The Business Value of SAP HANA Cloud - Full Study
April 2025 | Business Value White Paper, sponsored by SAP
The Business Value of
SAP HANA Cloud
Megan Szurley
Business Value Manager,
Business Value Strategy Practice, IDC
Devin Pratt
Research Director,
Data Management, IDC
THIS PDF USES
HYPERLINKS
The Business Value of
SAP HANA Cloud
Megan Szurley
Business Value Manager,
Business Value Strategy Practice, IDC
Devin Pratt
Research Director,
Data Management, IDC
THIS PDF USES
HYPERLINKS
2
Business Value White Paper, sponsored by SAP
April 2025 | IDC #US53213525
The Business Value of SAP HANA Cloud
Table of Contents
Business Value Highlights 3
Executive Summary 3
Situation Overview 4
SAP HANA Cloud Overview 5
The Business Value of SAP HANA Cloud 6
Study Firmographics 6
Choice and Use of SAP HANA Cloud 7
Business Value and Quantified Benefits 9
IT Staff and Cost Benefits of SAP HANA Cloud 11
Performance Benefits of SAP HANA Cloud 16
Business Enablement Benefits of SAP HANA Cloud 21
ROI Summary 24
Challenges/Opportunities 25
Conclusion 25
Appendix 1: Methodology 26
Appendix 2: Supplemental Data 29
About the IDC Analysts 30
Business Value White Paper, sponsored by SAP
April 2025 | IDC #US53213525
The Business Value of SAP HANA Cloud
Table of Contents
Business Value Highlights 3
Executive Summary 3
Situation Overview 4
SAP HANA Cloud Overview 5
The Business Value of SAP HANA Cloud 6
Study Firmographics 6
Choice and Use of SAP HANA Cloud 7
Business Value and Quantified Benefits 9
IT Staff and Cost Benefits of SAP HANA Cloud 11
Performance Benefits of SAP HANA Cloud 16
Business Enablement Benefits of SAP HANA Cloud 21
ROI Summary 24
Challenges/Opportunities 25
Conclusion 25
Appendix 1: Methodology 26
Appendix 2: Supplemental Data 29
About the IDC Analysts 30
3
Business Value White Paper, sponsored by SAP
April 2025 | IDC #US53213525
The Business Value of SAP HANA Cloud
Table of Contents
BUSINESS VALUE HIGHLIGHTS
Click any link and look for the • symbol on the corresponding page. Use the Return to Highlights button to return this page.
$820,000
average annual benefits per
SAP HANA Cloud database
352%
three-year return
on investment
10.3-month
payback on investment
35%
three-year reduction in
total cost of ownership
33%
more efficient IT infrastructure
management team
Executive Summary
SAP HANA Cloud has emerged as a leading solution for organizations seeking to
modernize their database environments and enhance operational efficiency.
As businesses increasingly transition from on-premises systems to cloud-based
platforms, SAP HANA Cloud addresses the growing demand for scalable, agile,
and data-driven solutions.
IDC conducted research that explored the value and benefits for organizations
using SAP HANA Cloud to enhance the scalability and accessibility of their database
environments.
35%
reduction in annual help
desk tickets
30%
more efficient DBA teams
19%
more efficient security teams
38%
quicker database deployment
71%
reduction in
unplanned downtime
88%
more query requests run daily
31%
faster queries
29%
improved response time
25%
more productive
analytics teams
30%
more productive
development teams
154%
more features
and applications
developed annually
Business Value White Paper, sponsored by SAP
April 2025 | IDC #US53213525
The Business Value of SAP HANA Cloud
Table of Contents
BUSINESS VALUE HIGHLIGHTS
Click any link and look for the • symbol on the corresponding page. Use the Return to Highlights button to return this page.
$820,000
average annual benefits per
SAP HANA Cloud database
352%
three-year return
on investment
10.3-month
payback on investment
35%
three-year reduction in
total cost of ownership
33%
more efficient IT infrastructure
management team
Executive Summary
SAP HANA Cloud has emerged as a leading solution for organizations seeking to
modernize their database environments and enhance operational efficiency.
