprises currently rely on Excel spreadsheets for managing changes within SAP systems.
Basis says a reliance on outdated manual tools and processes is having a direct impact on enterprises’ ability to achieve their growth objectives, according to the study. The study also highlighted that 88 percent of organizations said that the challenges related to deploying change create insurmountable barriers in SAP-driven business transformation.
The research polled 200 enterprises using SAP in the UK, US and Germany. Basis’ research identified that the “innovative capabilities of SAP” are not being realized by some businesses who are “concerned by complexities rather than embracing opportunities.”
Fears of operational disruption delay over a third of enterprises making SAP changes, while 96 percent worry about unintended consequences of disrupting critical business systems when trying to implement change within their SAP landscape. Four in ten say this process requires up to 50 percent more effort and cost.
David Lees, CTO at Basis Technologies, said: “Organizations are suffering from an SAP hangover that is hindering best practice, relying on archaic spreadsheets. It’s quite staggering that, at a time when SAP are releasing an enterprise generative AI offering, businesses are still trying to operate and manage their systems like it’s 1985. When SAP was originally implemented, there wasn’t the same level of focus on agility and change management.
“C-Suites need to upskill themselves on IT awareness so they can make more informed decisions. IT departments often operate in siloes and the CIO’s scope has changed aggressively so they don’t necessarily have the awareness of SAP that they should. The reality is that the modern CIO is focusing on newer, shinier, but ultimately less significant tech. Instead, to unlock their full potential, SAP should be at the centre of a business’ transformation strategy.”
