SAPInsider ERP Transformation Summit

October 22-23, 2025
New Orleans

Vortex Consulting is excited to attend the SAPinsider ERP Transformation Summit in New Orleans on October 22–23, 2025. This summit offers a deep dive into SAP S/4HANA strategies, cloud readiness, and continuous innovation through real-world case studies and hands-on workshops. Our team looks forward to engaging with industry leaders and sharing insights on optimizing SAP landscapes for sustainable transformation. Learn more here and if you plan to attend contact us to setup a time to connect!

ASUG {Tech Connect}

November 4-6, 2025
Kentucky International Convention Center

Join Vortex Consulting at ASUG Tech Connect 2025, where SAP professionals converge for three days of immersive, hands-on learning and networking. This premier in-person event, held at the Kentucky International Convention Center, offers deep dives into SAP’s latest technologies, including ABAP Cloud, Cloud ALM, SAP Build, and Process Automation. Attendees will engage in interactive sessions, collaborate with peers, and gain practical insights to accelerate their digital transformation journeys. Learn more here – we look forward to seeing you in person!

SAP TechEd

November 4-6, 2025
Berlin, Germany and Virtual

SAP TechEd is the premier global conference for developers, technologists, and business leaders, offering deep-dive sessions, hands-on workshops, and access to SAP’s latest innovations. Join the Vortex Consulting Team as we participate virtually, exploring advancements in AI, cloud technologies, and the SAP Business Technology Platform to enhance skills and drive digital transformation. Get full event details here.

SAP Connect 2025

October 6-8, 2025
Las Vegas

Vortex Consulting Team is thrilled to attend SAP Connect in Las Vegas on October 6–8, 2025—an exciting new annual event where we’ll explore live demos, real-world case studies, and insights from SAP leadership to empower businesses across every line of business. We’re eager to connect with peers, partners, and SAP customers as we dive into solution tracks like Finance, Supply Chain, Customer Experience, Success, and Spend—all designed to help organizations maximize the full benefits of SAP. Learn more about the event here.

SAP’s Cloud Journey: Private to Public Cloud – What July’s Announcement Means for You

SAP ERP Public and Private Cloud Vortex Consulting Support

At Vortex Consulting, we’ve been helping clients navigate the complexities of SAP transformation for decades. This past July, SAP reinforced its innovative vision for the future of ERP by further clarifying the journey between private cloud and public cloud options. This evolution is about giving SAP customers the flexibility to choose a path that matches their pace, industry requirements, and IT growth ambitions.

The Big Cloud Picture

SAP repositioned its cloud ERP strategy to better reflect the journey its clients take as they move to the cloud. What was once known as RISE with SAP is now presented as the SAP Cloud ERP Private Edition—an evolution that emphasizes flexibility, investment protection, and a structured journey for complex enterprises. At the same time, GROW with SAP continues to anchor the Public Edition journey, offering a fit-to-standard SaaS model for organizations seeking speed and simplicity. Together, these two paths highlight SAP’s commitment to meeting clients where they are—whether preserving the value of existing systems or embracing a clean, future-ready cloud foundation.

What’s the Difference Between Public and Private Cloud Journeys?

SAP Cloud ERP Private Edition (formerly RISE with SAP)

RISE with SAP Private Cloud officially known as SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition is a cloud-based ERP journey designed to help organizations smoothly transition existing on-premises SAP ERP or SAP S/4HANA environments into a fully managed, single-tenant cloud setup. Every organization’s journey to the cloud looks different—but RISE with SAP makes it easier to get there. As a subscription-based service, it blends structure with flexibility: offering ready-to-use solutions while adapting to your company’s unique needs. Scalable and efficient, it can be implemented quickly and evolves as your business grows, making cloud-based digital transformation more accessible than ever.

As offered by Vortex Consulting, this solution combines the structure of a subscription-based service with high flexibility and customization—enabling fast deployment, real-time insights, and integration across automation, cybersecurity, analytics, and other essential capabilities.

SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition is more than just ERP stand along solution, it delivers a modular, secure ERP infrastructure hosted via hyperscaler partnerships with SAP managing core cloud operations, SLAs, and technical support, while clients maintain control over customization and scaling.

RISE with SAP (now Cloud ERP Private Edition) offers:

  • A comprehensive transition path that modernizes on-premises ERP systems via a cloud operating model built on a proven methodology.
  • Investment protection, enabling organizations to preserve legacy systems while embracing innovation.  

