Unlock AI innovation with new joint capabilities from Microsoft and SAP

Microsoft and SAP have been companions and clients of one another for over 30 years, collaborating on revolutionary enterprise options and serving to hundreds of joint clients speed up their enterprise transformation. Microsoft Cloud is the market chief for operating SAP workloads within the cloud, together with RISE with SAP, and in the present day at SAP Sapphire 2024, we’re very excited to carry extra wonderful innovation to the marketplace for our joint clients. 

On this weblog, we discover the newest thrilling developments from the Microsoft and SAP partnership and the way they assist clients speed up their enterprise transformation. 

SAP on Microsoft Cloud

Innovate with essentially the most trusted cloud for SAP

Asserting new joint AI integration between Microsoft 365 Copilot and SAP Joule

At present at SAP Sapphire, Microsoft and SAP are increasing our partnership by bringing Joule along with Microsoft Copilot right into a unified expertise, permitting workers to get extra performed within the movement of their work by seamless entry to data from enterprise purposes in SAP in addition to Microsoft 365.  

Clients need AI assistants to hold out requests no matter knowledge location or the system that must be accessed. By integrating Joule and Copilot for Microsoft 365, the generative AI options will work together intuitively so customers can discover data sooner and execute duties with out leaving the platform they’re already in. 

A consumer in Copilot for Microsoft 365 will have the ability to leverage SAP Joule to entry data saved in SAP—for instance S/4HANA Cloud, SAP SuccessFactors, or SAP Concur. Equally, somebody utilizing SAP Joule in a SAP utility will have the ability to use Copilot for Microsoft 365 capabilities with out context switching.

To see this in motion, tune into the “Innovation: The important thing to bringing out your greatest” keynote at SAP Sapphire which may even be accessible on-demand and learn the announcement weblog. 

Unlock enterprise transformation with Microsoft AI and RISE with SAP

SAP methods host mission-critical knowledge powering core enterprise processes and may vastly profit from the insights, automation, and efficiencies unlocked by AI. Microsoft Cloud—essentially the most trusted, complete and built-in cloud—is greatest positioned that can assist you obtain these advantages. You possibly can lengthen RISE with SAP by utilizing a broad set of Microsoft AI companies to maximise enterprise outcomes, catered to what you are promoting wants: 

1: Unlocking joint AI innovation with SAP Enterprise Expertise Platform (BTP) and Microsoft Azure: SAP BTP is a platform providing from SAP that maximizes the worth of the RISE with SAP providing. We not too long ago partnered with SAP to announce the supply of SAP AI Core, an integral a part of BTP, together with Generative AI Hub and Joule on Microsoft Azure in West Europe, US East, and Sydney. Clients that use BTP and wish to embed extra intelligence into their finance, provide chain, and order to money enterprise processes can now accomplish that simply, on Azure. SAP clients may also reap the benefits of the preferred giant language fashions like GPT-4o accessible in SAP Generative AI Hub supplied solely on Azure by the Azure OpenAI Service.

2: Unlocking end-user productiveness with Microsoft Copilot: SAP clients can use Copilot for Microsoft 365, accessible in Microsoft Phrase, PowerPoint, Excel, and PowerBI in order that end-users can unlock insights, and carry out duties sooner. You possibly can go one step additional by tailoring Copilot to work the best way you want, along with your knowledge, processes and insurance policies utilizing the SAP plugin in Microsoft Copilot Studio. Now you can customise Copilot to connect with your SAP methods and retrieve the knowledge you want reminiscent of expense data, stock, and so forth. That is made doable with new Copilot connectors and new agent capabilities that we introduced at Microsoft Construct final week. 

3: Enabling AI transformation utilizing Azure AI companies: SAP clients operating their workloads on Azure can construct their very own AI capabilities utilizing the Azure OpenAI Service with their SAP knowledge to rapidly develop generative AI purposes. We provide over 1,600 frontier and open fashions in Azure AI, together with the most recent from OpenAI, Meta, and others—offering you with the selection and adaptability to decide on the mannequin suited in your use case. Greater than 50,000 clients use Azure AI in the present day, signaling the wonderful momentum on this area. 

A robust productiveness enhancement use case right here is the mixture of OpenAI, together with enterprise course of automation instruments just like the Microsoft Energy Platform which has SAP connectors accessible to assist a consumer work together with SAP knowledge simply and full duties sooner. 

