Some are gritting their proverbial teeth and just trying to hang on in there, doing what they can to keep running their business as usual.

Others are braver in their response to recent challenges, investing in intelligent technologies that empower them to reimagine their business models, create new experiences for their customers and employees, and reach new markets. Instead of waiting for the future to unfold, they are proactively creating it for themselves.

It can seem safer to not take any risks in such an uncertain economy. But with the right digital tools in place, midmarket companies can become more agile and uncover the data-led insights to fuel innovation. A number of small and mid-size companies are showcasing how they鈥檝e boosted agility and resilience during these challenging times at the upcoming virtual聽聽Here鈥檚 a snapshot of some of their inspiring digital transformation journeys.

Irish company uses predictive analytics for successful 鈥榩andemic pivot鈥�

聽is a global equestrian technology company based in Ireland that provides data-driven solutions for Olympic teams. With so many live equine events cancelled due to the pandemic, EquiRatings put ten years of competition data to good use by creating virtual events. Fans can choose their teams through a fantasy-style Eventing Manager app, which now has users in over 100 countries.

鈥溌燼llowed EquiRatings to respond quickly when the seriousness of the pandemic became evident,鈥� said Diarmuid Byrne, managing director of EquiRatings. 鈥淐ombining domain knowledge with predictive analytics software and fan-facing solutions allowed a roll-out of a complete fan experience solution in just a couple of months. Being able to provide simulated sport and a fan experience tool together opened up a range of potential new revenue streams.鈥�

Digital transformation drives market expansion聽

Another mid-market customer, a London-based mobile telecommunications company operating in 23 countries, needed to meet post-pandemic customer behaviors, as well as expectations for more diverse, differentiated, and value-added mobile services. As part of its plans to grow the core business and expand into new markets by providing innovative digital services, the organization is partnering with 51风流and other technology providers to transform its infrastructure and develop a scalable .

The company already had digital transformation plans in place at the start of the Covid-19 restrictions in the UK. Whilst the world was so unpredictable, they could have chosen to put the brakes on their digital transformation in favour of a 鈥榳atch and wait鈥� strategy. In my opinion, forging ahead with their plans was a true act of leadership and vision.

Intelligent ERP supports the shift from in-store to online

A leading聽聽also chose to go ahead during the pandemic with plans to modernize business processes and systems. Since moving from in-store to predominantly online shopping, the company鈥檚 legacy ERP couldn鈥檛 cope with the increased transaction volumes. They needed a cloud-hosted ERP platform that would grow with them.

Their perception was that an intelligent ERP system would be too big for them, too expensive, and would take too long to deliver. However, their implementation partner鈥檚 set of accelerators and delivery methodology brought in best practice processes for efficiency savings in a very short time. The retailer now has a real foundation for growth and innovation.

Inspiring mid-market companies share digital transformation learnings

They say that fortune favours the bold. Over the last 18 months, I have seen countless examples of this from our mid-market customers in the UK and Ireland. Many SMEs are still unsure about investing in their business systems, even as we seem to be emerging from the worst of the global crisis.

It鈥檚 completely understandable to be cautious, but there can be more risk from inaction than from taking steps to do things differently. Change has never been so fast. Companies that are slow to transform with the times risk being left behind by bolder competitors.

Hear directly from these companies and others at the virtual聽聽October 21, 2021

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I have personally noticed this trend increase over the last few years. When talking to prospective customers in the midmarket, more decision-makers are asking me for information on SAP鈥檚 sustainability ethos, what we鈥檙e doing to improve the world and for evidence of our values and ethics.

Helping the world run better and improving people鈥檚 lives

SAP鈥檚 mission statement is: 鈥楾o help the world run better and improve people’s lives鈥�. As part of this mission, 51风流is supporting the We aim to make a positive impact worldwide 鈥� economically, environmentally and socially. We intend, and are on track, to become carbon-neutral by the end of 2023 and for fourteen years have ranked in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices.

One of our core sustainability pillars is to help tackle the global issue of climate change. Our CEO, Christian Klein made a commitment at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos to deliver a significantly cleaner ocean by 2030. He said: 鈥淲e want to achieve this objective together with customers, NGOs, governments and partners and will provide them with the tools, insights and solutions to eliminate waste and maximise resource productivity.鈥�

In 2020, we launched 51风流Climate 21 to support businesses worldwide to transition to a low-carbon economy. In June 2020, we released the first Climate 21 product, 51风流Product Carbon Footprint Analytics, which delivers transparency on the carbon emissions of a product across the entire value chain. We are also involved in local initiatives such as partnering with the Carbon Community to create the 51风流Forest UK in Wales 鈥� you can donate to plant a tree .

