Vodafone has completed its migration to SAP cloud solutions, yielding rapid new advancements for the company. In the space of eight months, company representatives say they have noticed a number of positive changes as a result of the transformation.

The migration was initially spurred by Vodafone New Zealand's separation from its global parent group in 2019 and its need to develop its own IT infrastructure to support its operations in New Zealand.

The company says it migrated its complex IT landscape to a local environment with ease. The technology involved consisted of the SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud, SAP Business Technology Platform, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Ariba, SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP Fieldglass, SAP Concur and OpenText.

Vodafone says that it has improved and simplified business operations and helped bring many transaction services in-house which had previously been outsourced. They also say their data is cleaner, and this has led to faster month-end close and increased functionality that helps transform HR capabilities.

SAP uses Internet of Things (IoT) and advanced analytics technologies to help turn customers' businesses into intelligent enterprises. They work closely with companies around the globe to help streamline business operations.

Vodafone head of investment and transformation Cy Wright says collaboration and alignment were vital to the venture's success.

"The previous set up was far more complex than we needed it to be. That's not surprising given it was designed for a global corporation with 40 operating companies in different markets," he says.

"The success of the project is due to the commitment of the entire business from the CEO down. Everyone was determined to deliver this effectively and to maximise value for the long-term future of the business. We developed our target operating model and then simplified it as much as possible. The entire organisation agreed on the business objectives, so we were able to make decisions rapidly, which meant that we didn't lose time through the migration."

The project team included people from across SAP, Vodafone Global, Vodafone New Zealand and partners Infosys and EY. Due to the pandemic, these groups worked from nine countries and hadn't been together since July 2021.

"Carving out a complex IT landscape across multiple SAP and non-SAP products is no easy task and to do so in just eight months is extraordinary," says SAP New Zealand MD Adrian Griffin.

"This is a testament to the partnership, collaboration and laser focus of Vodafone, SAP, and our partners Infosys and EY to deliver a great outcome for the wider Vodafone business. Moving to SAP S/4HANA Cloud has enabled Vodafone New Zealand to be incredibly agile and responsive, giving it the insights it needs for better, faster decision making and continuous opportunities to improve its operating model."