For instance, a gross sales assistant can entry SAP knowledge to position product orders, instantly from Microsoft Groups, leveraging the ability of Azure OpenAI. Watch this video to see this state of affairs in motion. 

RISE with SAP clients may also devour OpenAI companies by Cloud Utility programming mannequin (CAP) and SAP BTP, AI Core. 

4: Computerized assault disruption for SAP, powered by AI: Microsoft Safety Copilot empowers all safety and IT roles to detect and deal with cyberthreats at machine pace, together with these arising from SAP methods. For purchasers utilizing Microsoft Sentinel for SAP, which is licensed for RISE with SAP, assault disruption will robotically detect monetary fraud methods and disable the native SAP and linked Microsoft Entra account to stop the cyberattacker from transferring any funds–with no further intervention. See this video to study extra and skim extra about automated assault disruption for SAP. 

Extra alternative and adaptability with expanded availability of SAP BTP on Azure 

Along with SAP, we not too long ago introduced the expanded availability of SAP BTP to 6 new Azure areas (Brazil, Canada, India, the UK, Germany, and one to be introduced) in addition to further BTP companies within the current seven public Microsoft Azure areas (Australia, Netherlands, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, the USA East-VA, and the USA West-WA.) Upon completion, SAP Enterprise Expertise Platform will run in 13 Microsoft Azure areas, and all the important thing BTP companies that the majority clients are asking for, will probably be accessible on Azure.

The expanded service availability, primarily based on buyer demand, unlocks AI innovation and enterprise transformation for patrons extra simply, as now you can combine SAP Cloud enterprise useful resource planning (ERP) and SAP BTP companies with Microsoft Azure companies, together with AI companies from each firms, throughout the identical knowledge heart area.  

New and highly effective infrastructure choices for operating SAP HANA on Azure

Final 12 months we introduced the Azure M-Sequence Mv3 household—the subsequent technology of reminiscence optimized digital machines, giving clients sooner insights, extra uptime, a decrease complete price of possession, and improved price-performance for operating SAP HANA workloads with Azure IaaS deployments and SAP RISE on Azure. These VMs, supporting as much as 32 TB of reminiscence, are powered by the 4th technology Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors and Azure Enhance, one in all Azure’s newest infrastructure improvements.  

At present, we’re happy to construct on this funding and share that the Mv3 Very Excessive Reminiscence (as much as 32TB of reminiscence) providing is usually accessible for patrons and the Mv3 Excessive Reminiscence providing (upto 16TB) is in preview.

Microsoft and SAP Signavio: Teaming as much as speed up transformation

Microsoft and SAP proceed to collaborate to assist clients of their journey to S/4HANA and RISE on Azure. SAP Signavio Course of Insights is an integral a part of SAP’s cloud-based course of transformation suite and provides firms the flexibility to quickly uncover areas for enchancment and automation inside your SAP enterprise processes. SAP Signavio Course of Insights is now accessible on Microsoft Azure and gives ECC clients an accelerated path to S/4HANA, permitting clients to unlock the worth of innovation by the Microsoft platform. 

Simplifying enterprise collaboration with new integrations in Microsoft Groups 

Microsoft and SAP have been working collectively for a number of years enabling organizations and their workers enhance productiveness by collaborative experiences that mix mission vital knowledge from SAP with Microsoft Groups and Microsoft 365.

At present, we’re excited to construct on this and announce new joint capabilities with thrilling updates to Microsoft Groups apps for SAP S/4HANA, SAP SuccessFactors and, SAP Concur:

Upcoming options in S/4HANA app for Microsoft Groups

• S/4HANA Copilot plugin: Customers can entry S/4HANA gross sales particulars, order standing, gross sales quotes, and extra utilizing pure language with Copilot for Microsoft 365. See a pattern question under: 

• Adaptive Card Loop elements: Share clever playing cards in Groups and Outlook (accessible for pre-release customers solely). 

