The UK & Ireland SAP User Group recently surveyed its members on Simple Finance, and while the study's sample size is fairly small at 72 respondents, an eye-opening 42 percent said their companies are looking to implement the application.
Of the 58 percent with no current plans to adopt Simple Finance, the top reason cited was a familiar one: Thirty-eight percent of these respondents said they couldn’t make a business case justifying the cost over expected benefits.
Other reasons for hesitation with Simple Finance included the need for updates to respondents existing landscapes (19 percent) and a wish for more real-life use cases (14 percent).
“It appears that SAP’s simplification mantra is starting to resonate with customers,” said Philip Adams, chairman of the UK & Ireland SAP User Group in a statement “However at the same time, the research has shown that users are still facing challenges in justifying the business case and ensuring their existing SAP landscape is compatible. “
Simple Finance provides a range of improvements over SAP’s traditional finance module, such as a reduced data footprint, integrated planning and a “single source of truth” for running real-time analytics, as this SCN post explains in detail.
That last capability surely has resonance among ASUG members. Earlier this year, ASUG Research Services released a survey of the user group’s Financial Special Interest Group. A stunning 92 percent of respondents named analytics as the most crucial area of needed improvement. Many also cited the desire for rapid planning and forecasting.
It’s likely that many SAP customers will start their journeys from the Business Suite to S/4HANA with Simple Finance.
Some, such as ASUG member Florida Crystals, have already dove in with both feet—it was the first SAP customer to go live on Simple Finance 2.0. You can hear their story in the video embedded below.
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