Influencer Editorial Team
Good morning! Thank you for joining us today. I understand you had quite a long day yesterday after a long trek to Bopdev Ghat.
Sharique Ali: Good morning! Yes, it was a wonderful experience, but quite the hike indeed. It reminds me of the journey from on-premise to the cloud, and how continuous reinvention is a tedious task, especially for larger organizations.
Speaking of transformations, could you give us some insights into what it’s like to be a Solution Architect working on platforms like SAP?
Sharique Ali: Certainly. It’s very much like a highly scaled version of software engineering. Initially, you work on small projects alone, but as a Solution Architect, you evolve existing systems and work on larger projects with multiple teams. When you join a company, you rarely build completely new products; you enhance and integrate existing ones.
That sounds like a complex task. How important is having a technology strategy in this context?
Sharique Ali: It’s crucial. With existing products, you want to innovate and build new things. This requires a solid technology strategy. It helps in developing new applications and integrating them with existing systems. Over the past decade with SAP, we’ve learned a lot, especially from new technologies, about bringing multiple applications to work in harmony.
Sharique, can you give us a super brief overview of the Business Technology Platform without diving into too many technical details?
Sharique Ali: Absolutely. The Business Technology Platform (BTP) is a product and extension platform, divided into four key areas: database and data management, analytics, application development and integration, and intelligent technologies.
Could you elaborate on the database and data management aspect, especially in relation to your work?
Sharique Ali: Of course. Database and data management form the core of our platform. Efficient data management allows us to analyze data effectively, providing the foundation for making confident decisions based on transactional records.
How does analytics fit into your role as a Solution Architect?
Sharique Ali: Once you have the data, analytics is crucial to derive meaningful insights. Analytics enables us to use the data for decision-making, ensuring that transactional records translate into actionable information.
You mentioned application development and integration. How do you approach these tasks?
Sharique Ali: Application development and integration are about creating and linking applications, whether they’re SAP or non-SAP. Integration ensures that different systems work seamlessly together, supporting end-to-end processes without data breaks.
What do you mean by intelligent technologies in your work?
Sharique Ali: Intelligent technologies include various advanced capabilities like AI and machine learning, which enhance the platform’s functionality. These technologies support more sophisticated, automated processes and smarter decision-making.
Can you give an example of end-to-end processes you’ve worked on?
Sharique Ali: Sure. Take “lead to cash,” which encompasses everything related to customer transactions. Other examples include “design to operate” for manufacturing and supply chain, “source to pay” for supplier management, and “recruit to retire” for HR processes. These processes involve multiple products that need to work together seamlessly.
How do you ensure a seamless user experience across different products?
Sharique Ali: Customers expect a homogeneous experience when using products from one vendor. We focus on providing a seamless user experience, consistent workflows, aligned domain models, and robust security and identity management. This means users can move between different products without experiencing disruptions.
Can you explain the importance of aligned domain models in your work?
Sharique Ali: Aligned domain models ensure that data semantics are consistent across different products. For instance, an employee’s data should have the same fields and meanings whether it’s in SuccessFactors or our ERP system. This alignment is crucial for accurate analytics and smooth integration.
How do you handle security and identity management?
Sharique Ali: Security and identity management are critical as every company is now a software company and a potential target for attacks. We focus on minimizing attack surfaces and providing consistent security lifecycle management, along with a unified identity system to protect our customers.
What is your approach to infrastructure and deployment?
Sharique Ali: Our target is a cloud-native environment, using hyperscalers like AWS and Azure alongside SAP infrastructure. We also support a mix of on-premise and cloud setups to cater to different customer needs, including those in regulated industries.
How do you ensure integration across multiple applications and platforms?
Sharique Ali: We advocate for a platform-driven integration approach. For example, SAP Graph provides a unified REST interface for business objects, making it easier to manage and integrate data across different applications.
How do you address the needs of different types of developers and users?
Sharique Ali: There are a host of tools to cater to different skill levels, from low-code/no-code solutions for business users to full-stack development environments for experienced programmers. This approach helps us empower over a billion knowledge workers globally.
What are the challenges and key takeaways from integrating third-party and new products?
Sharique Ali: Integrating third-party and new products is challenging and requires a solid architecture and platform. Successful integration demands both a clear business vision and a robust technology foundation.
Thank you, Sharique, for sharing your insights. This has been an enlightening conversation.
Sharique Ali: Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure discussing these critical aspects of my work.
