In a recent LinkedIn post from Thomas Saueressig, Member of the Executive Board of SAP SE for Customer Services & Delivery, regarding SAP Business One and its promising future. He mentioned that SAP is committed to investing in the future and security of SAP Business One by improving its integration with the SAP Business Technology Platform, which will streamline development. Additionally, they are enhancing the features of its web client. These innovations ensure that SAP Business One will continue to evolve and adapt to the changing demands of small businesses.
In this article, we'll provide you with the product direction and the planned innovations of SAP Business One.
What is the Product Direction of SAP Business One?
SAP’s Vision: Strengthen SAP Business One as the ERP solution for small business and lower midmarket, offering flexible deployment models including partner-managed cloud, a solid global business core, enabling cloud extensions (SAP Business Technology Platform and SAP Build), and a leading user experience.
Global and highly scalable real-time ERP
The goal is to provide a global and scalable real-time ERP system that delivers a highly competitive solution for businesses. This involves offering an appealing maintenance model that is both efficient and cost-effective. In order to support businesses worldwide, the solution will include improved localisations, making it adaptable to various regional requirements. Furthermore, ongoing enhancements will be implemented to ensure that the ERP solution remains cutting-edge and continues to meet the evolving needs of businesses.
Streamlining customer value
Enhancing customer value is a key objective, with a focus on converting flexible technology and innovations into tangible benefits for customers. This is achieved while maintaining a low total cost of ownership, which is crucial for small and midmarket businesses. The platform aims to facilitate the rapid adoption of new business models, helping businesses grow and thrive. An intuitive web client design will also be part of this strategy, providing users with a seamless and efficient interface.
Leveraging SAP HANA
SAP Business One plans to leverage the unique advantages of SAP HANA, particularly in areas like enterprise search and advanced analytics. These capabilities offer businesses powerful tools to gain insights and improve their operations. By capitalising on SAP HANA, SAP Business One can offer enhanced functionality and performance to its users.
Partner co-innovation and extensions
Partner co-innovation and extensions are encouraged through SAP Build and SAP BTP, fostering a culture of innovation. Enhancing the developer experience on the service layer is a priority, with new design concepts, APIs, objects, and tools being introduced. This initiative aims to support developers in creating innovative solutions that extend the capabilities of SAP Business One.
Flexible deployment model – cloud, on-premise
Flexible deployment options are vital, and SAP Business One aims to speed up cloud adoption while promoting mobile use. The expansion of tools for partner-managed cloud will provide businesses with more choices in how they deploy their ERP solutions. Offering maximum flexibility, minimal complexity, and optimal business control for customers are key goals in this area, ensuring that SAP Business One can meet the diverse needs of its users.
What are the planned innovations of SAP Business One?
Core: Global, highly scalable real-time ERP
To optimise core business processes and continuously deliver enhancements and new features, based on Customer Influence.
Optimising logistics and inventory functions is crucial for maintaining efficiency and reducing costs. Similarly, streamlining CRM and service operations can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty. Financial optimisation is another key area, ensuring that businesses maintain robust financial health and compliance. To further empower users, enhancing usability across platforms is essential, making it easier for teams to navigate and utilise systems effectively. With the growing reliance on cloud-based tools, enhancing integration with Microsoft 365 is essential, allowing seamless collaboration and communication. Additionally, prioritising data protection and privacy safeguards sensitive information, building trust among customers and partners. By integrating SAP solutions, businesses can unlock additional value, offering SAP Business One customers a comprehensive suite of tools to propel their success.
Web client: Extend functional scope to cover end-to-end scenarios
Extended business logic coverage and user experience
SAP plans to extend coverage on critical areas such as sales and purchasing operations, service management, and financial processes. They aim to improve payment support and inventory management, ensuring your resources are optimised for success. Additionally, their project management and production systems are more robust, catering to the detailed needs of human resources and administrative setup. With the introduction of new Horizon theme elements from SAP, your business will enjoy a modern and cohesive interface.
Analytics, reporting and printing
SAP understands the importance of data-driven decisions. Their extended analytics and enriched reporting content, along with new design capabilities, offer deeper insights into your business operations. Moreover, their enhanced printing support ensures that all necessary documents are produced efficiently and professionally.
Integration and extensibility
SAP aims to offer robust extensibility features such as UI API and user-defined values, allowing users to tailor their systems to their unique needs. The VS Code web client plug-in wizard facilitates you to quickly and safely browse source code repositories and make lightweight code changes. Moreover, extended Microsoft 365 and Outlook 365 integrations will ensure seamless collaboration and productivity. Automating A/P invoice creation through the Document Information Extraction service in the web client further simplifies your processes, allowing you to focus on what truly matters.
Globalisation: Legal compliance and localisation enhancements
Ensuring legal compliance and adapting to local regulations is crucial for success. This includes addressing legal requirements, adhering to business practices, meeting statutory reporting standards, and setting default values appropriate for each market. To aid businesses in this endeavour, there will be enhancements to the electronic documents framework, tailored specifically for different countries. These improvements utilise tools like the electronic file manager add-on, electronic documents service, and integration framework, providing businesses with seamless document management capabilities. Additionally, the electronic documents service component has been further enhanced to improve efficiency and reliability. Furthermore, businesses can now take advantage of SAP's existing cloud services, such as SAP Document and Reporting Compliance, for better integration and adaptation to legal changes. These advancements ensure that businesses can navigate complex legal landscapes with ease while maintaining compliance across various regions.
In conclusion, SAP Business One is a reliable solution adopted by over 80,000 customers globally. It’s evident that SAP is dedicated to investing in the ongoing development and enhancement of this product.
The upcoming innovations ensure that businesses using SAP Business One will not only survive but thrive in an ever-evolving marketplace. As we look ahead, it's clear that SAP Business One is more than just an ERP solution – it's a catalyst for business growth and success in the digital era.
