Which cloud is best for SAP?

Choosing the right cloud platform for hosting SAP applications is a decision that can significantly impact an organization’s performance, flexibility, and growth. As more enterprises move their critical SAP systems to the cloud, the choice of provider becomes crucial to ensure that these complex, resource-intensive applications perform optimally and reliably. This decision not only affects technical aspects like scalability and security but also has strategic implications for innovation, analytics, and operational efficiency. 

When it comes to cloud platforms for SAP, three industry giants dominate the landscape: Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Each of these providers brings distinct strengths to the table, offering unique capabilities tailored to specific business needs. From Azure’s seamless integration with Microsoft products to AWS’s robust global infrastructure and GCP’s advanced analytics tools, each platform has much to offer. Understanding the strengths of each can help organizations align their SAP strategy with their business goals. 

Key Criteria for Selecting a Cloud Platform for SAP 

When evaluating which cloud provider best supports SAP workloads, several key factors should guide the decision: 

• Integration with Existing Technology: For many businesses, the ability to integrate SAP applications with existing systems is essential. A cloud platform that aligns smoothly with the organization’s technology stack can streamline operations and enhance productivity. For example, businesses deeply invested in Microsoft products may find Azure’s compatibility beneficial. 

• Performance and Scalability: SAP applications require significant computational resources, especially for large-scale SAP HANA deployments. The best cloud platform should not only handle current demands but also support future growth. Scalability—both vertical and horizontal—is vital to accommodate evolving data and processing needs without disruptions. 

• Security and Compliance: Given that SAP applications often handle sensitive data, the chosen cloud provider must offer a robust security framework and meet regulatory standards specific to the industry. This includes data encryption, identity management, and adherence to global compliance standards, ensuring that organizations can trust the platform with critical information. 

• Global Reach and Support for Multinational Operations: For companies operating across multiple regions, the provider’s global infrastructure is essential for ensuring low-latency access and consistent performance. A provider with an extensive network of data centers enables businesses to deploy SAP applications closer to their end-users, improving speed and reliability. 

• Advanced Analytics and Innovation Potential: As SAP systems evolve to support data-driven decision-making, many organizations seek a platform that can offer advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning capabilities. Integrating these tools with SAP data can unlock new insights, drive innovation, and support a competitive edge, especially for businesses focused on digital transformation. 

In short, selecting a cloud platform for SAP involves a careful assessment of these factors, weighing how well each provider’s strengths align with the business’s specific needs and strategic goals. 

Microsoft Azure for SAP 

Strengths of Azure: 

• Seamless Integration for Companies Already Using Microsoft Products: For businesses heavily invested in Microsoft technologies, Azure offers unparalleled integration with existing Microsoft tools and services. Organizations using products like Office 365, Dynamics 365, and Windows Server can easily extend their infrastructure to the cloud, allowing for streamlined operations and a unified environment. This synergy helps reduce complexity and enhances productivity by enabling seamless workflows across platforms. 

• High Scalability for SAP HANA Workloads with M-series VMs: Azure’s infrastructure is designed to handle demanding SAP applications with ease. The platform’s M-series virtual machines (VMs) are specifically optimized for SAP HANA, offering massive scalability. These VMs can support workloads up to 20 TB on a single node, with the ability to scale out to 120 TB, making Azure a compelling choice for organizations requiring high-performance computing and storage for their SAP systems. 

• Strong Security Framework and Compliance Portfolio for Regulated Industries: Security and compliance are top priorities for enterprises operating in industries with stringent regulatory requirements, such as finance, healthcare, and government. Azure’s comprehensive security framework, including identity and access management, encryption, and advanced threat protection, ensures that SAP applications are protected against evolving cyber threats. Additionally, Azure’s extensive compliance certifications, including ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR, make it an attractive option for organizations that must meet complex compliance standards. 

Key SAP Offerings on Azure: 

• SAP S/4HANA: Azure offers full support for SAP’s next-generation enterprise resource planning (ERP) suite, S/4HANA. This allows businesses to run their most critical operations on a high-performance, scalable cloud infrastructure optimized for real-time analytics and operational efficiency. 