As businesses increasingly transition from on-premises systems to cloud-based
platforms, SAP HANA Cloud addresses the growing demand for scalable, agile,
and data-driven solutions.
IDC conducted research that explored the value and benefits for organizations
using SAP HANA Cloud to enhance the scalability and accessibility of their database
environments.
35%
reduction in annual help
desk tickets
30%
more efficient DBA teams
19%
more efficient security teams
38%
quicker database deployment
71%
reduction in
unplanned downtime
88%
more query requests run daily
31%
faster queries
29%
improved response time
25%
more productive
analytics teams
30%
more productive
development teams
154%
more features
and applications
developed annually
4
Business Value White Paper, sponsored by SAP
April 2025 | IDC #US53213525
The Business Value of SAP HANA Cloud
Table of ContentsReturn to Highlights
Based on an extensive data set and employing a specialized Business
Value methodology, IDC calculates that these customers achieved benefits
worth an annual average of $13 7 million per organization ($820,000
average annual benefit per SAP HANA Cloud database) and a three-year
ROI of 352% by:
• Up-leveling database operations by boosting productivity for IT infrastructure, DBA,
analytics, application development, and security teams
• Improving agility and speed in the routine deployment of database resources used
to support line-of-business operations
• Optimizing end-user productivity and overall business effectiveness by enabling faster
and better decision-making via business-critical insights
• Improving business results through the synergy of the above advancements
Situation Overview
The shift from on-premises deployments to cloud-based services continues
to accelerate as organizations prioritize scalability, operational agility,
and advanced analytics capabilities Several key factors drive this transition:
• Growing data volumes:
Businesses are generating and collecting unprecedented amounts of data from
diverse sources, including customer interactions, IoT devices, and operational systems.
Managing this data effectively requires scalable and flexible database solutions.
• Need for real-time insights:
In today’s fast-paced business environment, organizations require the ability to process
and analyze data in real time to make informed decisions quickly. Traditional on-premises
databases often struggle to meet these demands.
• Cost optimization:
Cloud-based database solutions offer cost advantages through pay-as-you-go models,
reducing the need for significant upfront investments in hardware and infrastructure.
• Operational efficiency:
Cloud databases can automate many routine maintenance tasks, freeing up IT teams to
focus on more strategic initiatives.
Business Value White Paper, sponsored by SAP
April 2025 | IDC #US53213525
The Business Value of SAP HANA Cloud
Table of ContentsReturn to Highlights
Based on an extensive data set and employing a specialized Business
Value methodology, IDC calculates that these customers achieved benefits
worth an annual average of $13 7 million per organization ($820,000
average annual benefit per SAP HANA Cloud database) and a three-year
ROI of 352% by:
• Up-leveling database operations by boosting productivity for IT infrastructure, DBA,
analytics, application development, and security teams
• Improving agility and speed in the routine deployment of database resources used
to support line-of-business operations
• Optimizing end-user productivity and overall business effectiveness by enabling faster
and better decision-making via business-critical insights
• Improving business results through the synergy of the above advancements
Situation Overview
The shift from on-premises deployments to cloud-based services continues
to accelerate as organizations prioritize scalability, operational agility,
and advanced analytics capabilities Several key factors drive this transition:
• Growing data volumes:
Businesses are generating and collecting unprecedented amounts of data from
diverse sources, including customer interactions, IoT devices, and operational systems.
Managing this data effectively requires scalable and flexible database solutions.
• Need for real-time insights:
In today’s fast-paced business environment, organizations require the ability to process
and analyze data in real time to make informed decisions quickly. Traditional on-premises
databases often struggle to meet these demands.
• Cost optimization:
Cloud-based database solutions offer cost advantages through pay-as-you-go models,
reducing the need for significant upfront investments in hardware and infrastructure.
• Operational efficiency:
Cloud databases can automate many routine maintenance tasks, freeing up IT teams to
focus on more strategic initiatives.
