Enterprises in Brazil Embrace Automation in Transition to SAP S/4HANA

ISG Provider Lens report finds Brazilian companies looking for service providers to help convert legacy custom code to SAP’s new ERP system

SÃO PAULO, Brazil, Aug. 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Enterprises in Brazil are adopting SAP’s S/4HANA intelligent ERP system and moving SAP workloads to the cloud using automation tools to do the heavy lifting, according to a new report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens SAP HANA and Leonardo Ecosystem Partners Report for Brazil finds SAP service providers offering fine-tuned tools to help enterprises there convert data from legacy ERP systems to S/4HANA. Code inspection tools accelerate the conversion and replacement of customized code.

Most large enterprises in Brazil are taking a brownfield approach and using automation tools to convert legacy customized code and ERP systems to S/4HANA, the report says. In some cases, they decouple the legacy customizations from the ERP core while deploying artificial intelligence-powered automation and DevOps capabilities.

Enterprises using a service provider to transform their ERP to S/4HANA should evaluate the conversion tools and accelerators offered, said Jan Erik Aase, director and global leader, ISG Provider Lens Research. “Some providers have developed industry-specific configuration templates and conversion tools that improve their ability to complete the project,” he added. “The ability to decouple custom code and convert it to independent apps is highly recommended.”

In the Brazil midmarket, automated tools and frameworks are enabling fast transformation projects, the report adds. Service providers in the country have developed the expertise to deliver S/4HANA at competitive prices, helping midmarket clients migrate from other platforms to SAP.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped transformation projects that were already started, the report adds. In many cases, employees at service providers have been able to continue working from home. Available tools can remotely enable data migration and automated testing, while remote users can test the solution over the cloud.

The report also finds automation being heavily used in the managed application services market for SAP. While automation has not replaced human coding, it is being used for repetitive tasks, including incident classification, documentation, incident analytics, alerts and incident prediction.