At the recent SAP Sapphire event in Orlando, SAP presented a compelling vision for digital transformation. Alexander Herfort, Managing Director of United VARs, says, “SAP showed how they’re making transformation simpler, smarter, and more achievable for SAP implementation partners and their end customers.” He continues, “The SAP Sapphire keynote speech sent a clear message: to succeed in an AI-powered world, businesses need an integrated platform where applications, data, and AI work together continuously.”
SAP’s Flywheel Model and Suite-as-a-Service
SAP is positioning its suite as a tightly connected ecosystem designed to deliver exactly that, combining best-of-breed capabilities with a unified experience through a suite-as-a-service model. In this context, SAP’s suite refers to the full set of integrated cloud applications built around SAP S/4HANA Cloud. Delivered through RISE and GROW with SAP and powered by SAP BTP and embedded AI, the suite combines intelligent cloud ERP with line-of-business solutions in a single, modular, and intelligent ecosystem.
At the core of this suite-as-a-service strategy is what SAP refers to as the flywheel. It is a continuous cycle that drives business value by connecting three key elements:
- Applications generate the operational and transactional data that runs the business.
- That data feeds into AI models, which learn from it and identify patterns, risks, and opportunities.
- AI then improves the applications by automating tasks, surfacing insights, and supporting better, faster decisions.
- This creates a feedback loop that continuously drives business improvement. SAP emphasized that this cycle only delivers full value when everything is unified on a single platform.
The more this cycle turns, the more intelligent and efficient the system becomes. For customers, it means real-time insights and continuous improvement. For United VARs members (and other SAP partners), it creates opportunities to deliver smarter, more scalable solutions tailored to their customers’ evolving business needs.
Christian Klein, SAP CEO, described the opportunity this way: “Today, what we offer is best-of-breed as a suite, or what we call suite-as-a-service. It's not an either-or choice anymore for the CIOs. The new SaaS is what will allow you to take advantage of the flywheel effect in the age of AI. True differentiation will lie in how you create value from this end-to-end context for your organization. This can only happen when you simplify and innovate your core, and not add another layer of complexity to your landscape.”
SAP BTP and AI Foundation Deliver Embedded Intelligence
SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) featured prominently throughout the keynote as the foundation for AI-driven innovation. BTP now powers everything from integration and data management to last-mile development and automation.
SAP also shared how its AI copilot, Joule, is now embedded across every SAP application and extended into selected non-SAP apps. The assistant can provide proactive guidance and surface insights in real time. SAP is also introducing Joule for developers and consultants to support a broader range of use cases.
However, the keynote placed particular emphasis on the SAP AI Foundation within BTP. This includes more than 60 new and enhanced AI capabilities, such as an AI agent runtime, AI evaluation services, and multi-model orchestration.
One major announcement was the new Prompt Optimizer. Instead of requiring users to write detailed prompts, they can now simply state their intent. For example, a user might say “generate a profitability analysis by region,” and the system rewrites and optimizes the prompt behind the scenes. SAP describes this approach as benchmark engineering, where business outcomes guide the interaction, not syntax.
SAP also introduced AI Agent Hub within SAP LeanIX. Because LeanIX already understands enterprise processes and application landscapes, it now provides a context-aware environment for managing intelligent agents. This helps organizations scale automation while keeping it aligned with how their business actually operates.
Migration to Business Suite is Now Faster and More Accessible
A major theme of the keynote was simplifying the path to cloud ERP. SAP’s leadership outlined several developments within the RISE and GROW programs, which are both accessible through certified SAP partners such as members of United VARs.
Updates included the integration of AI agents within the RISE toolchain to accelerate migrations by up to 35%. SAP also announced new line-of-business solution packages, designed to align with the buying structures and priorities of different business functions.
In a significant move for midmarket organizations, SAP committed to covering typical migration costs for both on-premise and existing cloud customers. Christian Klein summed up the company’s commitment clearly: “We are making it faster, simpler, and at lower cost to transition to the Business Suite with RISE and GROW with SAP.”
For United VARs member companies, these changes open up new opportunities to support cloud ERP transformation at speed and scale. “This is the clearest we’ve seen SAP spell out how the Business Suite, BTP, and RISE come together,” says Alex Herfort, “At United VARs, we’re already working with customers to act on it, because transformation shouldn’t have to wait”.
Why This Matters to You
SAP is building a platform that balances power with simplicity. Customers gain the advantages of modular tools while keeping the depth and context of an integrated suite. With AI embedded throughout, the system becomes more intelligent the more you use it.
For midmarket organizations looking to modernize, and for SAP partners seeking to guide that change, the direction is clear. United VARs members are ready to help you move faster, reduce complexity, and unlock the full value of SAP Business Suite.
Are you a Midmarket Global Company Interested in SAP Business Suite?
Whether you’re rolling out cloud ERP across subsidiaries or transitioning from legacy systems, your local United VARs member can help you get the most from SAP Business Suite and other SAP technologies.
United VARs is a global alliance of over 70 SAP solution providers operating in more than 100 countries. Every member is carefully selected by us, and recognized by SAP, for their expertise in serving mid-market organizations. Unlike large system integrators, United VARs members bring local expertise, charge local rates, and have SAP experts ‘on the ground’ for a more personalized service.
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