As digital transformation fuels demand for operational agility, automation has emerged as a key catalyst enabling enterprises to streamline processes, boost productivity and drive sustained innovation. And given SAP‘s expansive footprint managing mission-critical business systems worldwide, it is no surprise intelligent automation on SAP platforms is skyrocketing.
- Over 76% of SAP customers already have automation initiatives underway as per ASUG‘s 2023 State of the SAP Market research, citing goals of cost reduction, improved efficiency and superior customer experiences.
- Leading analyst firm IDC predicts automation investments by SAP licensees will grow at 20%+ CAGR through 2026, topping over $7 billion.
- McKinsey anticipates that automating 50% of current manual work could boost global productivity by ~$13 trillion by 2030 – with SAP ecosystems representing a significant share.
SAP is aggressively expanding automation capabilities within its Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) to enable this growth. This 3000 word guide offers an expert perspective on unlocking intelligent automation spanning robotic process automation (RPA), workflow management and beyond with SAP‘s cloud platform.
Dissecting SAP‘s Automation Portfolio on BTP
Let‘s analyze key automation engines within BTP‘s expansive fabric:
SAP Build Process Automation
As SAP‘s strategic process automation platform combining workflow orchestration, RPA, decisioning and AI, Build accelerates developing and deploying integrated automation flows with pre-built content, reusable components and 300+ APIs.
- Build achieved an impressive 172% jump in order license revenue in 2022 as per SAP‘s financial disclosures, signalling strong momentum.
- In a 2022 IDC survey of SAP customers‘ automation priorities, over 80% of respondents plan to expand their usage of SAP Build capabilities – the highest among all SAP products evaluated.
I anticipate even faster growth for Build in 2024 fuelled by SAP‘s investments in vertical use case content, enhancements to Build Studio low code environment and deeper unification with complementary automation engines.
SAP Signavio Suite
The Signavio suite bolsters SAP Build‘s workflow automation strengths with in-depth process intelligence, simulation and continuous optimization capabilities.
Its integration with Build unlocks a complete lifecycle spanning process discovery, modeling, automation, management and monitoring. This is resonating strongly with SAP clients evidenced by >100% license bookings growth for Signavio last year.
I expect Signavio‘s momentum to continue based on increasing traction for its SaaS delivery model, ability to benchmark processes against industry averages utilizing crowdsourced intelligence, and embedded capabilities within BTP for frictionless adoption.
SAP Process Automation
Bringing enterprise-grade, intelligent RPA to SAP environments, SAP Process Automation (formerly Intelligent RPA) combines computer vision, natural language processing and machine learning to interpret unstructured data like emails, images, documents.
It helps overcome the 80% failure rates plaguing early RPA efforts through its integrated AI capabilities. Process Automation can also orchestrate automation between itself, SAP Build and even third party bots via native integrations with tools like Winshuttle for managing SAP.
With RPA penetration still under 20% despite high interest, I foresee massive headroom for growth as SAP clients augment core process orchestration with intelligent RPA functionalities.
SAP Workflow Management
As organizations seek lower code alternatives to Standalone SAP Build for simple automations, BTP Workflow Management provides over 200 self-service actions including predefined workflows for cross-application scenarios especially between SAP Cloud solutions.
While it lacks Build‘s breadth of advanced enterprise integrations, Workflow Management‘s ease of use can still be appealing for fast solution building so I expect increasing projects co-leveraging both tools simultaneously.
SAP Integration Suite
Underpinning BTP, SAP Integration Suite now boasts over 5,950+ pre-packaged integrations between SAP and third party applications or protocols.
It emphasizes speed, reusability and interoperability. Integration Suite‘s extensive library mitigates up to 80% of hand-coding needs as per client examples. I anticipate strong ongoing adoption as the foundation for automating processes across hybrid SAP estates.
Spotlight on Intelligent Document Processing
An emerging automation subdomain gaining traction is using AI to digitize volumes of paperwork handling customer orders, invoices, claims and more.
SAP recently embedded document processing directly into Build, expanding automation scenarios for instance to take emailed purchase requisitions and create new records automatically in SAP.
But SAP‘s biggest move here was acquiring majority stake in Swiss AI software firm Taulia. Rebranded as CombineAX, it utilizes natural language processing trained on trade documents to extract key details for rapid automated processing.