Learn more at: http://vortexconsulting.net/sap-solutions/rise-with-sap/

Private Cloud: Control and Flexibility

For large enterprises with complex operations, strict regulatory obligations, or extensive customizations, SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Private Edition delivers the control and flexibility some SAP customers require while still providing the advantages of a managed cloud environment. Unlike a standardized public cloud model, the private edition allows organizations to preserve their unique processes and tailor the system to fit their business without sacrificing security or compliance.

Key Benefits Include:

  • Tailored system configurations and custom code compatibility: Companies can migrate existing SAP environments—including legacy custom code—without starting from scratch, ensuring continuity of mission-critical functions.
  • Greater flexibility in defining business processes: Enterprises have the freedom to design, adjust, and evolve workflows at their own pace, aligning with industry-specific requirements and long-term transformation goals.
  • Enterprise-grade security and governance: The solution provides advanced data protection, compliance management, and governance tools to meet global regulatory standards, making it ideal for organizations operating in highly regulated industries.

SAP’s July update introduced new transition options to make the private cloud journey smoother, ensuring customers can modernize at their own pace while preparing for the future beyond 2030.

SAP Cloud ERP Public Edition (GROW with SAP)

GROW with SAP Public Edition officially known as SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition is a standardized SaaS ERP solution, ideal for organizations seeking rapid, fit-to-standard deployments with future scalability. SAP Cloud ERP Public Edition, branded as GROW with SAP, is a modern, ready-to-run cloud ERP offering built on the SAP S/4HANA Cloud platform. Tailored for mid-market and rapidly expanding businesses, it delivers preconfigured, industry-aligned best practices, embedded AI and analytics, and continuous quarterly innovation—all without the complexity traditionally associated with ERP implementations. This solution empowers organizations to scale operations, launch new business lines, and modernize outdated systems, while maintaining enterprise-grade security, compliance, and cost predictability through a subscription-based model

Vortex Consulting enhances the GROW experience through a deep partnership with SAP, offering personalized, hands-on support that leverages exclusive resources, training, and roadmap alignment. Their services span the full spectrum—from cloud-readiness assessments and rapid deployment (via SAP Activate) to legacy data migration, analytics enablement, change management, and post-go-live optimization. Backed by nearly three decades of SAP expertise as a Silver Partner, Vortex deploys seasoned consultants who help mid-sized organizations adopt cloud ERP smoothly and strategically.

Public Cloud: Agility and Innovation

For organizations that prioritize rapid deployment and standardized best practices, the SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition provides a streamlined and cost-effective alternative to traditional ERP implementations. Designed as a ready-to-run solution, it allows businesses to adopt modern ERP capabilities quickly without the need for heavy customization. This makes it especially valuable for growing companies that want to accelerate digital transformation while staying agile and cost-efficient.

Key Benefits Include:

  • Preconfigured industry best practices: Built-in, proven process templates reduce implementation time and ensure alignment with industry standards.
  • Regular quarterly updates: Continuous innovation is delivered seamlessly, keeping systems current with the latest functionality, compliance, and security improvements.
  • Lower total cost of ownership with faster ROI: Subscription pricing and reduced infrastructure costs allow businesses to see value quickly while minimizing financial risk.
  • Embedded AI, analytics, and automation tools from day one: Intelligent features drive smarter decision-making, streamlined workflows, and operational efficiency.

At Vortex Consulting, we’ve seen mid-market companies in particular thrive with the Public Edition. For these organizations, scalability and speed are critical for growth, and the public cloud model provides both—helping them modernize processes, adapt to market changes, and unlock innovation at a pace that supports long-term success.

Learn more at: http://vortexconsulting.net/sap-solutions/sap-cloud-erp-public-edition/

Why This Matters Now

SAP’s July announcements highlight one truth: there is no “one-size-fits-all” cloud journey. Some organizations will move directly to the public cloud to capture innovation quickly, while others will need the flexibility of the private edition to protect critical custom processes.

The good news is that SAP is providing structured, supported pathways for both. Whether it’s leveraging the transition option for private cloud or accelerating growth with public cloud, businesses can move forward with confidence.

How Vortex Consulting Can Help

Choosing the right path is a strategic decision—one that requires balancing business needs, IT landscapes, and long-term goals.

