New innovative integrations between Google Workspace, SAP S/4HANA Cloud create exciting possibilities for hybrid work

The future of work as we know it has changed beyond recognition thanks to cutting-edge innovation and to a large extent forced by the pandemic. 

Enterprises around the globe are trying to adapt themselves to these rapid changes while keeping in sight their long terms goals of supporting sustainability and becoming intelligent enterprises. In sync with these ambitions,  Google Cloud and SAP have announced new integrations between Google Workspace and SAP’s flagship cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) — SAP S/4HANA Cloud.

The overarching objective is to allow customers to connect core SAP software designed for running all mission-critical processes in the cloud, with the collaborative capabilities of Google Docs and Google Sheets, and revolutionize how work gets done across the enterprise.

Google Workspace has more than 3 billion monthly active users (MAUs) across consumer, enterprise, and education segments. According to Google Workspace Vice President and General Manager Javier Soltero, “work is no longer a physical place that we go to, necessarily”.

“The idea that we’re able to build and run organizations, governments, financial institutions, any size of business, and do it in a way that doesn’t require a physical presence that was previously referred to as an office will stay with us,” Soltoro elaborates.

Bringing enterprises, customers closer

“Native integration with Google Docs and Google Sheets has been a common request from many joint customers,” says Philipp Herzig, SVP, Head of Intelligent Enterprise and Cross Architecture, SAP.

These exciting new integrations will allow customers and enterprises to leverage the collaborative features of Google Docs and Google Sheets directly from their SAP software workflows. Customers can benefit in a number of ways, which include:

• Highly efficient and smooth integration, enabling users to adopt the solution quickly.
• The ability to export and import data between SAP software and Google Docs and Google Sheets for instant access to real-time editing and simultaneous collaborative engagements on documents and spreadsheets.
• The confidence of having a clean data source due to the one-step integration. This enables version control and slashes layers of potential translation when sharing application data and documents

“This integration will further pave the way for people to work collaboratively on any business documents and manage them closely along with their most critical business processes and data managed through SAP – all in the cloud,” Herzig notes.

SAP S4/HANA continued its strong growth by picking more than 500 customers in the first quarter (January-March period) of this year, taking total adoption to more than 19,300 customers, up 18 per cent year over year of which more than 13,900 are live.

In the first quarter, more than 60 per cent of the additional SAP S/4HANA customers were “net new”.

SAP posted a strong double-digit cloud revenue growth in SAP S/4HANA in Q1 and according to CEO Christian Klein, the signature ERP offering SAP S/4HANA grew at record levels “demonstrating the confidence customers place in us to support their business transformations”.

Breaking silos, leveraging collaboration

The ability to export and import data between SAP software and Google Docs and Google Sheets will ensure instant access to real-time editing and simultaneous collaborative engagements on documents and spreadsheets.

It will also instil confidence among enterprises of having a clean data source due to the one-step integration, which enables version control and removes layers of potential translation when sharing application data and documents.

“The move to hybrid work signals enterprises can no longer rely on legacy toolsets that can create silos and barriers to collaboration,” says Soltero.

“With the expansion of our partnership with SAP, these new in-depth integrations will enable employees working in complex data sets within SAP S/4HANA to tap into the real-time collaboration capabilities of Google Workspace, enabling teams to simultaneously access SAP data and more efficiently drive projects forward,” he adds.

The initial set of features is planned to be included as standard functionality in SAP S/4HANA Cloud later this year.

The features are being built on SAP Business Technology Platform, enabling tight integration and a consistent user experience across SAP software, supporting business processes end to end.

Towards a seamless user experience

Google Docs and Google Sheets, integrated with SAP S/4HANA Cloud, will enable new business capabilities, use cases and opportunities for collaborative tasks within small and large organisations alike.

Scenarios are planned in finance and many other solution areas, in which data exports and collaborative document management create a more seamless user experience, with more to follow.

For instance, a finance specialist working on SAP S/4HANA Cloud can manage financial records in a safe, reliable, and compliant manner.

The employee will be able to access Google Docs and Google Sheets to edit documents collaboratively, as part of their standard business processes, knowing that SAP S/4HANA Cloud provides a clean data source with version control and process reliability.

SAP, which is a leading ERP software provider for enterprises, and its RISE with SAP solution, provides a comprehensive set of products and services – including SAP S/4HANA Cloud – is already helping companies take confident strides in their journey toward becoming intelligent and sustainable enterprises.

Google Workspace is enabling teams of all sizes to connect, create and collaborate – to drive innovation from any device and any location.

Built on the industry’s leading cloud-native communication and collaboration platform, Google Workspace brings together apps loved by billions — Gmail, Chat, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Meet, and more — into a single integrated workspace.

The exciting new integrations are set to make the Cloud journey easier for enterprises the world over, especially in the APAC region.

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