Proceedings of the 53rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences | 2020 How Do Enterprise Software Providers Adapt Their Strategies to the Cloud? An Analysis through SAP Hana Journey Based on the Evolution of SAP’s Discourse (2010-2018) Lise Arena Lapo Mola UCA, CNRS, GREDEG, France UCA, CNRS, GREDEG, SKEMA, France
[email protected] [email protected] Nicolas Remond Frantz Rowe UCA, CNRS, GREDEG, France LEMNA, IAE de Nantes, Nantes University and
[email protected] KTO, SKEMA Business School, France
[email protected] Abstract The transformation of ERP vendors from software providers to platform’s governors has deep business and This paper seeks to provide a better understanding strategic implication [8]. Platforms are not purely of software business providers’ strategy when adapting modular systems; as the level of interaction, to the emergence of cloud computing markets. Based on interdependency and imbrication of the different a longitudinal case-study and on a historical content platform’s components produces lock-in effect that is analysis of SAP’s discourse, it highlights four main worth being investigated further [8, 25, 28]. While periods of adaptation, since 2009. The analysis of these cloud-based applications’ opportunities are increasingly four periods emphasizes the existence of an initial discussed in the literature; challenges are less known so far as the few existing publications focus on privacy superior technology (HANA) on the ERP market when policies’ reception and confidentiality concerns [14]. referring to cloud-based solutions. Overall, the Yet, early results consider switching costs, legal evolution of SAP’s strategy is understood as a change restrictions and organizational change as the main from a high level of control over the administration of challenges in the adoption of cloud-based enterprise its technological environment to a more flexible strategy systems [26].