At Vortex, we help SAP clients:

  • Assess their current SAP environments and readiness for cloud migration
  • Define the right cloud strategy (private, public, or hybrid)
  • Implement and optimize either your SAP ERP Public or Private solutions
  • Support ongoing innovation and adoption with minimal disruption
  • Prepare for their transformation with our OnRamp Methodology

SAP’s recent announcement underscores the flexibility organizations have in their cloud journey. With the 2030 deadline is on the horizon for legacy ERP support, companies that start evaluating their options now will be best positioned to make smooth transitions, avoid disruption, and fully realize the value of cloud ERP. Whether you’re ready for the agility of Public Cloud or require the stability of Private Cloud, the future of SAP ERP is about choice—and Vortex Consulting is here to guide you every step of the way. Contact us today to get started with a free consultation with a SAP solution architect.

 

ASUG Wisconsin Chapter Meeting – Fall 2025

October 16, 2025
Pyle Center – Madison, WI

The date has been set for the ASUG Wisconsin Chapter fall meeting! Note that this meeting is open to non-members, so if you’ve been interested in learning more about ASUG WI, this is the perfect chance to attend and get to know some of the community. Join our local Vortex team members for a great event – visit the ASUG event listing for more details.

Why Years of SAP ERP Experience Makes Me Question if You Really Need That Custom Code

SAP Architect Matthew Montano kicks off his series on the Vortex Consulting blog:

There is a joke that those of us with a few years of SAP ERP experience tell:

“If you believe you need to create custom SAP ABAP code to meet the business requirement, chances are you don’t understand the business requirement. And if, after further consideration, you still think you need custom SAP ABAP code to meet your requirement, you still don’t understand the requirement.”

Now that might sound harsh, but the reality is that if, after 30+ years, the number one ERP software provider doesn’t have embedded in their current S/4HANA solution the ability to meet a requirement without custom code, that’s a sign to reconsider what’s really needed. On one hand, maybe you don’t have a complete understanding of what SAP S/4HANA is capable of. On the other hand, maybe your business requirement needs a good revisit by a seasoned pro with some major SAP ERP experience.

With SAP’s GROW and RISE initiatives, which prescribe the installation of the S/4HANA ERP system outside of your own data center, there is minimal opportunity (if any at all) to just “cut code.”

Some have implied that SAP’s attempts to limit code cutting is a mean act. Image shows computer code It’s worth briefly calling out why this is better described as “giving us bitter medicine” as opposed to being an act of bullying.

S/4HANA and its predecessors are business applications mostly written in SAP’s development language ABAP. ABAP was initially described and truly was, similar to COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language) in that it was intended to be used for authoring business applications with minimal development experience. Given that SAP themselves were enhancing their ERP application and supporting new technologies (e.g. web browsers), the ABAP language evolved from its roots, with enhancements supporting object orientation constructs and much more.

Simultaneously, SAP was very unique among software vendors where the source code of their business applications were not just readable by their customers, but permitted them to not only build new reports and transactions but also author ABAP code to run within SAP’s own developed applications. This allowed SAP, along with their implementation partners and clients, to enhance SAP to meet essentially all possible business requirements. This access to nearly limitless customization undoubtedly contributed to the rapid adoption of SAP and the emergence of an ERP implementation industry where everyone could get what they wanted.

But then, two things happened.

First, SAP kept building. Through acquisitions and internal development, SAP has built extensive capabilities into their core ERP solution as well as applications such as SAP TMS, eWM, etc. SAP has also developed the ability to build applications outside of core S/4 ERP solutions through environments such as SAP BTP, or through very robust APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). The sheer list of capabilities is exhausting to review.

Second–and this one might be hard for some SAP experts to admit–integrators got lazy. Through implementation after implementation, many integrators with SAP ERP experience simply ”threw code” at requirements. In many scenarios, those requirements would have been completely satisfied by standard functionality if there was awareness. The remainder of the scenarios would have been addressed by changing how the business requirement is addressed.

A lot of that custom code stemming from so-called “‘lazy” implementations has stranded many existing SAP ERP systems in the past. The custom code often doesn’t work with the latest enhancement packs or S/4HANA, and justification to unwind custom code can be hard to make. The ironic part is that the custom code might not have been required in the first place if the business requirement was properly addressed with out-of-the-box functionality from SAP.

Sentence on how SAP ERP experts recommend meeting business requirements

An SAP project should have never been, but now is no longer reliant on an army of ABAP developers. Its success depends on having knowledgeable resources who deeply understand the S/4HANA module and other available SAP and non-SAP solutions and who are extremely comfortable in working with business requirements.

