Drive AI transformation by capturing the SAP migration opportunity
According to the 2023 Forrester Total Economic Impact™ study commissioned by Microsoft, organizations experience an average of 118% ROI after moving legacy SAP infrastructure to the Microsoft Cloud—making Microsoft Azure a preferred cloud platform for SAP customers to run their production deployments. And now, there's an even bigger opportunity for partners to drive innovation by helping more SAP customers migrate to the cloud and unlock the full potential of generative AI. Partnering for AI innovation as cloud migrations rise For more than 30 years, SAP and Microsoft have worked together to deliver innovative solutions and powerful results for thousands of joint customers. By choosing Microsoft for their SAP migration, customers can get more value from their data and accelerate business transformation with key joint capabilities, like the integration between SAP Joule and Microsoft 365 Copilot and the comprehensive support from Azure and SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP)—which maximizes the value of RISE with SAP. We also recently partnered with SAP to announce the availability of SAP AI Core, an integral part of BTP, including Generative AI Hub and Joule on Azure. And with the deployment of SAP AI services in Azure data centers, customers can easily combine SAP and Microsoft services to run joint AI use cases. To keep their access to support and get the most platform innovation, SAP customers currently using on-premises data centers will need to migrate their enterprise resource planning (ERP) and SAP S/4HANA workloads to the cloud by 2027. As more organizations move critical data and operations to the cloud, they'll be turning to experienced cloud provider partners who deeply understand their business and technology ecosystem. A pivotal opportunity for partners According to the 2024 Forrester Total Economic Impact™ study commissioned by Microsoft, the composite organization avoided costs of on-premises infrastructure of up to $6.3 million per year by migrating SAP to the Microsoft Cloud. That's where partners like you can play a pivotal role. Whether you build solutions or provide services, Microsoft partners are key to driving AI transformation for customers with the power of SAP on the Microsoft Cloud—and you can get started now with our SAP on the Microsoft Cloud Partner Guide. Between your experience with Azure cloud migrations and the resources available to you through the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, you're in a unique position to help customers unlock AI's potential through RISE with SAP on the Microsoft Cloud while growing your business, too: According to IDC, for every $1* of Microsoft revenue, service-led partners make $8.45 and software-led partners make $10.93. Resources for every stage of your journey We're here to support you with the resources and skilling opportunities you need to differentiate your organization and deliver the cloud migration services SAP customers will be searching for. As you progress through your partner journey, use these resources to guide your pathway toward earning an SAP specialization and growing your SAP practice: Skill up: Fast-track your path to an SAP specialization by building your skills in SAP migrations and Azure AI through workshops and click-through labs. Differentiate: Showcase your proven SAP capabilities with a Solutions Partner designation and specialization, so you can stand out from the competition—and SAP customers can easily identify and validate your organization as the right partner for their cloud migration. First, become a Solutions Partner for Infrastructure (Azure) by meeting the performance, skilling, and customer success criteria. Check your progress in Partner Center to determine what you need to qualify. Once you've attained your Solutions Partner designation, you can further validate your expertise by earning an SAP on Microsoft Azure specialization. Review the audit checklist to find out how to earn yours. With these distinctions, you'll then gain access to Azure partner-led offerings that help you deliver better customer experiences with comprehensive resources, extensive coverage across scenarios, and tailored incentives in one easy-to-navigate hub. Go to market: Build your pipeline of customers with a suite of go-to-market resources—like our Modernize SAP on the Microsoft Cloud campaign in a box. Sell and grow: Drive more revenue and keep growing your SAP practice with: New and expanded SAP RISE assessments to help you build top-of-funnel demand for SAP RISE projects and stay competitive in engaging prospects. Azure Migrate and Modernize and SAP RISE Partner Sales incentive partner-led offers—complete with pre-sales, deployment, and post-sales engagement incentives and sales materials for SAP migrations to the Microsoft Cloud. Co-sell opportunities through the Microsoft commercial marketplace, where you can simplify sales and reach more customers at scale. No matter where you are in your partner journey, Microsoft is committed to investing in your growth so each of us—Microsoft, our partners, and our customers—can continue to power the AI transformations that equip organizations for the future of business. Get started with the following key resources: SAP on the Microsoft Cloud Partner Guide Campaign in a box: Modernize SAP on the Microsoft Cloud Blog: Unlock AI innovation with new joint capabilities from Microsoft and SAP Envisioning workshops and click-through labs SAP on Microsoft Azure specialization overview * $ refers to US dollar (USD).Partners can unlock revenue growth with the SAP cloud migration opportunity
