An Overview of the SAP HANA Cloud Platform

Introduction

One of the most important ways of improving a company’s productivity is to focus the resources in the perfect places and prevent any wastage.

There are many ways in which this can be done, but there are many places where mistakes can occur if humans look upon the entire system.

The only solution to this problem is identifying the parts that can be easily automated and developing intelligent features.

SAP HANA Cloud Platform is one such product that provides a cloud platform to host and develop advanced-level applications. These applications are used to simplify tasks for a company at an affordable price.

The HANA Cloud platform works with the SAP S/4 HANA platform and acts as a platform as a service. It is a great platform that is used both by large enterprises as well as by new startups.

What about the Next-Generation Technologies?

Yes, the next-generation technologies can also be integrated into the SAP HANA Cloud Platform. Users can easily integrate platforms like blockchain and machine learning-based apps on this platform.

SAP Consulting services can implement Fiori-level user experience in the apps they make with this platform’s help.

The amount of flexibility that a developer experienced in this field is very high, allowing them to manipulate different features to give the best possible experience.

In this article, we will be discussing the different licensing models, use cases, and the features of the HANA Cloud Platform that different enterprises use.

What are the Different Licensing Models?

HANA cloud platform is available in two different subscription models, namely subscription-based and consumption-based models. This provides a lot of flexibility to how companies are using the features.

Both types of licensing models have their benefits and are suitable for a particular kind of client. The features of the two subscription models are as follows:

• Subscription-Based Models –

It is a kind of model that allows the user to purchase the services and use the facilities for a certain amount of time. The subscription is usually done on a monthly or yearly basis.

Clients who are going to do extensive cloud-based work typically opt for this kind of subscription model.

The payment is made at the beginning, after which the features are used. The amount generally reduces for more extended subscription periods, and there is a lot of transparency in this type of model. If the customer uses minimal resources, then the subscription model is not suitable for them.

• Consumption-Based Models –

This is a preferable alternative for those companies that need a few cloud-based services but do need them every time. Going for a subscription-based model will make them pay for a lot of resources that will remain unused.

So they prefer using consumption-based models, which is a post-paid model, and they have to pay only for those resources they are using.

SAP Cloud Platform Use Cases

The SAP Cloud platform is mainly used to develop different cloud-based applications that help convert business processes into a digital format. Some of the more specific departments where SAP Cloud Platform is used are:

• Building apps on SAP S/4 HANA with a user experience similar to that of SAP Fiori.
• Automating different industrial processes requiring a lot of manual labor can be quickly done by an intelligent application.
• It can also be used in developing apps that can automate the employee recruitment processes by integrating itself with SAP SuccessFactors.

Many international leaders have incorporated SAP cloud features into their production businesses and benefit from their increased global reach.

There are two different cloud platforms provided by SAP, the other one being SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud. But there is a significant difference between the two platforms.

While the HANA Cloud is a platform as a service, the HANA Enterprise Cloud is an infrastructure service product.

HCP is used to develop and deploy applications, but the HEC is used to provide support and an environment for hosting an application.

SAP Features and Services

SAP HANA Cloud has many features and services that assist the data services, analytics, and application development abilities. Some of the primary abilities are:

1. Analytics, which helps in integrating different real-time monitoring and analytical features within the developed applications. With the HANA Cloud platform integrated to the core of your operations, you can easily access advanced level information, within the first few days after launching a well-planned campaign.

2. Multiple-level support tools that simplify complex analytical operations which are essential for application development and deployment. Further, the compatibility to use multiple features over a single dashboard is what simplifies data-based operations to the next level.

3. With the SAP HANA Cloud platform working for your platform, you can simplify the integration of on-premise and cloud-based services to leverage flexibility at operations. The platform ensures seamless functioning in every type of organization structure.

4. The personalization feature of the HANA Cloud platform makes dashboards super adaptive, as per the needs and demands of the users. They can easily personalize and modify features to provide the best user experience.

5. SAP SDK for iOS is one initial feature differentiating the HANA cloud platform from other app development platforms. Developing apps that will run seamlessly on iPhones and MacBooks are not widely available, especially for business requirements. HCP provides free libraries for Apple-specific features like Touch ID, iMessages, and many more.

Conclusion

HANA Cloud platform is a versatile and flexible platform that allows developers to develop applications while using cloud-based tools for Android and iOS platforms.

The platform makes proper use of the cloud services available in the form of SAP S/4 HANA.

The pricing models are also made so that both small and big companies will be able to afford the features by choosing either one of the subscription-based or consumption-based models.

Lastly, it should be understood that the SAP HANA Cloud Platform is meant to simplify operations like no other! Considering the ways in which it simplifies operations, it is the next generation of tools for operations.

With organizations already moving towards better cloud connectivity, you now know the ideal solution to switch to!

Author Bio:

Eric Smith is an SAP professional providing a wide range of SAP consulting services to his clients. With a knack for technology, he loves to write on the latest SAP developments and share his knowledge with the readers.