• SAP Business Suite: Azure also supports the broader SAP Business Suite, which includes applications for supply chain management, customer relationship management, and human resources. This comprehensive suite provides a flexible, integrated platform for businesses to manage their core operations. 

• SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud: Azure’s robust infrastructure is well-suited to host SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud, offering a fully managed service that provides high availability and reliable performance for SAP applications. This offering allows businesses to offload the complexity of SAP HANA management while benefiting from the flexibility and scalability of Azure. 

Azure’s Value Proposition for SAP: 

Azure’s infrastructure is optimized for running high-performance, mission-critical SAP applications. With its advanced virtualization capabilities, particularly through M-series VMs, Azure delivers the computing power and storage needed for large-scale SAP HANA workloads. This ensures businesses can run SAP applications with minimal latency and optimal performance, even at scale. 

Furthermore, Azure’s enterprise-grade service level agreements (SLAs) provide the reliability that enterprises require for their SAP deployments. With uptime guarantees and robust disaster recovery options, Azure offers peace of mind for businesses relying on SAP for their most critical processes. 

Azure’s extensive global reach ensures that businesses can deploy SAP applications close to their users, providing low-latency access and a consistent experience across regions. Whether serving a global workforce or regional customers, Azure’s data center network enables businesses to expand their SAP environments with ease, ensuring high availability and performance across the globe. 

Strengths of AWS: 

• Long-standing Partnership with SAP, Providing Tailored Support: AWS has been a trusted partner of SAP for many years, offering specialized support and services designed to optimize SAP workloads in the cloud. This longstanding relationship means that AWS has developed deep expertise in hosting SAP applications, ensuring that businesses receive not only the infrastructure they need but also the specialized assistance and resources to run their SAP environments efficiently. 

• Extensive Global Infrastructure for Low-Latency Access, Ideal for Global Enterprises: AWS boasts one of the most extensive and reliable cloud infrastructures in the world, with a vast network of data centers spread across numerous regions. This global reach allows businesses to deploy SAP applications close to their user base, ensuring low-latency access and a consistent experience for users regardless of location. Whether a business is operating in multiple continents or just needs regional data redundancy, AWS offers the global coverage needed to support multinational operations seamlessly. 

Key SAP Offerings on AWS: 

• Dedicated, High-Performance Instances for SAP Applications: AWS provides dedicated instances optimized for SAP applications, offering high-performance compute resources tailored to meet the needs of resource-intensive workloads like SAP HANA. These instances are designed to ensure that enterprises can run their SAP applications with the necessary speed, scalability, and reliability, all while taking advantage of AWS’s flexible cloud infrastructure. 

• Specialized Instances Optimized for Various SAP Workloads: AWS offers a variety of instance types that are specifically tailored for different SAP workloads. Whether you are running transactional systems, data analytics, or complex enterprise applications, AWS has specialized instances that are fine-tuned to handle each scenario. These instance types are designed to provide optimal performance, cost efficiency, and scalability, ensuring that businesses can meet their unique SAP needs. 

AWS’s Value Proposition for SAP: 

AWS’s flexibility is one of its key advantages for businesses adopting SAP in the cloud. The platform’s ability to integrate cloud-native services alongside traditional SAP workloads offers companies a unique opportunity to leverage the full power of the AWS ecosystem.  

Businesses can take advantage of services such as machine learning, big data analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) while maintaining the core SAP infrastructure. This ability to seamlessly incorporate modern cloud capabilities makes AWS a strong choice for organizations needing extensive customization or looking to innovate with new technologies alongside their SAP deployment. 

Additionally, AWS’s broad selection of services and instance types ensures that businesses have the flexibility to scale their SAP environments as needed. Whether your company is expanding rapidly or seeking to optimize cost-efficiency, AWS offers a cloud solution that can adapt to the specific requirements of any SAP deployment. 

Strengths of GCP: 

• Advanced Analytics and AI Tools for Data-Driven Insights: Google Cloud Platform (GCP) stands out with its advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, making it an ideal choice for organizations looking to leverage data-driven insights. GCP integrates seamlessly with SAP environments, allowing businesses to harness the power of tools like BigQuery for large-scale data analytics and AI/ML capabilities to enhance business processes. This integration opens up new opportunities for businesses to derive deeper insights from their SAP data, enabling smarter decision-making and innovation. 

