SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud

A complete cloud ERP system, live in weeks* rather than months.

SAP S/4HANA standardises your processes along proven industry practices, comes with full SAP support and – most importantly – requires no investment in your own infrastructure.

*depending on your company’s starting point

What is SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud?

SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud is a ready-to-run ERP system delivered as SaaS. Unlike the Private Cloud and on-premise variants, the infrastructure, updates and system maintenance sit entirely with SAP. All customers run on the same shared cloud platform.
A businesswoman reviewing financial spreadsheets with charts and graphs in an office setting.

What does SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud cover?

The system covers hundreds of ready-made business processes across finance, procurement, sales, supply chain, and project and service management — from order to cash, through source to pay, to period-end close. These processes come preconfigured along SAP industry best practices, which shortens the implementation compared with a conventional project built from scratch.
The key difference from Private Cloud and on-premise is the absence of access to the system source code. Extensions are built exclusively on SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), outside the digital core. As a result, SAP updates never break your individual adjustments.

Who is SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud for?

Public Cloud performs best where the priority is a fast implementation and predictable costs rather than deep process customisation. It is therefore an answer to the needs of small and mid-sized companies: you implement a standard adjusted to your requirements, at a lower cost and in a considerably shorter time.

Companies implementing their first ERP system, or replacing a scattered set of disconnected tools.

Companies with standard business processes and no extensive, one-off custom solutions.

Subsidiaries or regional units in a two-tier model (for example, headquarters on Private Cloud and local sites on Public Cloud).

Companies that want to avoid investing in their own IT infrastructure and maintaining a team of system administrators.

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Advantages of SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud

  • The fastest implementation of all S/4HANA variants — realistically a few weeks to a few months.
  • No infrastructure investment — SAP maintains the infrastructure and all updates.
  • Ready-made industry processes — proven best practices available from day one.
  • Predictable cost model — a subscription, with no step changes in capital expenditure.
  • Continuous access to new SAP features — automatic, regular updates with no upgrade projects.

What you should know?

Strengths
What to watch for
Low entry cost — no investment in infrastructure or licences
Limited customisation — changes to standard code are not possible
The fastest implementation of all S/4HANA variants — realistically a few weeks to a few months
Mandatory quarterly updates imposed by SAP
Automatic updates, with infrastructure maintained by SAP
Custom solutions (Z*) must be rebuilt on SAP BTP or dropped altogether
Proven, ready-made industry processes from day one
Integration with shop-floor machinery (MES) requires additional design work
A predictable subscription cost model
Regulated industries (for example GMP) may not accept the imposed update cadence

How a SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud implementation works

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Initial audit
An assessment of whether your processes genuinely fit within the Public Cloud standard.
Discovery
Agreeing the implementation scope and business objectives together, based on ready-made demonstration scenarios.
Fit-to-Standard
Mapping your processes onto SAP’s ready-made scenarios in joint workshops, where your business team compares how you work today with the SAP standard.
Configuration and extensions
Adjusting system parameters and designing any extensions outside the digital core.
Data migration and testing
Transferring master and transactional data, then testing the business scenarios.
Training and go-live
Preparing end users and moving to production, usually within a few months of the project start.
Support for your team
Our consultants work as Key and Super Users alongside your own team.

SUCCESS

SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud – FAQ

A ready to run ERP system delivered as SaaS, built on standard, preconfigured SAP business processes, with infrastructure and updates handled entirely by SAP.

Public Cloud is faster and cheaper to start with, but rules out deep customisation. Private Cloud gives you full access to the code and your own update schedule, at the cost of a longer implementation.

Usually a few weeks to a few months, depending on the project scope. It is the shortest implementation of any S/4HANA variant.

Changes to standard code are not possible. Extensions are built on SAP BTP.

Companies with extensive custom development, shop-floor integrations, or regulatory requirements such as GMP that demand control over the update schedule. Private Cloud or on-premise is the better fit there.

Wondering whether SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud fits your company?


We will work out together
whether it is the better choice for you.

Get in touch!