SAP Brings New Generation of Cloud

New Cloud-Based Solution from SAP is aimed at helping businesses while simplifying their financial planning and analysis. An interesting bet for SMEs.

SAP announced the general availability of the SAP® Cloud for Planning solution. SAP Cloud for Planning ushers in a new generation of planning in the cloud, simplifying planning processes with a consumer app–like user experience. Built natively on SAP HANA® Cloud Platform, SAP Cloud for Planning embeds social collaboration and analytics directly within the context of the planning process so people can plan, analyze and discuss in context rather than having to jump to another application. This announcement was made at the FP&A Innovation Summit being held Feb. 18–19, 2015, in San Diego.

“The results of our recently published research on next-generation business planning underlined the importance of using a dedicated planning application with advanced analytics and collaboration-in-context capabilities,” said Robert Kugel, senior vice president and research director, Ventana Research. “The data showed that there is a correlation between the use of advanced analytics and more effective collaboration and gaining accuracy and agility in a company’s planning processes.”

SAP Cloud for Planning is a future-oriented solution designed from inception around people instead of technology. Finance and other line-of-business professionals can now help eliminate the complexity of their planning processes and quickly integrate corporate and divisional plans to drive better results with fact-based decision making. Its modern look and feel and natural flow between planning and analysis enable people to plan and simulate at multiple levels of detail, with multiple numbers of users, at any time without having to wait.

“Our mission was simple – build a modern financial planning solution in the cloud with the look and feel of a consumer app, and bring collaboration and analytics where they belong – within the context of the planning process,” said Steve Lucas, president, Platform Solutions, SAP. “We wanted to bring something different to market than what’s currently available in the cloud.”

The new solution is centered around the user so there’s a natural flow between analyzing, planning, collaborating and consuming information. Because it’s built on SAP HANA Cloud Platform, the in-memory platform-as-a-service, users can get up and running quickly with a future-oriented planning and analysis solution.

SAP Services offers several options to support customers looking to facilitate planning processes throughout the enterprise and embark on cloud transformation delivered by experts in both technology and industry. Three quick-start implementation options for SAP Cloud for Planning are available – proof of concept, initial implementation and implementation of a complete business process. SAP also offers full lifecycle options and support through its proven cloud methodology, SAP Launch, for customers with complex integration requirements.