5
Business Value White Paper, sponsored by SAP
April 2025 | IDC #US53213525
The Business Value of SAP HANA Cloud
Table of ContentsReturn to Highlights
• Global accessibility:
With increasingly distributed workforces and global operations, businesses need database
solutions that provide secure access to data from anywhere in the world.
• Advanced analytics and AI integration:
There is growing demand for database platforms that can seamlessly integrate with
advanced analytics tools and support AI/ML workloads.
In response to these trends, the development of cloud database platforms has become
crucial. These solutions aim to address the limitations of traditional on-premises databases
while leveraging the full potential of cloud computing.
SAP HANA Cloud Overview
SAP HANA Cloud is a fully managed, cloud-native database-as-a-service designed to deliver
high performance, scalability, and advanced analytics for modern enterprise applications.
Built on SAP Business Technology Platform, the database integrates seamlessly with SAP
and third-party systems, enabling organizations to unify diverse data sources in a single
platform. SAP HANA Cloud offers advanced multi-model engines that integrate relational,
spatial, property graph, document store, vector, and knowledge graph data-processing
capabilities. This unified approach eliminates the need for multiple specialized systems,
enabling businesses to handle diverse workloads, including transactional and analytical
processes, within a single environment. With its in-memory computing architecture and
elastic scalability, SAP HANA Cloud delivers fast query performance and real-time analytics
at scale to support decision-making and innovation.
Key features and innovations include:
• Elastic scalability:
SAP HANA Cloud offers elastic scalability, allowing organizations to dynamically adjust
compute and storage resources based on workload demands. This ensures optimal
performance without overprovisioning, reducing infrastructure complexity. Multi-tiered
storage options enable businesses to store frequently accessed data in memory for
real-time processing while leveraging cost-effective disk storage for less critical data.
• Integrated data access:
The platform simplifies data management by providing direct access to SAP business
application data and enabling seamless integration across hybrid or multi-cloud
environments. With multi-model capabilities, including relational, spatial, property graph,
JSON, vector, and knowledge graph data, SAP HANA Cloud supports diverse workloads
in a unified environment.
Business Value White Paper, sponsored by SAP
April 2025 | IDC #US53213525
The Business Value of SAP HANA Cloud
Table of ContentsReturn to Highlights
• Global accessibility:
With increasingly distributed workforces and global operations, businesses need database
solutions that provide secure access to data from anywhere in the world.
• Advanced analytics and AI integration:
There is growing demand for database platforms that can seamlessly integrate with
advanced analytics tools and support AI/ML workloads.
In response to these trends, the development of cloud database platforms has become
crucial. These solutions aim to address the limitations of traditional on-premises databases
while leveraging the full potential of cloud computing.
SAP HANA Cloud Overview
SAP HANA Cloud is a fully managed, cloud-native database-as-a-service designed to deliver
high performance, scalability, and advanced analytics for modern enterprise applications.
Built on SAP Business Technology Platform, the database integrates seamlessly with SAP
and third-party systems, enabling organizations to unify diverse data sources in a single
platform. SAP HANA Cloud offers advanced multi-model engines that integrate relational,
spatial, property graph, document store, vector, and knowledge graph data-processing
capabilities. This unified approach eliminates the need for multiple specialized systems,
enabling businesses to handle diverse workloads, including transactional and analytical
processes, within a single environment. With its in-memory computing architecture and
elastic scalability, SAP HANA Cloud delivers fast query performance and real-time analytics
at scale to support decision-making and innovation.
Key features and innovations include:
• Elastic scalability:
SAP HANA Cloud offers elastic scalability, allowing organizations to dynamically adjust
compute and storage resources based on workload demands. This ensures optimal
performance without overprovisioning, reducing infrastructure complexity. Multi-tiered
storage options enable businesses to store frequently accessed data in memory for
real-time processing while leveraging cost-effective disk storage for less critical data.
• Integrated data access:
The platform simplifies data management by providing direct access to SAP business
application data and enabling seamless integration across hybrid or multi-cloud
environments. With multi-model capabilities, including relational, spatial, property graph,
JSON, vector, and knowledge graph data, SAP HANA Cloud supports diverse workloads
in a unified environment.