SAP Business ByDesign: An Overview

In the business world, SMEs are actively seeking ways to streamline their operations, boost efficiency, and drive growth. This search has led many to embrace digital transformation, not just as a trend but as a necessity for maintaining a competitive edge. SAP Business ByDesign, a cloud-based ERP solution tailored for SMEs, stands out as a promising answer to these challenges. This platform aims to revolutionize business management by integrating key functions such as finance, HR, sales, procurement, customer service, and supply chain management into a unified system.

What distinguishes SAP Business ByDesign in the ERP market is its specific design for SMEs, combining cloud-based flexibility, user-friendly interfaces, and real-time analytics into a comprehensive package. This solution supports global operations and remote work, offering SMEs the agility and insight needed to make swift decisions and adapt to market changes.

This blog post explores SAP Business ByDesign's core features, benefits, and how it acts as a lever for digital transformation. We'll discuss its cloud-based advantages, the simplicity of its design for user efficiency, and its role in facilitating informed, timely decision-making through real-time data analytics. By examining its ecosystem, pricing, licensing model, and scalability, we aim to provide a detailed understanding of how SAP Business ByDesign can serve as more than just a tool but as a strategic asset for growth and innovation in SMEs.

What is SAP Business ByDesign?

SAP Business ByDesign is a cloud-based ERP solution tailored for small and medium-sized businesses. It integrates essential functions like finance, HR, sales, procurement, customer service, and supply chain management into one platform. Utilizing SAP's in-memory computing, it provides real-time analytics for quick, informed decision-making. It's scalable, meaning it can adapt to a business's growth without a complete system upgrade.

A major advantage of SAP Business ByDesign is its user-friendly design, which makes it easy to use with minimal training. This simplifies implementation across various departments without heavy IT support. Its cloud nature allows access from anywhere, supporting remote work and global business activities. Additionally, it connects smoothly with other SAP and third-party applications, enhancing operational efficiency by reducing data silos and improving data flow.

SAP regularly updates Business ByDesign, ensuring it stays current with business trends and technologies, including compliance with regulations. This tool supports SMEs in effectively managing their operations, promoting growth and innovation. SAP Business ByDesign is a key asset for businesses aiming at digital transformation, providing a foundation for scalability and competitive edge.

Key Features and Functionalities of SAP Business ByDesign

SAP Business ByDesign is a cloud-based ERP solution designed for small to medium-sized businesses, aiming to streamline operations across various departments. It offers modules for financial management, CRM, HR, project management, and SCM, enhancing operational efficiency, decision-making, and competitiveness.

Financial Management: The financial management module includes advanced tools for accounting, cash flow management, and financial reporting, supporting multiple currencies and languages, perfect for globally operating or expanding businesses. It ensures compliance with international financial standards, crucial for those in complex regulatory environments.

CRM: The CRM module offers a comprehensive view of customer interactions, allowing businesses to customize their marketing, sales, and service strategies. This module ensures a personalized customer experience, driving sales growth and enhancing marketing effectiveness.

HR Management: HR management is simplified with the HR module, automating payroll, time tracking, recruitment, and onboarding. This focus on strategic HR initiatives helps in attracting and retaining talent, essential for growth.

Project Management: Project management integrates with financial and CRM modules, providing a unified view of project costs, resources, and progress, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget.

Supply Chain Management: The SCM module optimizes the supply chain, including demand planning, inventory management, and supplier collaboration, allowing businesses to quickly adapt to market changes and manage stock efficiently.

SAP Business ByDesign empowers small and medium-sized enterprises to excel in their operations and foster sustainable growth. With its integrated solution, businesses can effectively manage their operations, adapt to evolving dynamics, and secure a competitive advantage in the market.

Why Choose Cloud ERP Over Traditional ERP Systems?

Cloud ERP solutions like SAP Business ByDesign are increasingly popular among businesses, offering advantages over traditional on-premise systems. They provide scalability, allowing businesses to adjust resources as needed. With the ability to access systems from anywhere, they offer operational flexibility and continuity. Cloud ERPs also minimize the need for large initial investments in hardware and infrastructure since maintenance and updates are managed by the provider. This means businesses can enjoy the latest features without extra costs or downtime. These benefits highlight why more companies are choosing cloud ERP to optimize their operations and support growth.

Cost-effectiveness: Cloud ERP systems, like SAP Business ByDesign, change the game for businesses by making IT infrastructure costs more manageable compared to traditional on-premise ERP solutions. The initial need for heavy investment in hardware and software, along with ongoing maintenance, upgrades, and staff costs, is significantly reduced with cloud ERP. This is because cloud ERP uses a subscription model, making it easier for businesses to only pay for what they need. This approach not only makes budgeting and financial planning simpler, with predictable monthly or annual costs, but also cuts down on the physical space and energy expenses needed for on-site servers. Overall, cloud ERP solutions offer a more cost-effective way for businesses to manage their operations and resources.

