New Oxygen service aims to clarify strategic SAP upgrade decisions
Announcement posted by Oxygen Business Solutions 06 Nov 2003
Oxygen Business Solutions, the largest SAP consulting and outsourcing company in the region - has launched a new consulting service designed to support SAP customers plan and implement the most cost-effective SAP upgrade strategy.
Oxygen's chief executive, Mike T. Smith, says virtually all of SAP's customers in the region have the upgrade issue on their agendas.
"If SAP customers haven't already made their decisions, then they have it on the list. The question is not whether to upgrade. Rather, it's when and to what?"
He says that SAP customers acknowledge the benefits of upgrading.
"SAP Enterprise, for example, offers lower support and maintenance costs, easier implementation of new applications, and the ability to retire older and expensive Basis custom applications. Not to mention, the prospect of maintenance on older versions being discontinued by SAP.
"The key decisions are around when is the best time to upgrade and what to upgrade to. For example, will it be more cost-effective to upgrade in stages? Should the upgrade be to SAP Enterprise, MySAP Business Suite - or straight to mySAP ERP?
He says that in response to market need, and building on Oxygen's recent experience in developing upgrade programmes for specific clients - Oxygen has developed a new specialist consulting capability specifically designed to assist SAP users develop a business-focused upgrade strategy.
Oxygen's specialist upgrade consultants start by reviewing a customer's existing SAP investment in the context of the customer's business plan. Within five working days, typically, the Oxygen team can complete an ROI study which recommends an upgrade strategy best calculated to support the customer's business needs and business strategy. This includes analysing the potential role and value of SAP Solution Manager and SAP Console, and making recommendations as to the cost benefits of new BPR initiatives.
Based on that study, Oxygen can write an upgrade business plan, sufficiently detailed and rigorous to support CAPEX application and approval. Once the upgrade plan is approved, Oxygen can handle all aspects of the implementation, drawing on the largest pool of skilled and experienced SAP consultants and technical experts in the South Pacific Region.
Smith says he believes the most valuable aspect to the new service is Oxygen's ability to establish the cost-benefits of various upgrade paths up front, and to develop a business case to inform a pragmatic business decision.
About Oxygen Business Solutions
Oxygen Business Solutions is one of the largest specialist SAP outsourcing, hosting, and consulting companies, in the South Pacific Region. Around 300 staff work from offices and development centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Wellington, supporting more than 3,000 SAP users, at 180 client sites, in four countries.
Oxygen's services are delivered through three line of business groups -Business Systems Outsourcing,Accounts Payable Outsourcing, andBusiness Consulting. The various groups also collaborate if individual customers require them to. This enables Oxygen to offer a flexible, customized range of services -from full outsourcing for all of a customer's SAP applications, to supporting IT infrastructure, and the operation and management of individual applications.
In addition to this, a broad range of consulting services are available -ranging from Basis development to full suite SAP implementations - with particular expertise in SAP's "new dimension" applications, such as supply chain planning and optimization.
Oxygen's chief executive, Mike T. Smith, says virtually all of SAP's customers in the region have the upgrade issue on their agendas.
"If SAP customers haven't already made their decisions, then they have it on the list. The question is not whether to upgrade. Rather, it's when and to what?"
He says that SAP customers acknowledge the benefits of upgrading.
"SAP Enterprise, for example, offers lower support and maintenance costs, easier implementation of new applications, and the ability to retire older and expensive Basis custom applications. Not to mention, the prospect of maintenance on older versions being discontinued by SAP.
"The key decisions are around when is the best time to upgrade and what to upgrade to. For example, will it be more cost-effective to upgrade in stages? Should the upgrade be to SAP Enterprise, MySAP Business Suite - or straight to mySAP ERP?
He says that in response to market need, and building on Oxygen's recent experience in developing upgrade programmes for specific clients - Oxygen has developed a new specialist consulting capability specifically designed to assist SAP users develop a business-focused upgrade strategy.
Oxygen's specialist upgrade consultants start by reviewing a customer's existing SAP investment in the context of the customer's business plan. Within five working days, typically, the Oxygen team can complete an ROI study which recommends an upgrade strategy best calculated to support the customer's business needs and business strategy. This includes analysing the potential role and value of SAP Solution Manager and SAP Console, and making recommendations as to the cost benefits of new BPR initiatives.
Based on that study, Oxygen can write an upgrade business plan, sufficiently detailed and rigorous to support CAPEX application and approval. Once the upgrade plan is approved, Oxygen can handle all aspects of the implementation, drawing on the largest pool of skilled and experienced SAP consultants and technical experts in the South Pacific Region.
Smith says he believes the most valuable aspect to the new service is Oxygen's ability to establish the cost-benefits of various upgrade paths up front, and to develop a business case to inform a pragmatic business decision.
About Oxygen Business Solutions
Oxygen Business Solutions is one of the largest specialist SAP outsourcing, hosting, and consulting companies, in the South Pacific Region. Around 300 staff work from offices and development centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Wellington, supporting more than 3,000 SAP users, at 180 client sites, in four countries.
Oxygen's services are delivered through three line of business groups -Business Systems Outsourcing,Accounts Payable Outsourcing, andBusiness Consulting. The various groups also collaborate if individual customers require them to. This enables Oxygen to offer a flexible, customized range of services -from full outsourcing for all of a customer's SAP applications, to supporting IT infrastructure, and the operation and management of individual applications.
In addition to this, a broad range of consulting services are available -ranging from Basis development to full suite SAP implementations - with particular expertise in SAP's "new dimension" applications, such as supply chain planning and optimization.