Read what our conference Prepare for the transition to SAP S/4 HANA was about. We organized it in cooperation with IBM, Tory Consulting and the newspapers Hospodárské noviny.

"I like going to IDC Holding. We have prepared sweet snacks at the meetings and the pleasant smell of chocolate in the entire area of the factory is amazing," Martin Nemeček, a technical specialist from IBM Slovakia, began to lighten the demanding topic. It was IDC that was used as an example from practice in the company's transition to a new enterprise resource planning system, i.e. ERP.

These systems allow you to manage a wide range of activities. Thanks to their proper use, the company can reduce costs and also streamline processes. They are not a new topic and are the standard by which larger companies manage production, sales, purchasing, logistics or planning. The most widespread ERP system in Slovakia is SAP. However, it will stop supporting its older versions from 2027, so there is a need for companies to switch to a newer SAP S/4HANA.

The king of Slovak sweets had several requirements expected from this novelty. The condition was the use of some parts of the current infrastructure, the company also wanted to maintain the use of existing software licenses. This includes the maintenance of three-shift operation of the company, data backup and last but not least, the price had its weight. At the same time, care must be taken to ensure that the entire implementation takes place at a relatively fast time and that no problems arise in the existing operation. The production of biscuits “Horalka” simply cannot get stuck. A clever system can do it all.

"We also monitor the entire environment to avoid unexpected outages," explained Martin Slovák, project manager at eGroup Solutions, who was in charge of the transition of IDC Holding to SAP S/4HANA. "We can also predict, so if there is to be an outage, we know about it before it happens. This will ensure continuity of service. ”eGroup has been a partner in the IT departments of various companies for 17 years and offers reliable technologies, services and operations.

There are several benefits that S/4HANA offers. It is the speed of the system itself that is related to both the hardware and the software part. In short, data is processed faster and ensures fast response of transactions and processes.

Another benefit is simplification. It comes across multiple levels. It simplifies databases and works for developers. There are new standard functionalities that were not in the original versions. The customer thus has the opportunity to use them without having to have them developed.

Another plus is productivity. "It was SAP Fiori that ensured that our managers are willing to work at SAP. This brought flexibility to the processing processes," says Milan Turcár, IT project manager at the Railway Company Cargo Slovakia. As you work in a new user-friendly environment, both user and developer productivity will increase. It is more modern, there are functionalities that allow you to set up automatic processes. This eliminates unnecessary work.

Integrated reporting is also a benefit. Until now, a modular approach has been used. "Everyone worked on their own sand, i.e. the logistics module or the finance module. The processes were partly interconnected, but from the point of view of reporting, there was no data that would really be from all areas," explains Jozef Bačinský from Tory Consulting. However, this is changing in the new version. The company needs to obtain information from all related areas, i.e. modules. This is what integrated reporting is for.

The last benefit is digitization, i.e. elimination of paper. The willingness of our managers to work directly in SAP was lower.

For the ERP system to function properly, the company needs a reliable platform to run the system.

"The transition to S/4HANA is quite mystical. Many companies, integrators and suppliers simplify the problem that the infrastructure is complex, it is expensive, that it requires a lot of specific props. However, IBM allows this infrastructure to be significantly simplified. We want to allay the fears of transition,” explains Michael Souček, an experienced IT architect from IBM Czech Republic.

IBM Power Systems has been a certified platform for HANA since 2015 and it is used by more than 5,000 clients worldwide. It is therefore good to use proven connections.

It provides significant simplification and acceleration of processes. (Michael Souček, IT Architect, IBM Czech Republic)

It provides connection of individual SAP modules into one analytical platform. (Martin Nemeček, Technical Specialist, IBM Slovakia)

It will help with optimization, speeding up processes, and improving the company's services. (Martin Slovák, project manager, eGroup Solutions)

I think that SAP is a very promising solution and opens up opportunities for the future. (Szabolcs Horváth, Director of IT, I.D.C. Holding)

The transition not only means a technical upgrade, but companies are also optimizing their processes. They tidy up, move to a new environment. (Jozef Bačinský, Tory Consulting)

Thanks to innovations from SAP, every company can advance and increase the efficiency of process processing, so there is no need to wait. (Milan Turcár, IT Project Manager, Cargo Slovakia Railway Company)