• Support for Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Environments via Anthos, Ideal for Complex Deployments: GCP’s Anthos platform is a major strength, offering enterprises the flexibility to manage SAP workloads across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. This is especially beneficial for organizations with complex IT infrastructures that require seamless management between on-premise systems, GCP, and other public clouds. With Anthos, businesses can ensure operational consistency, control, and security across a diverse array of deployments, allowing them to optimize their SAP applications without being tied to a single cloud provider. 

Key SAP Offerings on GCP: 

• SAP S/4HANA Cloud: GCP offers a fully managed SAP S/4HANA Cloud solution that allows businesses to run their SAP applications with minimal overhead while enjoying the flexibility of the cloud. SAP S/4HANA Cloud on GCP provides powerful features for finance, supply chain, and other enterprise functions, combined with the scalability and security of the Google Cloud infrastructure. This offering enables organizations to unlock real-time insights and accelerate their digital transformation with a solution that is optimized for the cloud. 

• SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP): Google Cloud also supports SAP’s Business Technology Platform (BTP), which helps organizations drive business innovation by integrating data management, analytics, and application development. With SAP BTP on GCP, businesses can run their core SAP applications alongside advanced analytics and AI services, providing a robust platform for driving transformation and innovation across the enterprise. 

GCP’s Value Proposition for SAP: 

Google Cloud’s value proposition for SAP lies in its ability to merge the reliability of traditional SAP workloads with cutting-edge data capabilities. For organizations looking to push the envelope on innovation, GCP offers unmatched opportunities to leverage AI, machine learning, and data analytics alongside their SAP applications. This ability to combine enterprise reliability with advanced analytics makes GCP particularly appealing for companies looking to stay ahead in a data-driven world while maintaining the performance and dependability of their core SAP systems. 

With its support for hybrid and multi-cloud environments, GCP is an excellent choice for businesses seeking flexibility and scalability in their SAP deployment, while its analytics-driven approach makes it an attractive option for organizations wanting to enhance their SAP data with the latest in AI-powered insights. Whether through real-time business intelligence or innovative machine learning applications, GCP offers unique advantages that align with the digital transformation goals of modern enterprises. 

Comparative Analysis 

Feature-by-Feature Comparison 

When selecting a cloud platform for hosting SAP applications, businesses must carefully evaluate the features, strengths, and ideal use cases of each cloud provider. Below is a summary of how Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) compare based on key criteria: 

Summing Up 

Choosing the right cloud provider for your SAP deployment is a strategic decision that should align with your organization’s specific needs, goals, and existing technology stack. 

• Microsoft Azure: Ideal for businesses already entrenched in the Microsoft ecosystem, Azure offers seamless integration, high scalability for SAP HANA, and a comprehensive security framework. It’s a strong choice for enterprises focused on high-performance, mission-critical applications, especially those in regulated industries. 

• Amazon Web Services (AWS): With its robust global infrastructure, deep SAP integration, and flexibility in adapting cloud-native services, AWS is well-suited for global enterprises needing high-performance SAP applications, extensive customization, and a broad range of support options. 

• Google Cloud Platform (GCP): GCP stands out with its advanced analytics, AI tools, and strong hybrid cloud capabilities. It is perfect for companies seeking to innovate with data and machine learning while maintaining the reliability of SAP. Its flexibility and multi-cloud support make it a great choice for organizations with complex deployment requirements. 

Ultimately, the best cloud platform for SAP will depend on the unique goals and requirements of your organization. It’s essential to align your SAP deployment with the specific strengths of each provider to ensure optimal performance, scalability, and innovation potential. 

SAP on Azure Solutions by Embee 

For businesses looking to deploy SAP on Microsoft Azure, Embee offers specialized solutions tailored to optimize the SAP environment. Embee, with its deep expertise in cloud computing and SAP implementations, provides end-to-end support for deploying, managing, and optimizing SAP applications on Azure.  

This partnership ensures that businesses can leverage Azure’s full capabilities while benefiting from Embee’s specialized support and services. Whether you’re looking for enhanced security, compliance, or scalability, Embee’s SAP on Azure solutions can help unlock the full potential of your SAP deployment in the cloud.