• Groups search-based message extension: Customers can rapidly seek for and insert data from S/4HANA with out leaving the Groups atmosphere.  
• SAP Neighborhood search: Search SAP Neighborhood and share content material with co-workers in Microsoft Groups—with out having to depart the app. Whereas chatting with a colleague or a gaggle, click on on the three dots under the textual content area, open the SAP S/4HANA app, and enter your search time period within the popup window. From the outcomes listing, decide the subject you wish to share and instantly ship it to your colleagues. 
• Share to Microsoft Groups as Card: Talk higher along with your co-workers utilizing Microsoft Groups by offering a collaborative view that exhibits utility content material in a brand new window and allows you to have a significant dialog. 
• Entry S/4HANA inside Microsoft 365 House and Outlook too:

New launch: SuccessFactors for Microsoft Groups

• HR Process Reminders by Groups Chatbot: Obtain a non-public message from the SuccessFactors Groups chatbot, which can assist you full HR duties instantly in Groups or information you to SuccessFactors on-line for extra complicated workloads. 
• Set off Fast Actions by Instructions: Request and supply suggestions to your colleagues, handle time entries, view studying assignments and approvals, entry worker and supervisor self-services, and rather more!  

• Coming quickly: New SuccessFactors Dashboard in Groups tab. 

Coming quickly: Concur Journey and Expense

Customers will probably be to in a position to share journey itineraries and expense reviews with colleagues in Microsoft Groups. This app will probably be launched later this summer time. 

Microsoft and SAP collaborate to modernize identification for SAP clients 

Earlier this 12 months, we introduced that we’re collaborating with SAP to develop an answer that allows clients emigrate their identification administration eventualities from SAP Identification Administration (IDM) to Microsoft Entra ID. We’re excited to announce that steerage for this migration will probably be accessible quickly.

Driving joint buyer success 

It’s tremendous thrilling to see all of the product innovation that can in the end drive success and enterprise outcomes for patrons. Microsoft was one of many early adopters of RISE with SAP internally, and is proud to have helped hundreds of consumers speed up their enterprise transformation to RISE with SAP with the ability of the Microsoft Cloud. 

Development trade provider Hilti Group migrated its large SAP panorama to RISE with SAP on Microsoft Azure, accelerating their steady innovation roadmap. In parallel, it upgraded from a 12-terabyte to a 24-terabyte SAP S/4HANA ERP utility and is about to close down its on-premises datacenter to make Azure its sole platform. Hilti needed to be one of many first adopters of the RISE with SAP providing, which brings mission administration, technical migration, and premium engagement companies collectively in a single contract. The accelerated, on-demand enterprise transformation resolution was the proper match to assist evolve the corporate’s large SAP panorama, which serves because the spine of the corporate’s transactional enterprise.

“RISE with SAP on Azure helped us transfer our consultants and assets into areas the place they’ll add essentially the most worth, which was a game-changer.” 

Dr. Christoph Baeck, Head of IT Platforms, Hilti Group

Tokyo-based metal producer, JFE Metal Company needed to improve it’s on-premises SAP methods to a hybrid cloud technique to pursue higher digital experiences. The corporate selected S/4 HANA Cloud non-public version—which gives the SAP SaaS resolution, RISE, in a non-public cloud atmosphere, and Microsoft Azure was chosen as the muse for this. They achieved the migration of their SAP system to the cloud in simply seven months and are additionally driving additional innovation with the Microsoft Energy Platform. 

“We thought-about on-premises and varied cloud companies primarily based on the three axes of high quality, price, and turnaround time. Azure was the primary alternative as a result of we had confidence in its high quality, and we had amassed know-how within the firm. We additionally actively use Microsoft Energy Platform and different merchandise, and we appreciated the excessive diploma of affinity and integration between the merchandise.” 

Mr. Etsuo Kasuya, JFE Programs, Inc. Tokyo Workplace Enterprise Administration System Growth Division Accounting Group

Australian mining and metals firm South32 set its aim of transitioning its greater than 100 terabyte knowledge panorama right into a fit-for-purpose ERP system. South32 seamlessly accomplished part one in all its SAP migration to Azure, reaching consolidation and simplification of its property and constructing a scalable, straightforward to handle system atmosphere utilizing SAP S/4HANA with RISE on Azure by working with SAP, Microsoft and key associate TCS. 

“Now that we’ve moved our SAP panorama to Azure, now we have extra breadth of protection. Our environments are standardized, which gives our infrastructure staff with significantly better instruments to handle consumption and provides us transparency round prices.” 

Stuart Munday, Group Supervisor, ERP, South32