By: Omar Khan, Vice President, Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Product Marketing As AI continues to advance, an on-premises exodus is in full effect for customers. This presents a massive addressable market opportunity for partners, making it the right time for you to help your customers with modernization of their on-premises enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to the cloud. You can achieve this with RISE with SAP, the packaged platform as a service offering that bundles SAP software licensing, cloud infrastructure, and managed services in a single SAP contract. Organizations want to embark on this journey with a cloud provider they trust and on a comprehensive platform that’s proven to handle complex workloads. SAP migrations to the Microsoft Cloud can give you security and AI benefits through tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot, plus help you derive valuable insights from previously siloed data. Migrating can also help organizations tackle challenges like remote access, data center management, and increasing the speed and agility of infrastructure platforms. As a partner, you are providing services and solutions designed to support your customers and align with their values and needs. With the Microsoft Cloud, your customers can uncover innovation and efficiency that is trustworthy, sustainable, and compliant. With more than 30 years of trusted partnership between Microsoft and SAP, RISE with SAP on Azure is an ideal way to assist customers with migrations—and to help your organization generate revenue. Microsoft has several offerings available to reward partners for driving SAP migrations to Azure. Expand revenue opportunities through RISE with SAP As a Microsoft partner, helping SAP customers make their transition to the Microsoft Cloud comes with the opportunity to generate significant revenue—and our dedicated team of SAP cloud architects and engineers can help toward this goal. According to IDC 1 , for every $1* of Microsoft revenue, services and software partners earn $8.45 and $10.93, respectively, making this an advantageous opportunity for you to pursue. The 2024 SAPinsider survey 2 revealed that familiarity with RISE with SAP is growing, and 86% of respondents from organizations with annual revenue over $2 billion report they are familiar or very familiar with the offering. Familiarity is valuable, as it increases the likelihood that customers will adopt it. By combining SAP’s ERP expertise with Azure’s advanced cloud capabilities, RISE with SAP provides a robust framework for achieving cloud success, enhancing security, and preparing for an AI-driven future. The same SAPinsider 3 report uncovered that while cost had been the primary factor in choosing a cloud provider for RISE with SAP for two years, in 2024, security took precedence. The shift highlights a growing emphasis on safeguarding systems and data, especially as enterprise workloads migrate to the cloud. Fortunately, across Microsoft solutions, security is the top priority. Microsoft solutions empower customers to detect, monitor, and respond to threats in SAP using a built-in SAP connector—helping to build trust, foster customer confidence, and drive adoption. As outlined in a previous blog, the additional value partners can offer to SAP customers migrating with Microsoft is extensive. It includes powerful joint capabilities, such as SAP Joule with Microsoft 365 Copilot and support from Azure and the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). Customers can also benefit from SAP AI Core, an integral part of BTP, including Generative AI Hub and Joule on Azure. And thanks to the deployment of SAP AI services in Azure data centers, customers can easily run joint AI use cases. Finally, the power of Microsoft and SAP has significant benefits for your customers' bottom line. According to a commissioned Forrester Consulting study, 4 interoperation between SAP data and Microsoft cloud solutions improved end-user productivity, resulting in reduced operating expenses by $657,000 over three years. Explore relevant tools and resources To help encourage the migration of your SAP customers to the cloud, we have a collection of comprehensive resources that can help you address customer needs across scenarios, from secure migrations to AI innovation. Azure Innovate & Azure Migrate and Modernize provide guidance, expert help, and funding to streamline your customers' move to Azure for SAP workloads, including RISE with SAP. The Migrate SAP Solution Play - Partner Offers and Sales Materials campaign consists of a collection of assets aligned with the cloud migration evolution, including our Power of Partnership v-book, and can