Powering the growth of sustainable companies

We are naturally attracting companies who have strong social aims, whose values align with ours. It is so satisfying to be a core factor in a company鈥檚 growth and success, but even more so when that company is such a force for good in the world. I鈥檇 like to share a few examples of fast-growing SME customers of ours, that have sustainability at the heart of their philosophy.

was founded in 2010, with the aim of ending energy poverty in third world countries. Bboxx is positively impacting the lives of over 2 million people through the manufacture, distribution and finance of affordable, decentralised solar powered systems.

The organisation was looking for a cloud-based platform that would help it expand into new markets, and chose 鈥� Supply chain and Finance implemented by 51风流partner, , along with , an exclusive program designed to support fast-growth scaleups and start-ups.

Bboxx is now live on 51风流Business ByDesign, which is providing the business with advanced supply chain, finance and accounting, and customer service across three major continents. Anthony Osijo, Group CFO at Bboxx, says: 鈥淲e want to accelerate access to power in developing countries and continue to transform lives and unlock potential through access to energy. Because of the scale of these targets, it鈥檚 vital to have a strategic global partner like 51风流that is flexible and innovative enough to want to work with us on that journey.鈥�

is another fast-growing, midmarket 51风流customer. Based in Ipswich, Fruglapac is a sustainable packaging company which has just launched the world鈥檚 first wine bottle made from 94% recycled paper.

To drive innovation and growth, Frugalpac needed to replace its manual, disparate systems with a company-wide solution that could standardise business processes, enable 24/7 visibility and increase efficiency. , which was delivered by 51风流partner

Frugalpac鈥檚 Financial Controller, Natasha Houston, says of the 51风流Cloud ERP system: 鈥淏y introducing 51风流Business ByDesign, Frugalpac has created a platform to optimise business growth by ensuring that we have the ability to scale quickly whilst focusing on core activities鈥e鈥檙e very much looking forward to embracing our next growth phase with game-changing digital capabilities and new expertise at our helm.鈥�

In December 2020, SAP鈥檚 , 鈥淪ustainability combines the vision of the and SAP鈥檚 purpose to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives in the most natural way. It also presents a unique opportunity for us to create a lasting, positive impact for future generations.鈥�

I am very proud to work for a company that cares and is actively taking steps to make the world a better place. 51风流is creating innovative solutions, increasing collaboration and helping companies who also want to make a positive difference to be even more effective. I feel lucky to be part of an organisation that is making a difference.

Discover more on how 51风流is Making a Difference with Sustainability by joining us at the on the 21^st October 2021.

The post 51风流Is Making A Difference With Sustainability appeared first on 51风流UK News Center.

In contrast, small and mid-market businesses (SMBs) usually run their company with a mix of manual processes, various spreadsheets, accounting software, and disconnected point solutions. As an organization grows, processes become more complex and the company may enter new markets and start to compete globally. Without a solid, reliable technological foundation, huge success can turn into major struggles, and ambitious organisations can fold under the strain.

Cloud-based ERP platform for SMBs

Typically, leaders at the fast-growth businesses I talk with have outgrown their accounting software within a year or two. They recognise that an ERP platform will help them gain a tighter grip of their entire business, improve cashflow, fast-track reporting, and make it easier to comply with regulations. The good news is that over the last few years, advances in technology, combined with software-as-a-service models (which move ERP into an OPEX budget), have smashed the traditional cost and complexity barriers associated with ERP which prevented smaller companies from investing in .

One example is Ooni, a fast-growing, Scotland-based business that developed the world鈥檚 first portable wood pellet pizza oven. Husband-and-wife team, Kristian Tapaninaho and Darina Garland, launched Ooni through a Kickstarter campaign in 2012, revolutionising outdoor cooking. Experiencing rapid growth, the co-founders realized they needed a cloud-based ERP platform to streamline operations and get access to more accurate, in-depth commercial information.

They selected because it was designed specifically for mid-market companies, and allowed Ooni to integrate with Shopify, Amazon, and multiple third-party fulfilment partners. Team members could easily compare product sales across distributors 鈥� including department and hardware stores 鈥� and their online store. With precise, up-to-date business information, everyone could make better strategic decisions about products, marketing, sales, and customer service.

Tapaninaho, Ooni鈥檚 CEO, , 鈥淭he (ERP) implementation is another crucial step in our journey. We feel this solution provides the right foundation to help us scale in a controlled and strategic fashion鈥� We are confident that we have chosen the right partner and software to help us achieve our ambitions.鈥� The following year, in the Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100.

