With an ever-changing technology landscape, companies need solutions that allow them to manage their data, execute core business procedures, and connect their most important operations with a single solution.

The solution? SAP Internet of Things.

SAP offers a suite of IoT solutions designed to help companies in any industry transform their operations and leverage connected assets to gain deeper insights into their processes.

This article will take a closer look at the key features and advantages of SAP and IoT integration, as well as where our team of SAP consultants can come in to help.

Read on to learn more!

How Does IoT Work?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an interconnected network of “things” including objects and IoT devices with sensors that allow them to transmit information to and from other systems, making it easier for users to automate business procedures and manage operational data more efficiently across their entire enterprise.

IoT devices are designed to collect and connect data from different sources across the network to facilitate better decision-making and manage large amounts of IoT data more efficiently. There are four main steps in the process of gathering and analyzing data in IoT devices…

  1. Capture data: IoT devices leverage intelligent sensors to capture data from their environment and store them together in one place.
  2. Share data: By using available network connections, IoT applications enable users to store data locally within their SAP Cloud, send the data to a private or public cloud system through device-system-device integrations, or integrate data with another device through device-device integrations.
  3. Process data: With functional IoT data and other intelligent technologies, users can process and configure their data to perform specific tasks, like sending a warning message or automatically processing service tickets within the SAP system.
  4. Act on data: After data is accumulated from each source and connected in the IoT core, users can analyze the data to deliver powerful insights and facilitate better decision-making processes across teams.

What is the IoT in SAP?

SAP IoT (formerly SAP Leonardo IoT) refers to a collection of tools and applications designed to add business value and help users manage sensor data in a comprehensive administrative environment and generate technical objects within the complete IoT. Just a few examples of IoT functionality with SAP users are that users can connect their devices, people, and processes in the same place to fuel a more intelligent enterprise.

Key Features of SAP IoT Services

Let’s take a closer look at the key components and features of the IoT architecture…

Application Programming Interface (API)

SAP IoT provides pre-built access to application programming interfaces (APIs) designed to provide access to the core functions of the IoT Application Enablement feature, making it easier to build and connect apps across the SAP system.

With integrations between SAP IoT and configurable APIs, users can manage authorization-related services and things-related services, including configurations and events, more efficiently.

Connected Devices

The Device Connectivity feature presents each different physical device in a more uniform way, making it easier for users to match the physical devices with their corresponding “things” in the IoT landscape.

This fully integrated layer of IoT enables users to connect, analyze, and manage the functionality of their physical IoT devices and maintain compliance with device protocol across the system, including key integrations with the SAP Analytics Cloud and other machine learning algorithms.

Mass Data Processing

With IoT, data generated by IoT sensors is loaded into the platform and stored in a multi-component database system built around SAP HANA’s in-memory database.

This enables users to establish their own technical SAP ecosystem around IoT and business data and simplifies the process of managing large amounts of data in one location.

User Authorization

SAP IoT offers an authorization concept based on functional scopes and object instances for each area of the system. This ensures only authorized users have access to certain tenants to keep data secure and protected, no matter what.

Integration with SAP Cloud Platform

SAP IoT integrates with the SAP Cloud Platform to provide better insights into sensor data and help users make more informed decisions through business context-enriched IoT data.

Smart Sensing

With a suite of applications fully integrated with SAP S/4HANA and the SAP S/4HANA Cloud, users can leverage both objects and events to automate business operations and conduct predictive maintenance to expand operations into new business areas.

This integration allows users to capture events as objects that are identifiable through gates, scanners, and other Auto-ID technology tags, making it easier to complete manufacturing, logistics, and supply chain management processes with greater efficiency.

Main Advantages of SAP IoT Solutions

SAP IoT services provide the tools and connectivity needed to facilitate better data exchange between users and systems and connect real-time data on the same digital platform.

With an Internet of Things in SAP, users are enabled to…

  • Enrich IoT data with business context based on a unified semantic model
  • Leverage well-defined business rules and contextually enriched IoT data to improve insights and data visibility across teams
  • Trigger event-based actions based on the creation of operations in the system
  • Define analytics models to aggregate IoT data and enhance accessibility for users
  • Use trends in operational data to detect patterns and create new business processes for better productivity and efficiency in the future
  • Improve the speed and accuracy of core data and device management processes
  • Transmit large and complex datasets with greater efficiency

Where Do SAP Edge Services Come In?

SAP Edge Services are designed to help companies execute business operations anytime, anywhere, and collect, process, and analyze data at the intelligent edge with reduced costs related to data transmission and communication.

SAP Edge Services allow users to…

  • Manage and monitor edge devices and IoT sensors to keep data secured and protected, automate actions across data sources, and improve control over IoT processes
  • Improve user productivity, engagement, and performance with simplified user interfaces and optimized local workflows
  • Extend digital transformation initiatives and core business operations beyond the data center to increase worker efficiency and speed up decision-making processes
  • Store events, objects, and other IoT data locally within SAP to reduce risk for errors, accelerate system performance, and improve customer satisfaction
  • Prioritize data and actions within SAP IoT to cut costs and optimize spending
  • Enable real-time decisions and facilitate more agile responses across teams

Getting Started with Our Team

Whether you need help getting started with SAP IoT solutions, an extra hand reimagining your core business models and revenue streams for improved business performance, or additional technical support to develop functional applications across the SAP Web IDE solution, Surety Systems is here to help.

Our team of senior-level SAP consultants has the technical skills and functional expertise needed to help you make the most of your SAP solutions and leverage connected business processes to improve productivity and efficiency across your entire enterprise.

How Can We Help?

Interested in learning where our expert SAP consultants can fit in your organization?

Ready to get started with the SAP Internet of Things, but don’t know where to begin?

Contact us today for more information about our SAP consulting services!