strengthen your ability to market and sell solutions to your SAP customers. Familiarize yourself with funding opportunities to support pre-sales efforts, deployment, and customer success. Build your pipeline of customers with a suite of go-to-market resources—like our Modernize SAP on the Microsoft Cloud campaign in a box. Discover how other partners are innovating with SAP and sharing their success with Microsoft by viewing Partner Success stories. You are uniquely positioned to provide value to SAP customers migrating to the cloud, assisting them to meet business demands and innovate for the future. If you are ready to help your customers discover the full potential of their SAP investments, be sure to check out these additional resources: Drive AI transformation by capturing the SAP migration opportunity RISE with SAP on Microsoft Azure blog post SAP on the Microsoft Cloud Partner Guide Modernize SAP on the Microsoft Cloud We're committed to supporting your success, and we invest in your growth by providing these resources to help both you and your customers adopt Microsoft solutions. * Throughout this page, $ refers to USD. 1 IDC White Paper, sponsored by Microsoft, “Microsoft Partners: Driving Economic Value and AI Maturity,” IDC #US52483124, September 2024. 2 SAPinsider, "SAPinsider Research Report RISE with SAP 2024," Robert Holland, 2024. 3 SAPinsider, "SAPinsider Research Report RISE with SAP 2024," Robert Holland, 2024. 4 Forrester: “The Total Economic Impact™ of SAP on the Microsoft Cloud,” commissioned by Microsoft, Forrester Consulting, 2023. Results are for a composite organization representative of interviewed customers.The Role of Storytelling in Community Building
On building community. "Stories are the single most powerful weapon in a leader’s arsenal." – Dr. Howard Gardner, Harvard University Storytelling has played a crucial role in human connection since the inception of civilization. It shapes identities, preserves historical records, and fosters a sense of belonging within communities. Whether conveyed through spoken word, literature, or digital media, storytelling possesses the ability to unify individuals, create shared experiences, and enhance communal bonds. The Power of Storytelling in Community Building Fostering Shared Identity Stories help communities define who they are and what they stand for. They preserve cultural traditions and values, passing them on to future generations. Encouraging Empathy and Connection Personal narratives allow people to understand each other’s experiences and struggles. Stories create emotional connections that transcend differences, building unity. Inspiring Action and Change A compelling story can mobilize people around a cause or mission. Communities often use storytelling to advocate for social change and inspire collective action. Strengthening Engagement and Participation Shared narratives encourage individuals to take active roles within their communities. Engaging stories help retain interest and commitment to communal efforts. Preserving History and Legacy Oral and written storytelling ensures that a community’s history remains alive. Stories highlight past challenges and triumphs, shaping future aspirations. I love a bookstore and find that they are great places to gather. I have many in cities around the world that I love to dip into over and over and that have wonderful schedules of events. Libraries as well, and most have programs where they sell books at a big discount. Librarians are also some of the smartest people you will meet and who know everything about the cities they serve. It has been interesting learning that "Barnes & Noble is planning to open at least 60 new stores in 2025 — a stunning turnaround for a bookseller that just a few years ago closed hundreds of locations and appeared doomed to follow in the footsteps of its shuttered competitors. Barnes & Noble opened 57 new locations in 2024 and operates around 600 stores in total, making it the largest bookseller in the US. In recent years, the bookseller has also leaned into the popularity of book content on TikTok and using #BookTok as the hashtag - and the post-pandemic thirst for "third spaces" to meet and socialize." - Business Insider To that end - our stories matter. Another favorite quote from Doctor Who, "We are all stories in the end, just make is a good one." Stories have the power to inspire, connect, and bring people together. Start by sharing your personal experiences, whether through conversations, writing, or digital platforms. Encourage others to do the same and contribute to a culture of storytelling that strengthens your local community, this community - the best community in tech. What story will you share today? And where and how will you share it? #ThePowerofCommunity #Storytelling #CommunityBuilding #BelongingMatters #CuppaCommuniTea #MicrosoftCommunity 🍵 Today I am drinking a cuppa Throat Coat by Traditional Medicines - Organic Throat Coa tea supports throat health with renowned slippery elm, used in Native American herbal medicine for hundreds of years.Check out the Newest Hello Cloud Activity and your October Winner!
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