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Mergers, Acquisitions, Divestitures, and Reorganizations

Manage Business Change Through Landscape Transformation Initiatives
Marcus Wagner Global Head System Landscape Optimization (SLO) SAP Field Services SAP

arious business scenarios including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations, or any

changes aimed at optimizing existing business processes or consolidating systems drive companies to undertake major SAP landscape transformation initiatives to reduce the complexity of their growing IT infrastructures. The fundamental changes these scenarios bring have far-reaching consequences for an enterprise and need to be reected in a companys organizational structure. For example, in a merger, a company needs to account for business and legal aspects since the merger will likely greatly impact the nancial solution and other software applications. The optimization efforts for such a project need to meet operating cost requirements and be legally compliant. With all of these requirements, the company will likely need to harmonize its business processes, merge the charts of accounts, or fully transfer clients to realize the full restructuring objectives. Thats where SAPs Structural Transformation Services come in. The System Landscape Optimization (SLO) group, which focuses on seamlessly transforming corporate SAP landscapes, has developed the SAP Landscape Transformation solution based on its vast experience. This solution includes technology, services, support, best practices, and methodologies in one integrated approach for accelerating your business and IT transformation.

company codes that are no longer in use. The scenarios also involve reorganizing the prot center based on key data, enabling the organizational structure to more quickly adapt to changing market requirements. Unify and Transform Data Scenarios These involve converting charts of accounts to establish a group-wide chart of accounts, implement a country-specic chart of accounts, or restructure or merge accounts. Consolidate and Reduce IT Cost Scenarios These involve a client transfer, with or without an upgrade. Also, the softwares planned scenario analysis functionality will help customers perform an upfront analysis to determine the most suitable transformation scenario and preparation method for their project. It will also enable users to assess the required efforts and duration of the transformation initiative, consolidate the system landscape, analyze processes, and adapt the system to t future business processes. Furthermore, the software enables not only the application of an individual strategy, but also a sequenced and controlled approach when applying the technical transformation packages. This step-by-step scheme can help signicantly increase ROI and reduce the overall project duration, while minimizing system downtime. SAP Landscape Transformation aims to ensure minimal business interruption throughout the project, while at the same time heightening business process continuity and security. Multiple SLO service offerings will also complement the solution and enable customers and partners to realize additional transformation requirements.

The SAP Landscape Transformation solution comprises technical methods, a proven knowledgebase, and guidance throughout a projects evaluation, preparation, and execution phases.

Holistically Address IT Transformation

SAP Landscape Transformation bundles software and service offerings to help holistically address transformation scenarios. The SAP Landscape Transformation ramp-up phase is scheduled to begin in July and last until November 2010, at which point its planned to be available to all of our customers. For the rst solution release, the SLO group currently plans to include the following themes to support transformation projects: Leverage, Sell, Buy, and Restructure Scenarios These scenarios include a company code transfer to quickly carve out legal entities as part of a share deal transaction and to clean up the system by deleting

Prepare for Your Business Transformation

The SAP Landscape Transformation solution will help customers build their transformation capability and enable them to monitor their system landscape and realize upcoming changes in a controlled fashion. This yields a streamlined IT transformation process and a signicant reduction in overall project risk, duration, and costs. To learn more, visit http://service.sap.com/sapLT. n

Reproduced from the Jul n Aug n Sep 2010 issue of SAPinsider with permission from its publisher, WIS Publishing | sapinsider.wispubs.com