Richard Duffy is an SAP Business One veteran and a well-known expert on SAP software for SMEs. He had the opportunity to have a long interview with one of the key SAP B1 executives. He was able to find out some interesting information and views, including whether SAP Business One is a cloud software.
Rainer Zinow is Senior Vice President of Product Management for SME Solutions at SAP. He is responsible for the portfolio of SME solutions, including SAP Business One with over 77,000 customers and Business By Design with about 15,000 companies. He has been with SAP for 33 years and was one of the first and last R3 and R2 developers.
SAP Business One Cloud Software
Soon it comes to one of the questions that is a kind of question of faith for some in the industry: Is SAP Business One really cloud software. In light of SAP B1's more than 20-year history and the fact that the term "cloud" was still largely unknown when the midmarket ERP was created, this is a legitimate question. Moreover, there are some experts (including at SAP) who only ever wanted to describe cloud solutions as such with certain technical approaches. There was also a noticeable marketing-driven tendency to first reserve the place in the cloud for SAP Business ByDesign and S/4 HANNA Cloud.
However, Rainer Zinow comes up with a surprisingly pragmatic approach in an interview with Richard Duffy: He explains that from his point of view a cloud solution is something that can be operated with a web browser, where the box or PC is not under the user's desk and where the user pays a subscription. As long as there is a partner who runs the solution on behalf of the customer and provides a cloud experience, Business One is a cloud solution for him.
Connectivity as a prerequisite for cloud software
Rainer Zinow goes on to stress the importance of solutions being able to work together regardless of the underlying technology. In light of this, SAP has introduced the Service Layer in Business One to ensure that it has a rich layer of data services that enable it to work cooperatively in the cloud.
In addition, there are integration options that are open in all directions, such as the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) and integration platform SAP B1i.
Pragmatic cloud for medium-sized businesses
The "pragmatic redefinition" of the SAP Cloud has long been a reality anyway. With offerings such as the one from Cloudiax AG or the Australian provider SMB Solutions Cloud Services Pty Ltd, represented by Richard Duffy, have long been tried-and-tested offerings on the market that Other type of SAP Cloud enable. An essential role in this is played by the SAP partner, who does not leave the cloud customer on his own. This still includes relevant application and process know-how and the flexibility that is essential for SMEs.
Is SAP Business One Cloud Software?
The other SAP cloud
SAP Business ByDesign vs SAP S/4HANA Cloud
SAP Business One Cloud Migration Costs
Data secure in the cloud
