Dive Brief:

• SAP announced Thursday it is adding artificial intelligence, machine learning and integrated analytics to its S/4HANA cloud ERP product.

• The tools will automatically provide users more insights into the data they collect, and therefore allow businesses to make strategic decisions based on that data.

• SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP suite includes services for end-to-end product management, finance and business management capabilities, according to the company. 

Dive Insight:

SAP is leaning more into the cloud. After building its empire on on-prem ERP software, SAP finally made the move to cloud in 2015 (though they still offer their traditional on-prem ERP software as well).

Now, they are adding AI and other tools that can allow businesses to get more out of the data that passes through their ERP system.

Given businesses’ mass migration to cloud, SAP, like Oracle and other traditional software makers, realized the future is in cloud-based offerings. S/4HANA enables the same functions as SAP’s traditional enterprise ERP (accounting, financial and manufacturing management tasks), but in a cloud-based manner.

Customers that chose S/4HANA also benefit from more regular updates. The cloud-based software will get updated four times a year, compared to just one annual update for SAP’s on-prem software. That fact alone demonstrates one of the major advantages to moving to cloud-based software.