The recent SAP TechEd and AWS Re-Invent events have prompted me to consider the extent to which cloud computing has become a central component of virtually every IT business solution available today.
As more and more enterprises strive to migrate to the cloud to take advantage of digitalization, it’s worth noting that cloud computing is a concept that has been introduced previously. In fact, its widespread usage can be traced back to the launch of AWS S3 and EC2 (Elastic Cloud Compute) in 2006.
Cloud services can be classified into three broad categories – IAAS, PAAS, and SAAS. Infrastructure-as-a-service (IAAS) provides services like networking, servers, data storage etc., through virtualization. AWS S3 and EC2 are examples of IAAS.
PAAS, or Platform-as-a-service, as the name suggests, provides a platform to build and deploy applications. Here the Consumer Enterprise has control over applications and data, whereas the Cloud Service Provider manages the rest of the stack. Services which provide libraries with an integrated development environment are examples of PAAS. For example, Google App Engine, SAP Cloud Platform etc.
Pre-built industry applications accessible through web browsers for consumption are known as SAAS or Software-as-a-service. Examples include Google workspace, Dropbox, SAP Concur etc.
Each of these different cloud services has its unique use cases and advantages or disadvantages. Some of the common cloud advantages these services offer are on-demand provisioning, pay-per-use, scalability, availability, resiliency, etc.
Cloud enablement of an Enterprise opens up many opportunities to innovate and drive business growth. Further, this digital core provides a strong base for other emerging technology areas like AI/ML, IoT, Blockchain etc. There are several ways in which cloud enablement can benefit business growth.
At Mindset Consulting LLC, we ensure all our stakeholders, including clients and employees, have remarkable experiences. Our Technology Services make a measurable difference to the way an Enterprise operates. Additionally, cloud enablement is at the heart of all the remarkable experiences we envisage for our stakeholders.
One of our top success stories involves cloud enablement for an Agribusiness Client, which was following outdated processes to update Master Data in its systems. The process involved collecting data manually from multiple teams using spreadsheets. This process of data collection, consolidation and updation took more than 30 days to complete.
The format in which data was gathered needed to be more consistent across various business units. Further, there was no mechanism in place to clean and validate the data before sending it for approval. Therefore, in other words, the main challenges were – no consistency in data format, different processes for data gathering in different business units, no ownership for data-related issues, no streamlined processes for final validation, approval, and creation of Master Data in backend databases etc. Therefore, the biggest challenge was the need for a digital interface for doing all these tasks.
Mindset Consulting LLC addressed these challenges by designing and implementing a cloud-based solution leveraging Microservices Architecture. The solution was hosted on AWS, with SAP Fiori being the platform of choice for frontend, business logic implemented in Kubernetes containers running on AWS Elastic Kubernetes Service, and AWS Aurora being the choice for the database. This digital application interacts with various SAP systems in the client’s landscape via SAP Netweaver Gateway through various OData Services. And allows for creating and managing Master Data Like Customer, Vendor and Material in the client’s SAP landscape.
This application boasts a wealth of features that enable users to create and manage requests, use a workflow engine, administer users and emails, set field visibility rules, generate reports, and integrate with other applications.
There are numerous benefits to using this digital solution. Now, the end-users have a beautiful, intuitive, and easy-to-navigate interface for creating requests. The application has helped to close communication gaps and improved collaboration. Further, the process is less prone to human error. Additionally, there is a noticeable reduction in redundant steps. It has lowered costs and optimized information access and timing. Employees can focus on higher-value work, and the Enterprise can promptly and efficiently achieve its business goals. Other advantages include shorter release cycles and reduced business downtime.
In conclusion, at Mindset Consulting LLC, we are constantly striving to improve the client experience through cloud enablement, delivering tangible results that drive business growth. Further, our cloud experts work tirelessly to ensure that our clients achieve maximum benefits from their use of cloud solutions, reaching new heights of success.
View our LinkedIn, here.
