The Role of SAP Business Technology Platform in the Intelligent Enterprise: Developing and Applying an Intelligent Enterprise Capability Framework
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
The rapid digitalization of enterprises has increased organizational dependence on cloud applications, distributed data, application programming interfaces, automation, and artificial intelligence. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this transition but also intensified a persistent architectural problem: digital capabilities frequently become fragmented when introduced as independent technologies. The challenge facing enterprises today is therefore shifting from digital adoption toward the integration and coordination of digital capabilities. This study examines SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP) as an architectural foundation for the Intelligent Enterprise. Drawing on research in digital transformation, enterprise architecture, and digital-platform ecosystems, the paper proposes the Intelligent Enterprise Capability Framework (IECF). The framework evaluates five enterprise capabilities: Connectivity, Adaptability, Context, Execution, and Intelligence. To make the framework evaluative rather than purely descriptive, each capability is assessed using three predefined criteria: implementation maturity, breadth of deployment, and strength of documented outcome evidence. The framework is applied to three evidence sets: an SAP-sponsored IDC study of nine SAP BTP customers, Maersk's documented BTP implementation, and Hitachi High-Tech's side-by-side extensibility program. The resulting overall IECF scores are 3.93 for the IDC sample, 3.67 for Maersk, and 3.73 for Hitachi High-Tech on a five-point scale. All three exceed the study's exploratory threshold of 3.5 for meaningful demonstrated platform value, producing an aggregate score of 3.78. The analysis further shows that platform value is realized through different capability profiles: IDC demonstrates stronger Context and Execution outcomes, Maersk demonstrates strong cross-system Connectivity and capability coordination, while Hitachi High-Tech demonstrates particularly strong Adaptability and ERP-core decoupling. The study contributes a capability-centric method for evaluating enterprise technology platforms and argues that an Intelligent Enterprise should be understood not as the implementation of an individual technology but as an architectural capability created when systems, data, applications, automation, and intelligence operate together.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
[1] G. Vial, “Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda,” J. Strateg. Inf. Syst., vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 118–144, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2019.01.003.
[2] P. C. Verhoef et al., “Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda,” J. Bus. Res., vol. 122, pp. 889–901, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.022.
[3] A. J. Reuschl, M. K. Deist, and A. Maalaoui, “Digital transformation during a pandemic: Stretching the organizational elasticity,” J. Bus. Res., vol. 144, pp. 1320–1332, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.01.088.
[4] R. van de Wetering, “The role of enterprise architecture-driven dynamic capabilities and operational digital ambidexterity in driving business value under the COVID-19 shock,” Heliyon, vol. 8, no. 11, Nov. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11484.
[5] M. Pattij, R. van de Wetering, and R. Kusters, “Enhanced digital transformation supporting capabilities through enterprise architecture management: A fsQCA perspective,” Digit. Bus., vol. 2, no. 2, p. 100036, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.digbus.2022.100036.
[6] A. Gawer, “Bridging differing perspectives on technological platforms: Toward an integrative framework,” Res. Policy, vol. 43, no. 7, pp. 1239–1249, 2014, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2014.03.006.
[7] A. Hein et al., “Digital platform ecosystems,” Electron. Mark., vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 87–98, 2020, doi: 10.1007/s12525-019-00377-4.
[8] K. S. R. Warner and M. Wäger, “Building dynamic capabilities for digital transformation: An ongoing process of strategic renewal,” Long Range Plann., vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 326–349, 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2018.12.001.
[9] I. M. Sebastian, K. G. Moloney, J. W. Ross, N. Fonstad, C. Beath, and M. Mocker, “How big old companies navigate digital transformation,” MIS Q. Exec., vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 197–213, Jan. 2017.
[10] Mark de Reuver, Carsten Sørensen, and Rahul C Basole, “The Digital Platform: A Research Agenda,” J. Inf. Technol., vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 124–135, Jun. 2018, doi: 10.1057/s41265-016-0033-3.
[11] Maximilian Schreieck, Manuel Wiesche, and Helmut Krcmar, “Capabilities for value co-creation and value capture in emergent platform ecosystems: A longitudinal case study of SAP’s cloud platform,” J. Inf. Technol., vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 365–390, Dec. 2021, doi: 10.1177/02683962211023780.
[12] IDC, “The Business Value of SAP Business Technology Platform,” IDC Business Value White Paper, sponsored by SAP. [Online]. Available: https://info.delaware.pro/hubfs/SAP BTP IDC Business Value White Paper - SAP BTP.pdf
[13] SAP SE, “Maersk Uses SAP Business Technology Platform to Accelerate Strategic Transformation,” SAP SE. [Online]. Available: https://news.sap.com/africa/2023/05/maersk-uses-sap-business-technology-platform-to-accelerate-strategic-transformation/
[14] SAP SE, “Hitachi High-Tech: Mastering Side-by-Side Development Techniques to Innovate in a More Agile and Future-Ready Way,” SAP SE. [Online]. Available: https://www.sap.com/asset/dynamic/2023/07/d237f8b9-7e7e-0010-bca6-c68f7e60039b.html
Industry and Empirical Sources
SAP SE. (2022). The Business Value of SAP BTP. SAP News Center, December 8, 2022. https://news.sap.com/2022/12/the-business-value-of-sap-btp/
SAP SE. (2022). SAP Launches SAP Build to Unleash Business Expertise. November 15, 2022. https://news.sap.com/2022/11/sap-teched-sap-build-business-expertise-coursera-partnership/
SAP SE. (2023). SAP Introduces SAP Datasphere. March 8, 2023. https://news.sap.com/2023/03/sap-datasphere-simplify-data-landscape-partnerships-collibra-confluent-databricks-datarobot/
SAP SE. (2023). SAP Announces Joule, a New Generative AI Assistant. September 26, 2023. https://news.sap.com/2023/09/joule-new-generative-ai-assistant/