Digitel: Turning legacy complexity into real-time efficiency and resilience through RISE with SAP
Digitel’s shift from legacy to intelligent operations
Facing regulatory complexity and an aging on-premises ERP landscape, Corporación Digitel C.A. needed a new path forward. The telecommunications provider launched the RISE with SAP journey to modernize operations with a scalable, cloud-based foundation that enhances agility, improves visibility, and supports sustainable growth.
| Industry | Region | Company Size | Partner |
| Telecommunications | Caracas, Venezuela | 1,184 employees | Corporación Sybven |
reduction in human errors in critical processes.
reduction in financial closing time.
improvement in system responsiveness.
Chief Information Officer, Corporación Digitel C.A.
Navigating disruption with a clearer, forward-looking operational view
As Venezuela’s first mobile operator to deploy the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network and introduce per-second billing, Corporación Digitel C.A. has long been recognized as a telecommunications pioneer. The company continues to connect millions of people across the country with full national coverage and a history of delivering advanced mobile capabilities such as long-term evolution (LTE).
However, steady growth comes with growing pressure. Digitel’s legacy on-premises ERP system was increasingly difficult to maintain, expensive to scale, and lacked the speed and visibility to manage an expanding business. Core business processes—especially in finance, procurement, and asset management—had become fragmented and slow to respond. At the same time, the cost of archiving historical data for regulatory compliance had become unsustainable.
In addition to the tightening regulatory environment, these challenges were further amplified by broader economic volatility. Repeated monetary reconversions, which erased billions in currency over five years, placed more strain on system stability.
Digitel quickly recognized the need to go beyond incremental change. It set out to simplify operations, strengthen control over key assets, accelerate financial closing cycles, and give teams access to accurate, real-time insights. More importantly, the company sought a new digital foundation designed for efficiency today and built to support innovation and resilience in the future.
Chief Information Officer, Corporación Digitel C.A.
Building a modern foundation for visibility, control, and scale
To support its national network and growing subscriber base, Digitel needed an intelligent core that could modernize how the business operated and remain compliant with Venezuela’s complex regulatory environment. The company decided to leverage the RISE with SAP journey to transition its on-premises ERP system to SAP Cloud ERP Private solutions (see the figure). This first step toward business transformation set the groundwork for faster decision-making, more-efficient operations, and future scalability.
Digitel redefined core business processes in finance, procurement, and asset management by rearchitecting its ERP landscape around standardized best practices. The company retired more than 80,000 obsolete fixed assets and reclassified over 10,000 to improve control and transparency, reinforcing data integrity across finance. Lease contracts were also digitalized using the SAP Real Estate Management application to help ensure compliance with international financial reporting standards.
SAP partner Corporación Sybven also played a critical role in shaping the implementation. Drawing on deep technical and fiscal expertise, the partner guided the system reconfiguration and integration approach to align with Venezuela’s tax structures. This work included localized development and the establishment of a hybrid architecture that integrated SAP Cloud ERP Private with public cloud solutions and on-premises systems for historical data retention.
While SAP Cloud ERP Private served as the project’s foundation, Digitel also adopted additional SAP solutions. SAP SuccessFactors solutions were rolled out to streamline workforce performance and development. Then, SAP Ariba solutions were deployed to support sourcing and contract processes. And in the background, the Identity Authentication service strengthened system access and increased cloud agility.
Furthermore, Digitel implemented SAP Fiori apps to give employees a more intuitive user experience and centralized access to the tools they use every day. An OpenAPI-based architecture enabled smooth integration between SAP Cloud ERP Private and the enterprise’s prepaid systems, billing platforms, and international banking channels—streamlining critical workflows, minimizing manual handoffs, and accelerating responsiveness across finance and operations.
Chief Financial Officer, Corporación Digitel C.A.
Delivering clarity, speed, and control across core business operations
By modernizing its ERP landscape in the cloud, Digitel gained measurable improvements that aligned directly with its business priorities. Standardizing processes and eliminating outdated customizations gave the company a streamlined foundation for daily operations, empowering teams to work faster and with greater confidence and accountability.
Real-time data now supports more-responsive and transparent decision-making, while tighter control over assets and contracts has improved financial accuracy and governance. In addition, critical workflows across the board were automated, while business validations were embedded into core systems.
As a result, Digitel reduced financial closing time by 30% and reduced human error in critical processes by up to 70%. In parallel, a 30% improvement in system responsiveness allows the business to react more quickly to operational demands.
The adoption of SAP SuccessFactors solutions gave employees a centralized and intuitive self-service experience across performance, career development, vacation planning, and workforce administration, contributing to a 15% productivity boost. Meanwhile, the use of SAP Ariba enhanced collaboration and compliance across the supplier network through a structured digital portal for sourcing and contract management. Payroll and organizational structure management were also streamlined, reinforcing efficiency gains in HR operations.
By embracing cloud innovation and modern best practices, Digitel accomplished much more than meeting its immediate transformation goals. It positioned itself to operate with greater clarity, resilience, and confidence in a highly dynamic market.
Chief Financial Officer, Corporación Digitel C.A.
Extending digital momentum to unlock insight, efficiency, and growth
Through continued investment in SAP solutions, Digitel is building on its digital foundation to deliver more value to customers, strengthen internal operations, and support the long-term sustainability of its services and workforce.
Plans include deploying the full suite of SAP Ariba solutions to enable stronger supplier relationships and greater transparency across sourcing activities. The company is also moving to streamline travel and expense management by integrating SAP Concur solutions with SAP Cloud ERP Private, delivering mobile-friendly tools for daily tasks and improved compliance and control over operational spend.
Further supporting strategic decision-making, Digitel intends to adopt the SAP Analytics Cloud solution to consolidate data and provide real-time insights across the organization. Predictive capabilities will empower teams to act with greater speed and foresight, helping the company remain agile in a rapidly changing environment.
Beyond these solution rollouts, Digitel is committed to reducing unnecessary custom developments and prioritizing standard SAP solution functionality whenever possible. This approach lowers technical complexity and helps ensure long-term adaptability as business and regulatory needs evolve.
Featured partner
Corporación Sybven helped Digitel modernize its operations through the RISE with SAP journey—transforming legacy ERP into a cloud foundation for agility, compliance, and growth. By uniting more than 400 people and reshaping 14 business areas, Sybven reduced errors, accelerated closing cycles, and built resilience to connect millions with greater speed and efficiency.