We all know the way of the future of SAP® is everything HANA®. From new product releases to no longer providing support of previous versions, the SAP HANA platform is here NOW and will continue to be the wave of the future for all size SAP customers.
With that said, SAP HANA is dynamic and continuously updating, which makes it challenging for an internal IT team to keep up with the ever-evolving technology. Before you are done reading this blog – something will have changed (ok maybe not that fast). But you understand the speed at which IT support can quickly become outdated.
That’s where having an outsourced partner with SAP HANA certified consultants is critical. Certified SAP HANA consultants receive an education directly from SAP and thoroughly learn the latest and greatest the powerful in-memory platform has to offer. In addition, dedicated SAP HANA consultants are working on various SAP HANA client infrastructures daily allowing their SAP HANA skillset to stay fresh with ongoing hands on experience. Which in my experience has saved clients invaluable time, money and quite frankly headaches. SAP HANA certified consultants are working with SAP systems day in and out, not just one migration project where often knowledge can have a ‘leave it and forget it’ effect. Even scarier is employing non-certified resources to migrate, deploy or manage your most mission critical systems, that can leave you vulnerable to major security risks if done incorrectly. Why gamble with your company’s large SAP investment?
More than a pretty piece of paper…
The SAP HANA certification process is an ongoing commitment. From both the online courses and the weeks of in classroom training, the entire process can be anywhere from a month or more worth of learning, test prep and taking the examination.
Having completed the certification myself, I understand the importance of being SAP HANA certified, and the effort it takes to maintain the certification. I also know how important it is to use my knowledge regularly with a variety of clients to apply my classroom learnings to real world use cases that continue to broaden and deepen my SAP HANA skills. I’ve been able to save time and money on client projects by knowing how to properly migrate SAP HANA to get it done and get it done right the first time. As a consultant I have the advantage of being able to support multiple clients on a variety of platforms, so I have firsthand experience on the “ins and outs” of how SAP HANA truly works.
SAP HANA certified consultants learn not only how to perform the general install of HANA, but they are also trained on how to optimally maintain the complete SAP HANA platform. In addition, to learning the many security precautions that need to be taken with HANA to ensure your data is migrated safely and securely.
Don’t just take my word for it, it’s a SAP requirement
Did you know SAP requires certification to build or migrate to TDI (Tailored Data Center Integration) solutions? While you could just buy SAP HANA appliances, you might end up with unfamiliar hardware and no flexibility for your growing infrastructure. By enabling customers to leverage existing hardware and operation processes in their data centers, HANA TDI can significantly lower the costs and allow for easier integration of SAP HANA into your data center.
Not only is being certified a nice to have its a “must have” when you are migrating to SAP HANA as these critical certification are required by SAP directly.
But the fact of the matter is not a lot of consultants are certified, which in the larger picture of SAP HANA support of complex migrations, and system maintenance can be a scary proposition to entrust your most mission critical systems to resources that are not properly trained.
Can’t my internal team get certified?
Yes, anyone can become certified. However, the SAP HANA certification process takes time, money and resources. It involves team members being out of the office in class and taking examinations for a substantial amount of time, in addition to the high cost of the classes and certification test itself. The certification also expires and must be continuously updated to retain the certification and proper knowledge which must be used on an ongoing basis.
Don’t risk your most critical system
One of the most compelling if not essential reasons your outsourced consultants should be certified is that SAP HANA is one of your most mission critical system and a substantial IT investment. Why trust that to someone that lacks the certification and real life experience? Companies investing in SAP HANA want access to the latest features the technology has to offer and guidance of an expert team to properly optimize the SAP HANA platform for long term success. You can’t ‘wing it’ or hope for the best with such a complex enterprise platform.
As a certified consultant, I know firsthand the importance of being SAP HANA certified and how that knowledge has been invaluable to me and my clients.
So let the SAP HANA experts handle it – contact a Managecore SAP HANA certified expert today to get started on your HANA journey!
Chad Fischer
Senior SAP Basis Consultant
As a senior basis consultant for Managecore's delivering team Chad is on the front lines with clients' critical systems providing technical daily monitoring support, project leadership, and implementing SAP® best practices for Managecore's valued customers. With 10 years of experience with SAP, Chad's core strengths include his sound technical knowledge and ability to go above and beyond to provide the best in expert customer support. Chad is continuously learning new SAP trends, to advise clients of new technologies that will optimize their business needs. Most notably as a SAP HANA® certified consultant, Chad provides expert technical support and gets clients running faster than ever before on the SAP HANA platform. Chad's infectious smile and 'can do attitude' embodies Managecore's foundational principles to provide Trust/Transparency and Communication/Collaboration.