The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has had a significant impact on SAP-powered financial teams, making 2024 a year marked by technical innovation. On the other hand, they encountered a skills shortage that restricted their ability to keep up with the rapid advancement of technology. Rapid technological innovation was identified as the primary source of the skills shortages of 91%, according to the most current Finance Team Trends Report from Research’s SAP edition.
SAP ERPs frequently have limitations, including complicated data management, integration issues, and a high learning curve that causes the pain of a skills shortage. This article discusses SAP’s development plans and their implications for consultants who want to thrive in this changing environment.
SAP S/4HANA Migration
In 2025, we expect a rise in the use of S/4HANA. This is necessary since SAP intends to phase down SAP ECC in favor of S/4HANA by December 2027. Although SAP S/4HANA offers increased flexibility, cost savings, and scalability due to its cloud-based operation, SAP finance teams find the transition difficult. Just 26% of SAP-driven finance teams have completely shifted to a cloud environment, according to our most recent Finance Team Trends Report. 51% of those who haven’t migrated say they intend to do so within the next two years, and 42% say they will prepare for the SAP S/4HANA migration in the coming year.
The process of moving to the cloud isn’t simple. The alignment of IT, business, and project teams is identified by nearly two-thirds (66%) of CIOs as the largest obstacle to S/4HANA deployment. 12% of the teams surveyed by the CIO said they intended to transform with S/4HANA but postponed the start of their transition. Purchasing easy-to-use technologies with data warehousing capabilities can help close this gap by facilitating smooth access to cloud and legacy data, speeding up decision-making, and increasing productivity.
Addressing Challenges in Data Integration
As 2025 approaches, the data environment for SAP financial teams is only going to get more complicated. As SAP finance teams manage SAP and other systems, this becomes more complex. For an in-depth understanding of their finances, 99% of SAP-based finance teams employ both SAP and non-ERP data sources. This includes non-ERP software such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), and Human Resources Information System (HRIS).
According to our survey of SAP customers, 82% of them agree that the primary challenge to financial reporting, forecasting, and compliance is poor data management and integration.
Accuracy and efficiency can be greatly increased by using logical software solutions to address these data integration issues.
Growing Requirement for Self-Service
With the rapid pace at which technology is developing, companies using SAP can no longer afford to wait for important insights from their data. Teams can run normal financial reports using the native reporting tools that SAP ERPs come with, but this doesn’t address leadership inquiries that an unusual report couldn’t address.
When SAP teams encounter these requirements, they seek the assistance of IT teams or technical consultants to provide customized reports. As a result, financial teams become excessively reliant on IT. Maintaining and integrating financial data is falling more and more on the IT department. This is evident from our 2024 survey, which found that 76% of finance teams using SAP felt overly dependent on IT.
By 2025, you won’t need to leave your important records to IT. With the help of SAP solutions, stay updated on the latest developments and give your company a competitive advantage in the coming year.
Boost Your SAP Finance Team: Simplify S/4HANA Migration
Eliminate the frustration of inefficient reporting and manual procedures. With automated transaction postings and real-time SAP data access, Financial Optimization for SAP enables finance and accounting professionals to concentrate on insightful analysis rather than time-consuming tasks.
Our Excel-based solution streamlines your workflows with pre-built reports, automated data uploads, and integrated error management, whether you are using it for monthly reporting or on-demand inquiry. The best part is that it reduces your dependency on IT, allowing your team to handle business challenges with more independence and agility.
Conclusion
SAP’s 2025 strategy is defined by its strategic emphasis on cloud-first solutions, advanced analytics, and industry-specific products. For consultants who are prepared to adjust to this changing environment, these priorities open up new opportunities.
We at Accely are familiar with these challenges and address them individually. By providing SAP ERP users with user-friendly tools and processes, we enable them to accomplish more with less.