Talan and OVHcloud Triumph Over Pandemic to Implement SAP S/4HANA
Is organizing the launch of an ERP solution within a large international company in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic a stretch? Talan and OVHcloud took on this challenge and succeeded. Learn how the leading European cloud computing company turned health constraints into opportunities, and how our team successfully assisted its partner in the rollout of SAP S/4HANA.
OVHcloud: A Thriving Company
OVHcloud has flourished since its inception in 1999. From a small startup launched by a student in the north of France, today the company is Europe's leading provider of cloud solutions - both public and private. With a portfolio of 1.6 million customers, OVHcloud deploys its cloud and web hosting services in 140 countries through a solid network of 34 data centres and multiple points of presence.
With nearly 25 years of successful growth, the company decided, in 2019, to pursue an initial public offering plan in the fall of 2021.
A Project Impacted by Covid-19
To meet the growth objectives needed to achieve such a milestone, OVHcloud initiated the implementation of the SAP S/4HANA solution internally to enable greater efficiency at several levels of its organization.
This large-scale project collided with the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, when the French team in charge of the project had to move to the pilot site located in Beauharnois, Quebec. The inability to travel prompted OVHcloud to be creative... and to ask for our help. To maintain its objectives, the cloud leader was looking for a partner that could relay the project team on the ground.
Why OVHcloud Chose Talan
Our client selected us based on several criteria:
- A full-service team: OVHcloud was searching for a SAP partner that could provide a fully operational project team. This enabled a quick and efficient launch of the mission to deploy the core model.
- Individual and group competencies: Our team of consultants is characterized by its leadership qualities and expertise. This enabled us to easily understand the client's expectations and problems and address them pragmatically. Consequently, a relationship based on trust was quickly developed.
- An instructive and dedicated approach: Users' technical knowledge level was very heterogeneous. Our team showed its ability to adapt to each user, guiding them as best as possible in the use of the SAP S/4HANA ERP system.
Taking Over an Ongoing Project: A Considerable Challenge
Our team of consultants stepped in to support the deployment of SAP S/4HANA in the operational areas of logistics, manufacturing, and financial management. We accompanied OVHcloud in implementing the SAP software for component purchasing, data and warehouse management, planning, production, and financial control.
Our intervention required consideration of three fundamental realities:
1. Deploying an existing solution: When Talan was brought on board, the planning and implementation preparation phases had been fulfilled. SAP S/4HANA was fully configured based on OVHcloud's general and specific needs. We focused on assisting with deployment without disrupting the project's progress.
2. Teams located in two time zones: With a six-hour time difference between the main and local project teams, we operated independently while ensuring efficient collaboration during overlapping hours.
3. Teams with different cultures: Our consultants acted as cultural facilitators between the French and Quebec teams, bridging differences and ensuring a seamless rollout.
Satisfactory Results
One year after our contribution and the Go-live of SAP S/4HANA's integrated system, the project is in its stabilization phase. Beyond the efficiency gains inherent to the integration of this ERP, OVHcloud derives several more benefits from our collaboration:
- The support of a team dedicated to the deployment of the ERP
- The efficiency of a multidisciplinary team of consultants that is readily operational
- Personalized assistance tailored to the maturity of the business teams
- A trusted local contact to ensure the continuity of the main project team/business collaboration
- A facilitator in the appropriation of the tool by the business team
Through the integration of SAP S/4HANA, OVHcloud also reaped the following benefits:
- Real-time management of its end-to-end operations
- Streamlining and decommissioning of several in-house tools
- A single, shared, and reliable database
- Integrated standard business processes
- Better scalability to support OVHcloud's growth
- A successful IPO in October 2021!
We are delighted to have helped OVHcloud achieve its objectives and continue developing its growth ambitions efficiently and confidently.