Reviewing and redesigning business processes to align them to standard SAP S/4 functionality is a core competency of the Vortex Consulting team. With over 25 years of SAP ERP experience under our belt, we’ve monitored passing trends and strengthened our approach to long-lasting ERP performance that is made to evolve and adapt as our clients’ needs change, too. Send us a message to learn more about how we can support your business.

 

About the Author: Matthew Montano is a Vortex Consulting SAP architect with more than 25 years of experienceSAP Architect Matthew Montano in Electronic Data Interchange, Supply Chain Integration, and Third-Party Logistics. His passion for good documentation and streamlined work process has yielded measurable results for clients in the consumer packaged goods, life sciences, manufacturing, and transportation industries across both the United States and Canada. Keep checking in for his “Musings with Uncle Matthew” series on the Vortex Consulting blog.

SAP GRC: Digital Transformation Series, Part III

Today we continue our blog series on digital transformation. (For an overview on the topic, be sure to check out the first post in the series.) In our most recent post, we walked through 2 of 4 key areas to consider when it comes to digital transformation: Network security and SAP capabilities. Now, let’s take a look at the remaining key areas: Governance, risk management, and compliance–collectively known as GRC–and physical security. 

Consider these 3 main components to GRC: SAP Security, SAP Early Watch (pattern recognition), and Audit. Another way to think about GRC is establishing logical boundaries around roles and responsibilities and each employee’s related system access. In other words, no single person can complete all steps in the process. Here’s an example: If you cut the purchase order, you cannot be the one who approves the payment.

GRC can be difficult to design, implement, SAP GRC Best Practices for Business Securityand maintain successfully. It requires someone–or a team–with experience. You need to ensure that the right people have the right access to be able to do their jobs. At the same time, it is vital that the “slice of the pie” each employee sees is necessary to their role, defined, and secured. Also, this is not a “one and done” scenario. As the business evolves and changes, so do the roles and the unique access that each of the roles has within the organization. Strategic role design and maintenance is an ongoing process which is critical to the security of your organization.

Uniquely, the concern around establishing best practices in GRC is not about “getting hacked,” as it is for many aspects of digital business management. The focus is on limiting scenarios where someone may see a vulnerability and use it to defraud you. Controlling employee access is critical to limit opportunities for fraudulent behavior– but that access control is not limited to only employees.

In today’s interconnected environment, your vendors, suppliers, and customers may all have access points into your system. These access points all need security roles assigned to them to limit the view to only the appropriate and relevant information for the actor’s role. As an example, an external actor could see proprietary information and sell it to a competitor. Each partner or vendor should only see what is most relevant to and required for their specific role in the larger process.

Within your organization’s SAP framework, BPML–Business Process Mapping List–establishes employee and vendor access. GRC creates profiles in such a way that it encircles all relevant functionality before linking that role to a person. The truth of the matter is that many companies give people way too much access by accident!

GRC SAP Digital and Physical SecurityStandard SAP GRC risk detection and auditing settings compile reports and grant access to internal and external audits. This allows pattern recognition functionality to detect where key elements of your security infrastructure may have changed unexpectedly or where other gaps in the system may exist.

That brings us to Number 4: physical security. Identification procedures fall into this category–being sure that someone cannot get in, pretending to be someone they are not. Along those lines, when a consultant’s contract ends, it’s crucial to lock out their access immediately so that they can no longer access the premises, or the sensitive systems inside the premises. Whether you are building from the ground up, undergoing an expansion, or moving to a “new to you” space, make physical security a part of the discussion upfront.

As explored through our 3-part series, digital transformation and security is a broad-reaching topic that weaves into all aspects of your business. A successful digital ERP implementation or upgrade is based on a holistic view of security structure including external partners, project teams, and internal resources. Invest in bringing together these moving pieces to ensure a secure digital and physical environment for your organization’s assets. If you have questions about digital upgrades in SAP and Oracle, want to talk about staffing support options, or even need to fill a role immediately, be sure to contact us today. We look forward to helping you optimize your business operations as the digital world continues to grow and evolve.

Network Security & SAP Capabilities: Digital Transformation Series, Part II

Welcome to the second post in our blog series on digital transformation. As mentioned in our series kickoff, digital transformation security can be divided into four key areas: network security, SAP capabilities, SAP GRC (roles and access), and physical security. Let’s dive right into what those categories include, beginning with network security.

