On your way into SAP’s Utilities cloud, with SAP Utilities Core, you are going to meet some experts from SAP who want to support you getting up there. (By the way: for a refresher on what SAP Utilities Core is and what it contains, please read this blog: click on this link).

For this blog, what you need to know is that its main elements are SAP S/4HANA Utilities in the private cloud, SAP Measurement Concept Management (SAP MCM) and, for German customers, SAP Market Communication Cloud on SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), and that the whole thing is based on RISE with SAP.) Not all these experts are going to show up at once – whom you meet depends on where you are in your journey:

Are you considering a subscription to SAP Utilities Core or negotiating a contract with SAP? Is the contract signed and you´re now getting ready to have the systems provisioned, or are the systems already there and you are busy implementing or running the solution?

Let´s have a closer look:

SAP Experts along your journey

For your entire cloud journey your primary SAP contact person remains – your Industry Account Executive (IAE). He takes care that the right solution and services are ordered for your business needs.

The Cloud Architect & Advisor (CAA) works alongside the sales colleagues. The CAA essentially must make sure that your order can be delivered to avoid unwelcome surprises later. His role in supporting you to fill out the Customer Onboarding Form (COF) is essential, as the handover from sales to delivery (S2D) relies heavily on the information from the COF. After S2D, the CAA’s job is done, and other colleagues take over. However, for sufficiently complex change requests to your subscription and landscape, the CAA will re-appear, again making sure that what’s commercially agreed in the change request can also be delivered.

Once your contract is signed, you will meet the Enterprise Cloud Success Partner (E-CSP), potentially further Specialized Customer Success Partners (S-CSPs) and the Onboarding Advisor (OA):

• The E-CSP is essentially the successor of the Account Executive throughout your cloud subscription lifecycle. She or he takes care of your cloud experience with SAP at the highest level and is the prime contact for your senior management.
• The S-CSPs support the E-CSP with a focus on specific areas of SAP’s portfolio such as BTP, Human Experience Management (HXM), or Customer Experience (CX). Very often, the E-CSP is also the Customer Success Partner focusing on the mother ship of SAP’s portfolio, S/4HANA Cloud.
• In a series of online sessions, the Onboarding Advisor (OA) provides guidance, enablement, and services focused on developing your internal experts and delivering a successful implementation.

In most engagements, S/4HANA is the most important building block of your SAP-related cloud landscape. Hence, for medium to large subscribers, Enterprise Cloud Services (ECS) organisation ensures that all goes smooth via three dedicated roles. The appear on stage when you are getting ready to get your systems provisioned:

The Project Lead (PL) is responsible that SAP builds and delivers exactly those systems that were sold and contractually agreed upon. His engagement with you is temporary during the system build phase. However, if, over time you need to enhance or change your landscape, the PL (and the CAA, as explained above), will reappear to deliver the changes you ordered.

The Client Delivery Manager (CDM) is responsible for the ‘run’ phase of the systems sold and provisioned and serves as the single point of contact during that phase. She or he coordinates the operational aspects of your S/4H Utilities setup and operations.

Technical Service Managers (TSM) is the hands-on person when it comes to your S/4HANA Utilities subscription.  She or he usually is an experienced SAP technology consultant who works closely together with the CDM. The TSM is the primary technical contact person for all technical and infrastructure-related topics.

For customers demanding that specific dose of extra care and security, you can hire an Launch Advisor (LA). LAs are very experienced multi-purpose black belts who help you plan and navigate through all phases of your cloud journey, coach and educate you and your organisation, detect problems or risks early, and help fixing those problems on the way. An LA can be engaged anytime in the process for as long as you need her or him. Our experience suggests: having a Launch Advisor is an important success factor for those still demanding SAP Utilities Core projects, and engaging this role earlier is better than doing this late – or not at all.

Finally: There are also specific services, the so-called SAP Cloud Application Services (CAS) that you can subscribe for extra support and operations tasks. Please click on the following link to learn more about these CAS.