Scalability: Cloud ERP solutions provide the agility needed for businesses to quickly adapt to growth or market changes. Unlike traditional systems, which may require new hardware and complex upgrades, cloud ERPs allow for easy adjustments in user numbers, features, and storage without major disruption. This flexibility is crucial for both fast-growing startups and established companies needing to pivot rapidly.

Accessibility: With cloud ERP, employees can access the system from anywhere with an internet connection, enabling effective remote work and collaboration across different locations and time zones. This global accessibility ensures operations can continue without interruption, regardless of physical office constraints, and supports a better work-life balance, potentially boosting employee satisfaction and productivity.

Real-time Insights: Cloud ERPs like SAP Business ByDesign provide immediate access to updated business data, allowing for quicker, informed decision-making. Integrating data across all business functions enables a comprehensive view of organizational performance. Real-time analytics and reporting tools help managers identify trends, anticipate issues, and swiftly adjust strategies, improving operational efficiency and maintaining a competitive edge.

Security: Despite common misconceptions about cloud security, ERP providers invest heavily in data protection, adhering to strict security standards. Features such as advanced encryption, regular audits, and multi-layered defenses, supported by professional security teams, ensure data safety. Additionally, robust backup and disaster recovery measures offer an extra security layer, often more extensive than what on-premise solutions could provide, ensuring business continuity even in adverse situations.

SAP Business ByDesign Pros & Cons

SAP Business ByDesign is a cloud ERP system designed for small to medium-sized businesses, providing a wide range of features such as finance, HR, sales, procurement, customer service, and supply chain management. Its user-friendly design, smooth integration between modules, and comprehensive capabilities make it a strong all-in-one choice for businesses seeking to manage various aspects of their operations in one platform.

A major benefit of SAP Business ByDesign is its ability to scale, suitable for companies with 1-1000 employees and different operational requirements. Being cloud-based, it offers easy access from anywhere, supporting remote work flexibility. The platform delivers real-time data insights and strong reporting features, enabling users to create key performance indicators and make informed choices with current information.

Some users find SAP Business ByDesign complex, especially when compared to simpler tools like Excel, leading to a need for more training and expertise for effective use. This complexity might introduce a learning curve for new users. Additionally, the system's customization options are somewhat limited, not always fitting specific needs and often providing a more general solution rather than tailored features.

SAP Business ByDesign users have pointed out that customer support, especially for data migration and system setup, could be better in SAP Business ByDesign. Its pricing, often requiring a higher initial investment compared to other SaaS models with per-user monthly fees, is another factor to consider. Furthermore, the platform's reporting tools might need more technical knowledge to use effectively, which could be challenging for users with less technical background.

In summary, SAP Business ByDesign is a comprehensive cloud ERP solution ideal for small to medium-sized businesses, offering scalability, real-time data, and accessibility from anywhere. However, when considering it, businesses should be aware of its complexity, limited customization, customer support concerns, pricing model, and the technical expertise needed to fully leverage its reporting tools and functionalities.

SAP Business ByDesign Pros & Cons

SAP Business ByDesign is a cloud-based ERP solution designed specifically for small to medium-sized businesses. One of its standout features is the user-friendly interface that simplifies navigation and enhances the overall user experience. Being cloud-based, the software offers impressive accessibility, allowing users to access it from anywhere, making it ideal for businesses operating in multiple locations.

The software ensures a seamless flow of documents between different modules, fostering interdepartmental collaboration and productivity. Its flexibility allows it to be tailored to meet the specific needs of SMBs across various industries, including professional services, discrete manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals. SAP Business ByDesign offers a comprehensive suite of features encompassing CRM, SCM, finance, project management, and HRM modules, providing a one-stop solution for managing various business aspects.

One of the notable advantages is the simple and transparent pricing model based on user types. However, it's important to note that as a generic all-in-one solution, it may not meet specific module-based requirements, and its integration with other SAP products could be improved. Additionally, the configuration approach can limit flexibility in highly agile organizations, although it can be a benefit in some cases.

While SAP Business ByDesign boasts many strengths, it's not without its drawbacks. Experienced consultants for the software are in high demand, which can be a challenge. There have also been reports of occasional back-end issues and confusing accounting features, such as VAT returns and customer statements. Despite these limitations, SAP Business ByDesign remains a compelling choice for SMBs seeking a comprehensive, user-friendly, and accessible ERP solution.