If you were to bring up the topic of technological security with a group of colleagues, chances are it’s network security that would first come up in discussion. Intrusion and phishing are a few of the main areas that fall into this category. In the case of intrusion, we’re talking about the detection of network entry without proper authorization. And, unfortunately, we’ve all seen phishing in action–fraudulent messages that seek to obtain personal, valuable information, and designed to look as though they were from a reputable organization. In order to maintain a truly secure system, all access points into your network, such as VPNs, need to be secured. The Vortex team is very aware of these threats and makes network security an integral part of every project, whether that’s including our own security experts in a full staffing scenario or collaborating with your on-staff security team during an SAP setup or upgrade.

This brings us to the second key area of digital security–SAP capabilities, our sweet spot. A core feature of SAP is that it helps to establish baseline security patterns, then detects when there are variations from those base guidelines. SAP is loaded with inherent process-based security capabilities that work toward detecting and preventing fraud and architecture issues:

  • Optical Scanning Tools, used in tandem with AI for managing and securing invoicing practices
  • Dispute Management tools for detecting irregularities in disputes or payments
  • Quality Management and audits for dealing with claims that there is an issue with your product quality
  • Accounts Receivable and Incoming Payments tools for analyzing who you owe and who owes you
  • Tools for detecting Internal Issues, such as identifying “bad apples” who may be trying to defraud the company
  • Tools for detecting Money Routing Irregularities by visualizing patterns where company money is moving

Machines and systems can recognize patterns in a way that humans cannot. Humans have the ingenuity, once these critical pieces of information are identified, to see things from different angles and make sense of situational information based on experience and expertise. It’s the experience of our senior leadership team and vast network of consultants that allows Vortex to recognize capabilities and apply them in unique ways for the benefit of our clients.

Network security and SAP capabilities are 2 of the 4 critical areas SAP Cloud symbol for network securitycomprising your holistic security architecture, and when discussing these, there’s another topic that cannot be excluded from the conversation–understanding security of cloud vs. on-premise. Simply said, the more you go on-premise with your SAP investment, the more SAP performance ability you give up. The powerful SAP cloud platform has stronger capabilities and is a sound, secure choice for your business in the long term.

What questions do you have about network security for SAP? Drop us a line or reach out on social media: LinkedIn and Twitter. Tune in for the next in our series on digital transformation security, where we’ll discuss GRC and physical security, coming soon here on the Vortex Consulting blog. 

Digital Transformation Security Goes Beyond Network Security

Digital transformation is a hot topic these days–but in reality it’s not a new one. Professionals in the ERP technology space have been moving businesses from old technology platforms to cutting edge software for over 30 years. Here at Vortex Consulting, we’ve been in business for 25 years, working in digital transformation–as seen in products like Oracle Cloud and SAP S/4HANA. Continue reading this first blog post in our new series and follow along for others in the upcoming months.

So why has research and development surrounding digital transformation been deemed so critical for over 3 decades? A key reason: efficiency. Digitizing workflow, storage, and processes in general means eliminating time-consuming, repetitive, inefficient tasks. It brings meaningful and successful automation to standard business processes, all while integrating data efficiently. As an example, let’s look at the process of invoicing. Long gone are the days of needing to manually scan an invoice, organize paper files, collect and match up payments, etc. All of this can be done digitally–it’s streamlined, takes less time and energy, and frees up employees to do more valuable work. Product orders are even transferred to third party logistics providers who automatically determine the most efficient delivery routes, can combine loads, and automatically select the lowest cost delivery options. 

Business owner with SAP compares low cost delivery options

There are newer technologies coming into play that add to the discussion of what is possible in digital transformation. The Internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), data lakes, and improved pattern detection capabilities are each transformative in their own right. At the time of publishing this post, discussions about AI are dominating social spaces as its uses are tested in education, healthcare, information management, and beyond. 

Female business owner monitors SAP digital transformation

As application specialists, Vortex works in the realm of these digital technologies on every project. The SAP platform is at the core of the system, with SAP and third party satellites communicating as a network, enabling automation and digital flows of information–all of which must be secured. (Our work with Oracle-based clients functions in a similar way.) Adding to the complexity of the situation, there are always evolving technologies which require the integration of handheld devices, sensors, and portals that extend the network and must be integrated into SAP. With the introduction of more middleware tools to the SAP setup, those assets must be secured as well.

When it comes to digital transformation security, we’ve learned there are really 4 buckets: network security, SAP capabilities, SAP GRC (roles and access), and physical security. Throughout this blog post series, we’ll take a deep dive into each of those key areas. If you have questions you’d like us to address, reach out on Twitter or send an email to let us know. Watch for the next in our digital transformation security series soon.