Considering the trillion dollar potential in unlocking trapped value from document-driven business processes, I foresee substantial upside for CombineAX‘s cutting edge capabilities to boost SAP ecosystem automation, especially as paper persistance remains rampant.
External Perspective: Top SAP Automation ISVs
Beyond SAP‘s expanding automation stack, numerous domain specialists offer complementary capabilities:
Redwood RunMyJobs – Enterprise Workload Automation
RunMyJobs provides a next-gen cloud orchestration platform automating IT processes like jobs schedulers, file transfers and event management. It shines in microservices, real-time analytics and hybrid cloud automation use cases.
Renowned for its scalability and reliability from its NoSQL architecture, RunMyJobs simplifies automation for complex SAP-centric landscapes with hundreds of native connectors plus SAP-certified adapters.
ActiveBatch – Mature, Trusted Platform
A veteran ISV in the workload automation market from its founding in 1993, ActiveBatch is hailed for its robust platform, rich SAP ecosystem integrations and stellar enterprise support.
With low-/no-code job scheduling, file triggers and workflow design combined with high reliability for long running processes, ActiveBatch secures key ERP, HR and other business critical workloads.
Stonebranch – IT Automation with Universal Controller
Stonebranch takes a centralized approach to IT process automation using its Universal Automation Controller able to orchestrate 100+ native integrations across automation tools, applications and environments.
For SAP customers running hybrid landscapes, Stonebranch provides vendor-agnostic workload automation while optimizing value realization from existing scheduler investment like SAP jobs, TWS or third party solutions.
These leading ISVs expand the art of possible for organizations seeking battle-tested, enterprise-grade automation tailored to SAP environments.
Deciphering Key SAP Automation Trends
Based on my tracking of SAP‘s extensive automation portfolio evolution combined with insights from advising Fortune 500 companies‘ roadmaps, following trends emerge:
Convergence of Automation Engines
SAP is aggressively bridging automation tools like Build, Signavio, Integration Suite under unified APIs and UX to streamline creating holistic solutions:
- End-to-end process discovery, design, integration, automation and monitoring
- Centralized control alongside distributed execution
- Integrating transactional and analytical workloads
Infusing Intelligent Capabilities
AI and machine learning progressively enhance automation functionality:
- Natural language processing for conversational UX
- Predictive analytics on process execution data
- Computer vision expanding scope beyond structured systems
- Prescriptive recommendations optimizing workflows
Embed Everywhere Philosophy
Automation capabilities directly integrate natively into apps like SCM, S/4HANA versus separate tools:
- Contextual leverage and consumption of services
- Mainstreaming automation practices
- Accelerating adoption closer to business needs
The net result – Smarter, continuous automation woven directly into the fabric of business operations.
Finding The Right Automation Approach
With SAP‘s multifaceted automation portfolio spanning capabilities and business scenarios, navigating the best fit hinges on assessing:
Persona – Business analysts to IT developers have options from low to pro code
Scope – Simple vs complex multi-system/location workflows
Maturity – Longevity balanced with cutting edge intelligence
Agility – Speed to automate across structures, unstructured processes
Compliance – Certification, validations for security, compliance
Value Realization – ROI metrics based on complexity to manage
This framework helps enterprises align technical possibilities with desired outcomes.
Often a tiered strategy works best:
- SAP Build, Signavio – Priority processes
- Workflow Management – Departmental and pre-defined integrations
- Integration Suite – Heavy lifting across mission critical systems
- Specialized ISVs – Advanced IT automation
Gearing Up For Next Wave Of Transformation
Intelligent automation is proving instrumental for future-forward organizations to continually progress their technology leverage. SAP BTP lays the foundation powering automation inside and outside SAP systems to drive efficiency, innovation and resilience.
As partners accelerate cloud migrations, evaluate introducing automation domains in manageable iterations:
- Pilot process automation where it unlocks most benefit
- Expand to supplementary scenarios delivering compelling ROI
- Manage automation centrally but execute locally close to divisions
- Mix and match the right capabilities to your needs
This sustains innovation as business landscapes keep progressing.
To discuss tailored SAP automation recommendations matching your environment or get expert implementation guidance, connect with my team.