The migration to SAP S/4HANA is in full swing. With its RISE with SAP and GROW with SAP programs, SAP is consistently pursuing its path to the cloud. Many companies are asking themselves a crucial question:
What does this step mean for our existing automation solutions with Broadcom Automic?
First, the good news: For Automic users, the transition to SAP S/4HANA is, in most cases, not a threat but rather a great opportunity to take their existing automation strategy to the next level.
RISE and GROW—what exactly is the difference?
Before we discuss the implications for Automic, it’s worth taking a brief look at the two SAP programs.
RISE with SAP
RISE is primarily aimed at companies with complex SAP landscapes. It centers on SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, combined with infrastructure, technical services, and tools for transformation. The goal is to migrate existing ERP systems to a modern cloud environment as efficiently as possible.
GROW with SAP
GROW is primarily aimed at midsize companies or new customers and is based on the SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition. Standardized processes, best practices, and rapid implementation projects are the main focus here.
Regardless of the model chosen, the following applies:
Business processes must continue to run reliably, securely, and automatically—and this is exactly where Automic comes into play.
The real challenge isn’t the ERP system
Many companies focus exclusively on the ERP system during their S/4HANA migration. In doing so, they often overlook the fact that:
Today, the SAP system is just one component of a complex IT landscape.
Typical process chains include, for example:
- SAP ERP
- Data Warehouse
- ETL processes
- Databases
- Middleware
- File transfers
- Cloud services
- Reporting
- Batch processing
- Custom Applications
If a process fails at any point, numerous downstream systems are often affected.
The real challenge, therefore, lies not only in migrating SAP, but in maintaining the stability of the entire end-to-end process chain.
Automic remains a key component even in the cloud
Many Automic customers are wondering:
“Will our existing automation even work with RISE?”
The answer is: Yes.
Broadcom has officially certified Automic for integration with RISE with SAP S/4HANA Cloud. Companies can therefore continue to use their existing automation processes to a large extent and migrate their SAP systems to the cloud with minimal adjustments.
This means:
- Existing job networks are preserved
- SAP workloads can continue to be managed centrally
- Existing operational processes often require only minor adjustments
- Investments in automation remain protected
Now is the right time to modernize
An S/4HANA migration is much more than a technical upgrade. It offers the opportunity to critically evaluate existing automation processes. Many companies have been using Automic for many years now. Over this time, the following have often developed:
- job structures that have evolved over time
- duplicate processes
- manual interventions
- inconsistent naming conventions
- lack of documentation
A transformation project provides an excellent opportunity to address these issues.
The result:
- leaner process chains
- greater transparency
- reduced administrative effort
- greater stability
- easier maintenance
End-to-end automation continues to gain importance
With SAP S/4HANA, automation doesn’t stop at the ERP system. On the contrary, companies today are digitizing entire business processes across system boundaries.
Examples:
- SAP processes customer orders
- Camunda orchestrates the business process
- UiPath automates manual tasks
- Automic controls all technical workflows
- Monitoring oversees the entire process chain
Especially in hybrid IT landscapes, Automic takes on the role of the central orchestrator.
Questions Our Customers Often Ask
Do all SAP jobs need to be recreated?
In many cases, no. Existing automation processes can continue to be used and tailored to the new system landscape. The extent of the customization effort depends, among other things, on the chosen migration approach (brownfield, greenfield, or hybrid) and the target architecture.
We are migrating to the cloud with SAP S/4HANA. Do we need to adapt our existing Automic processes for file exchange?
Yes, in many cases, an adjustment is necessary. With the transition to SAP S/4HANA Cloud, direct access to the local SAP file system is no longer available. Processes that previously stored files directly in SAP or read them from SAP must therefore be adapted to use new transfer methods. In practice, file exchange often takes place via Managed SFTP or SMB (CIFS). While this does require an adjustment to existing file transfer processes, it does not pose a fundamental limitation for Automic. On the contrary: With a well-planned migration, the new cloud scenarios can be automated securely, transparently, and in a future-proof manner.
Will I lose access to my scheduling because of RISE?
No. Even in a RISE environment, Automic can still serve as the central controller for your enterprise-wide workloads.
Should I use the migration to modernize my automation?
Absolutely. There’s hardly a better time than a project to optimize existing processes and plan ahead for future requirements.
Our Recommendation
Companies should not view the SAP S/4HANA migration solely as an ERP project.
Rather, it is the ideal time to review the entire automation landscape:
- Which processes are already automated today?
- What manual tasks still remain?
- What dependencies exist between SAP and other systems?
- What opportunities for optimization can be realized directly within the project?
Answering these questions early on reduces risks in the migration project and simultaneously lays the foundation for future-proof end-to-end automation.
Conclusion
RISE with SAP and GROW with SAP are not competitors to Automic—in fact, they make powerful workload automation more important than ever.
Precisely because IT landscapes are becoming increasingly hybrid and business processes connect numerous systems, there is a need for a central platform that reliably manages these workflows.
For existing Automic users, the migration therefore means one thing above all else:
Not the loss of existing automations, but the opportunity to modernize them, simplify them, and put them on a future-proof footing.
About best-blu
As a long-standing Broadcom Automic partner, we have been supporting companies for many years in the implementation, modernization, and further development of their automation platforms. Together with our customers, we develop future-proof automation strategies—from traditional on-premises environments to hybrid cloud architectures with SAP S/4HANA, RISE, or GROW.
Are you planning your SAP S/4HANA migration and want to know how it will affect your Automic landscape?
Contact us – we’ll help you transition your existing automation to the next generation safely and efficiently.
