SAP HANA Offers Big Data Analytics For SMBs

Nathan Eddy,

SAP is targeting SMBs with the launch of two HANA analytics tools that will provide real-time data analysis

Enterprise powerhouse SAP has announced two new product offerings designed to deliver the benefits of its HANA platform to small and midsize businesses (SMBs).

With analytics powered by HANA for the SAP Business One application and HANA Edge edition, SMBs can use in-memory technology from SAP.

HANA Platform

HANA is designed to improve decision-making and increase the speed of existing processes and accessing large amounts of data in shorter periods of time. HANA Edge edition is globally available via enabled and authorised partners.

The platform aims to provide midmarket companies with real-time access to information tailored to their individual requirements.

Analytics powered by HANA for SAP Business One are intended to provide a cost-effective combination of a special product version of HANA designed with the needs of small businesses in mind. Targeted at companies using Business One, the channel-only solution aims to offer a small-scale, easy-to-use HANA-based application including operational reporting with the company’s Crystal Reports software. Ramp-up is planned to begin at the end of February, with general availability slated for later in 2012.

“Analytics powered by HANA for SAP Business One will offer customers the flexibility to create interactive reports and run ad-hoc analysis faster than before,” said Ketan Solanki, consulting manager at Evolution Future Solutions, an Australia-based SAP channel partner delivering Business One. “Another major advantage is the access to relevant information in seconds with freestyle search, with the ability to navigate through various business objects from SAP Business One without having to move from screen to screen due to it all being included in the current cockpit. We expect that customers will benefit from tremendously improved productivity.”

HANA Edge edition is an indirect offering compiled specifically for reselling in the midmarket. The software targets SAP customers in the midmarket – typically those running the company’s Business All-in-One solution. An additional value proposition is offered when the version of HANA for midsize companies is bundled with the company’s BusinessObjects Edge Business Intelligence (BI) software, with the combination delivering insight in real time to midsize organisations.

Big Data

“Small enterprises have big data issues also,” said Donald Feinberg, vice president and distinguished analyst at IT research firm Gartner. “Big data is not only large volumes of data but also includes the variety and complexity of the data. Looking at content such as audio, video, text, documents, small enterprises have as much big data as large enterprises. Solutions for small enterprises must address the issues of big data.”

For quick implementation of HANA, customers and partners can use SAP Rapid Deployment solutions, including the company’s ERP rapid-deployment solution for operational reporting with HANA. Rapid Deployment solutions delivered by SAP partners include preconfigured software, partner implementation services and end-user enablement resulting in fast time to value with easy-to-deploy and integrated solutions. Another offering is SAP CO-PA Accelerator software, which allows faster processing of complex allocations and nearly instantaneous ad hoc profitability queries. It belongs to accelerator-type usage scenarios in which HANA becomes a secondary database for SAP products such as the ERP application.

“Small businesses have the dual need of a real-time software platform for their business, and yet simplicity in their IT landscapes,” said Vishal Sikka, member of the SAP executive board, technology and innovation platform for SAP. “HANA enables nearly 80 percent of our customers, which are small and midsize businesses, to bring together structured and unstructured data analysis from any source, as well as transactional applications and analytics, in a single highly scalable, elastic infrastructure for true real-time computing. Together with our ecosystem partners, we are excited about HANA delivering unprecedented performance improvements to businesses without compromise.”