SAP Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) solutions stand at the forefront of the dynamic landscape of enterprise software management, orchestrating the entire lifecycle of SAP applications from inception to operation.
From the seamless coordination of cloud-based deployments with Cloud ALM to the comprehensive capabilities of Solution Manager and the targeted insights provided by Focused Run, SAP’s ALM suite is a cornerstone for organizations navigating the complexities of application development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance.
As organizations strive for operational excellence and innovation, understanding and harnessing the power of SAP’s ALM solutions emerge as pivotal steps in ensuring the optimal performance, reliability, and adaptability of their SAP landscapes.
This article discusses the main components and features of SAP’s ALM ecosystem and how our team of SAP consultants can facilitate more efficient management of your most critical SAP solutions, including SAP Business Technology Platform, SAP S/4HANA Cloud, and more.
Understanding Application Lifecycle Management
Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) refers to a suite of fully integrated tools, predefined processes, and other business services that enable users in the SAP community to design, test, deploy, and optimize SAP solutions more effectively.
With SAP’s autonomous ALM solutions, customers can manage their SAP and third-party, non-SAP solutions more effectively, reducing total implementation and operational costs, optimizing core business processes, and accelerating time to value.
Here are a few critical aspects of Application Lifecycle Management in SAP:
Development
The development aspect involves the creation of the application and occurs between the idea generation and application consumption phases. As applications require upgrades or customers implement new features into existing applications, the development phase re-emerges to support the operational capabilities of each version.
Governance
The governance aspect of SAP’s ALM solution covers the phases of judgement construction and venture administration and offers extensibility to support users throughout the timeframe of an application’s complete lifecycle.
Operations
The operations aspect involves organizing and handling critical application operations prior to deployment, through implementation, and continuously until the application is deserviced. By monitoring and optimizing operations associated with cloud solutions in the SAP landscape, ALM functionality enables users to maximize the potential of their software and drive better outcomes.
A Closer Look at SAP’s ALM Offerings
SAP offers solutions for autonomous Application Lifecycle Management, service, and delivery designed for all customers and system landscapes, enabling more efficient digital environments, improving customer satisfaction, and enhancing transparency across the entire IT landsacpe.
While some SAP customers prefer to leverage a standardized low-cost approach and only deploy a few SAP components, other cloud-centric customers use multiple SAP components and applications and build their landscape based on individual ALM requirements.
Here are the main ALM solutions SAP offers to satisfy different customer demands and requirements:
SAP Cloud ALM
SAP Cloud ALM is a cloud-based ALM solution designed for both cloud and hybrid customers, offering intelligent application design and management tools that enable users to conduct more effienct business process monitoring and optimize the way their technical environments operate.
By actively detecting issues and inefficiencies and safeguarding critical SAP applications, SAP Cloud ALM allows users to configure, extend, integrate, and run their SAP landscapes more effectively, save valuable time and costs, and accelerate time to value across teams.
The SAP Cloud ALM solution enables users to complete the following tasks:
- Support the entire lifecycle of critical SAP applications, from build to testing, run, and more
- Automate operations to proactively detect issues and improve task management
- Improve project tracking, testing, and management
- Conduct full-stack monitoring and detect system disruptions in hybrid landscapes
SAP Solution Manager
SAP Solution Manager provides innovative cloud capabilities to enable users to transform critical business operations, address improvement opportunities, and minimize risk across the complete application lifecycle of your IT landscape.
With fully integrated SAP Solution Manager functionality, customers can deploy, monitor, maintain, run, and optimize all SAP and non-SAP enterprise solutions from a centralized platform, further supporting complex cloud implementation processes, driving efficiency, and improving business continuity.
SAP Solution Manager offers a few critical add-on tools for agile Application Lifecycle Management:
- Focused Build: Provides pre-configured SAP Solution Manager features and advanced build functions to support a seamless and efficient requirements-to-deploy process for new applications
- Focused Insights: Leverages SAP and ALM best practices and individualized experience from custom build projects to provide intelligent dashboards tailored to customer needs
SAP Focused Run
SAP Focused Run is designed for organizations that need high-volume system health monitoring, analysis, and alerting, enabling customers to leverage the full power of the SAP HANA platform to automate system management and facilitate better configuration and security analytics.
By leveraging a simplified system architecture, built-in security protocols, and multi-tenancy approach, SAP Focused Run makes it easier than ever for companies to support multiple high-volume monitoring use cases at once and improve collaboration across the entire IT landscape.
Here are a few critical use cases for SAP Focused Run functionality:
- User Monitoring and Integration
- Alerting and Notification Management
- App and System Monitoring
- Operations Automation
- Intelligence and Analytics
- Service and Maintenance
Tricentis Test Automation
All users with an SAP Enterprise Support, including SAP Enterprise Support, cloud editions, agreement are entitled to use the Tricentis Test Automation platform for SAP through a limited term license.
The integration between the Application Lifecycle Management capabilities in SAP Cloud ALM solutions and automation capabilities in Tricentis enables users in the SAP community to create automated test cases for new applications and broaden the capabilities of SAP ALM solutions across the IT landscape.
With intelligent connections between SAP Cloud solutions and Tricentis Test Automation, users can manage and optimize critical test planning and preparation, test orchestration, reporting, and defect management processes and maximize the potential of their SAP solutions.
Main Advantages of SAP Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)
By combining the intelligent capabilities, power, and potential of SAP Solution Manager, SAP Cloud ALM, and SAP Focused Run in a comprehensive ALM platform, companies can optimize SAP application development, deployment, and maintenance and improve overall efficiency.
Here are a few critical benefits of ALM solutions in the SAP landscape:
End-to-End Visibility
SAP ALM solutions provide end-to-end visibility into the entire application lifecycle. From design and development to deployment, operations, and monitoring, organizations gain a holistic view of their SAP landscapes and foster better decision-making, collaboration, and control over the application lifecycle.
Efficient Collaboration and Communication
SAP ALM solutions facilitate efficient collaboration and communication among cross-functional teams involved in different phases of the application lifecycle. Teams can work seamlessly, share information, and coordinate activities, reducing data silos and enhancing overall collaboration.
Accelerated Development and Deployment
The ALM tools streamline development processes, enabling organizations to accelerate the creation and deployment of SAP applications. Features like template-based development, reusable components, and automated testing contribute to faster development cycles and more efficient deployment.
Enhanced Quality and Compliance
SAP ALM solutions incorporate robust testing and quality assurance features. Automated testing, code inspection, and validation tools help ensure the quality of SAP applications. These solutions support compliance efforts by providing features for tracking and managing regulatory requirements, reducing the risk of non-compliance across teams.
Proactive Monitoring and Issue Resolution
SAP ALM solutions offer capabilities for proactive monitoring of SAP landscapes. Real-time monitoring, alerting, and diagnostics help identify issues before they impact operations. This proactive approach to monitoring enhances system reliability, minimizes downtime, and accelerates issue resolution.
How Can We Help?
Whether you need help outlining plans for new application implementations, additional support enabling connections between SAP Solution Manager and SAP Focused Run and Tricentis Test Automation, or just an extra hand getting started on your journey with SAP, Surety Systems is here to help your SAP community.
Our senior-level, US-based SAP consultant team has the knowledge, skills, and proven track record to manage all your critical project needs and drive better outcomes, no matter where your needs lie.
Getting Started with Our Team
Interested in learning how SAP ALM solutions can help your organization ensure business continuity and accelerate time to market? Ready to get started with our team of SAP consultants?
Contact us today for more information!
