T-Systems' offer faster and cost-effective SAP ERP solutions with Certified Best Practice Templates in South Africa
Johannesburg, February 24, 2009
T-Systems has strengthened its position as a leading implementer of SAP solutions with the announcement of the certification of two ERP Best Practice Templates.
The certification by SAP Germany is the highest seal of approval for templates that meet the business software provider’s rigorous standards. Templates, in turn, map the implementation path of a specific SAP module or a solution for a specific industry.
The T-Systems templates that have met this mark are those for a basic ERP implementation and a turnkey healthcare ERP solution.
"This certification raises the bar for us in the marketplace as it validates our project plans for these two industries as being in line with SAP’s global standards," says Tiaan Grobbelaar, Systems Integration – Manager Sales at T-Systems in South Africa.
Grobbelaar explains that templates overcome the historical drawback of ERP implementations – namely, a lengthy and expensive process. This is mostly due to the need to map the business processes that inform the specifications for the required system functionality.
Custom-built training material, configuration, customisation, testing and reworking modules are other areas in which costs have traditionally escalated in the absence of templates to lay the foundation for the system.
For example, the T-Systems’ basic ERP template has broad application across all organisations whose business model is based on the sale and service of equipment or goods.
Grobbelaar says the template is a specific customisation of a baseline ERP system that encompasses financials, sales, purchasing and operational reporting.
"We believe this product will give us a strong foothold in this market segment, and forms an integral part of our overall suite of cost and time-saving solutions," he says.
The healthcare solution is a powerful tool that encompasses processes from back office, patient management and administration, billing, nursing care, radiology, surgery, cardiology, pharmacy and medication.
This solution can also be fully integrated to medical equipment for better patient care and a surgeon’s web portal for instant patient records and prescriptions.
These templates form part of T-Systems' 'SAP Rapid Implementation' suite, which is a set of 11 locally-customised tools and templates developed by the company for a broad base of standard modules, or that are designed to meet the needs of a specific industry sector.
The SAP ERP Templates and modules include pre-configured business processes, forms and reports, data migration tools and templates as well as test and training data, including manuals.
Specific industries catered for in the suite include manufacturing, professional services, HR and payroll, supply chain and logistics, industrial machinery and components, as well as the two latest templates.
Grobbelaar says these solutions generally offer an 80% fit, with the remainder comprising specific customisation to each organisation’s unique setup as well as to allow for competitive differentiation.
"Our SAP Template Implementation suite enables us to offer solutions suited to the local business environment without lengthy delays or added project costs due to this level of customisation," he says.
While the certification process is expensive and time-intensive, Grobbelaar says this investment is justified by being able to offer a cost-efficient and quicker solution for medium and large organizations.