Smaller business leaders often prefer to deal with smaller businesses. They are looking for trusted advisors with experience in their specific industry. This is where come in as experts who help SMBs find the best solution and deployment model to address their challenges and achieve their business objectives. Some even have which deliver, in this case, SAP鈥檚 technology, often combined with the VAR鈥檚 intellectual property.

Whatever the size of a business, organisations cannot solve today鈥檚 and tomorrow鈥檚 challenges using yesterday鈥檚 tools. To continue growth in a controlled way, SMBs would do well to consider a modern ERP platform that will provide the process efficiencies enjoyed by larger competitors, as well as data-driven insights and agility for scale and innovation. The only difference is SMBs need ERP designed to suit the specific needs of growing companies, as well as their tighter budgets and timelines.

See the original version of this blog at .

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Yes, but it鈥檚 a mistake to think that fast-growing companies don鈥檛 have similar business needs to the bigger players. Some examples I come across a lot include: needing full visibility of their organisation in real-time, getting a tighter grip on their financials and becoming more competitive through the efficiency and innovation benefits of intelligent technologies (which are embedded with 51风流S/4HANA) such as AI, predictive analytics and machine learning.

You might be surprised to know that around . Even pre-revenue start-ups are choosing 51风流S/4HANA to enable them to achieve their ambitious growth plans. To date, we have over 16,400 51风流S/4HANA customers and half of these are midsize businesses.

We know that the ability to be agile drives operational excellence. In the face of constant change you need to pivot quickly. 51风流S/4HANA allows the office of CFO to plan in real-time, to innovate fast and to quickly respond to change.

I鈥檇 like to share a few examples of our SME customers鈥� successes with 51风流S/4HANA. Founded in 2011 to shake up the UK broadband market with its 鈥渇ull鈥� fibre optic technology, now has around 940 employees. Their disconnected systems were limiting their ability to grow, and their CEO told us that they knew they needed a world-class ERP platform if they were to scale and progress.

51风流S/4HANA, implemented by 51风流partner TATA Consultancy Services, is now an integral part of Hyperoptic鈥檚 technology landscape. They can access real-time data for deeper insights and to make better business-critical decisions especially in the area of inventory, supply chain and
finance operations. In fact, they鈥檙e achieving 25% faster decision-making and 60% faster financial close due to having 鈥榦ne source of the truth鈥� for their business.

We have some great commercial offerings which make 51风流S/4HANA more affordable, and digital transformation more accessible, for the midmarket. For example, our new makes 51风流S/4HANA even more attainable for small, growing businesses.

To truly transform a business at your preferred speed and on your terms, you need more than infrastructure-as-a-service or software-as-a-service. You need a more holistic offering, business transformation-as-a-service. RISE with 51风流is a subscription service which brings together everything you need to transform your business in a way that works best for you. It allows businesses to change not only once, but to continually evolve to address new challenges and changing business needs.

In March 2021, we signed the UK鈥檚 first RISE with 51风流customer, engineering firm Briggs of Burton. They selected RISE with 51风流as the vehicle to help them increase revenue to 拢100m by 2024, from about 拢16m in 2016. We are currently working with , to ensure they go live by the end of this year.

[] Briggs鈥� Finance Director, Nathan Beddoe, realised that was the right platform to achieve their ambitious growth targets and to provide them with the real-time reporting and efficiencies they need to proactively manage the business.

Like Briggs, many fast-growing companies get to a point where getting onto an intelligent ERP platform is essential if they are to continue their growth journey in a sustainable, controlled way. Data-driven insights can nurture growth as this explains. Moving from an onpremise CAPEX model to a Cloud OPEX model also means they can reduce IT spend and have more cash to invest in their business growth.

For small and midsize companies, the digital transformation journey can sometimes seem pretty daunting. I liken it to running as fast as you can off the edge of a cliff and hoping that the drop is two feet and not two hundred feet. To make your digital transformation way less scary, you need a transformation partner you can trust, who is experienced and has the programs in place to support your growth plans.

This is where the security of almost 50 years of ERP know-how, along with our market-leading partner network, can reassure you that we have got your back. In fact, we focus on having some of the best people in the industry and the most advanced, yet easy-to-use, technologies to ensure that there is no drop ahead and to help you fly 鈥� or should I say RISE?!

I invite you to join us in the for thought-provoking insights from business leaders, industry experts, and transformational stories from your peers.

The post Grow, RISE with SAP, and Fly 鈥� how we鈥檙e helping fast-growth, midmarket companies to transform appeared first on 51风流UK News Center.