SAP Business ByDesign Ecosystem

When it comes to evaluating, implementing, and extending SAP Business ByDesign, businesses can rely on SAP's extensive global network of partners and value-added resellers (VARs). This ecosystem plays a crucial role in supporting customers throughout their journey with the cloud-based ERP solution.SAP's partner directory allows businesses to filter and find the right ByDesign partner based on their specific needs, such as geographic location, organization size, and required capabilities. These partners offer a range of services, including initial implementation and deployment, change requests and customizations, ongoing support and maintenance, as well as training and enablement. Additionally, VARs within the network are authorized to resell ByDesign software licenses.

While ByDesign is designed as an integrated "business suite in a box," it offers extensibility through APIs and toolkits, enabling the integration of third-party solutions or industry-specific add-ons from independent software vendors (ISVs). SAP's partners can assist businesses in evaluating, implementing, and integrating such extensions, ensuring a seamless and tailored experience. For those interested in experiencing ByDesign firsthand, SAP provides a free 30-day trial, allowing users to explore the software's interface, core capabilities like finance and sales management, role-based views, and integrated workflows.

However, it's important to note that experienced ByDesign consultants are in high demand, making it crucial for businesses to engage the right implementation partner for a successful deployment.Overall, SAP's robust partner ecosystem plays a vital role in supporting Business ByDesign customers, from initial software evaluations and demos to implementations, integrations, customizations, and ongoing support, ensuring a smooth and tailored experience throughout the ERP journey.

SAP Business ByDesign Pricing & Licensing

Understanding the pricing and licensing structure of SAP Business ByDesign is crucial for businesses considering this ERP solution. Here’s a breakdown of how the costs are determined:

User-Based Licensing Model

SAP Business ByDesign follows a user-based licensing model, where the cost depends on the number of users and the type of user licenses required. The software offers three main types of user licenses, each providing different levels of access and functionality:

• Self-Service User: Priced between $19 and $22 per user/month, this license allows users to perform basic tasks such as time and expense reporting, purchasing, travel management, and service confirmation.

• Core User: At $117 per user/month, this license is designed for office workers, planners, accountants, or salespeople to manage their daily work activities.

• Advanced User: For those requiring full access to all available functionality, including editing business configurations, managing users, and creating analytics/reports, this license is priced between $152 and $212 per user/month, making it ideal for super-users.

Base Package

In addition to user licenses, SAP Business ByDesign offers a comprehensive Base Package that includes:

• 3 Core User licenses
• 2 Advanced User licenses
• One productive tenant
• One test tenant
• Access to the standard functionality suite with quarterly updates

This package ranges from $1,277 to $1,775 per month, providing a robust starting point for businesses.

Additional Add-Ons

Businesses can further customize their SAP Business ByDesign setup with additional add-ons, such as:

• Localization Version Add-On: Adds one additional country-specific version to the public or private edition for $947 per month.
• Additional Test Tenant: Priced at $1,243 per month.
• Additional Productive Tenant: Also priced at $1,243 per month.

Key Considerations

While the pricing is structured as a monthly subscription, actual costs can vary based on several factors, including the number of users, required functionality, and any additional add-ons or localization needs. Moreover, selecting the right implementation partner is crucial for a successful deployment. Experienced SAP Business ByDesign consultants are in high demand, and their expertise can significantly impact implementation and support costs.

Choosing the Right ERP

Choosing the right Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution is critical for a company's future growth, operations, and scalability. ERP advisory firms, such as RubinBrown's Business Advisory Services (BAS) team, offer invaluable expertise and an objective viewpoint that often surpasses vendor-provided insights. ERP selection firms possess deep experience across industries, guiding businesses with ERP solutions that align with your unique needs, industry requirements and business objectives.

One of the primary benefits of engaging with an ERP advisory firm is their unbiased analysis. They focus on finding the best fit for the client, without pushing a particular vendor's solution. Their expertise also plays a crucial role in risk mitigation, identifying potential issues early and recommending strategies to minimize them.

Collaborating with an ERP selection team can result in substantial cost savings by steering clear of ill-fitting systems, unnecessary modifications, and avoiding implementation pitfalls. Their strong negotiation abilities frequently secure more favorable pricing and terms from vendors, enhancing the overall value proposition for a new ERP system.

In summary, the decision to implement a new ERP system is too important to leave to chance. Partnering with an ERP evaluation team ensures expert advice, unbiased analysis, and strategic planning, making it an investment in your company's long-term success. Begin your ERP conversion journey with the team at RubinBrown today.