SAP SE has announced that Pennsylvania State University, with the help of SAP partner LSI Consulting Inc., virtually completed the implementation of SAP S/4HANA — SAP’s intelligent, integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution with embedded analytics and AI-supported intelligent automation — replacing aging systems to optimize and align business processes.
Despite travel restrictions initiated in early March 2020 as a response to COVID-19, the LSI project team guided the Penn State team through the two-year transformation process, which included 2,616 requirements and 27 critical milestones, all of which were achieved on time and on budget.
“Our partnership with LSI has helped position the university for success now and for many years to come,” said Michael Büsges, Penn State senior director of enterprise projects. “The transition was managed efficiently, and the project team remained focused and engaged throughout the entire process.”
Struggling with the pandemic, educational institutions are facing unprecedented social and economic challenges. The demand for increased engagement and agility has never been greater, and universities are realizing the need to transform into intelligent enterprises to produce data-driven results. This includes every aspect of university business operations because, like any enterprise, they have complex workforces, demanding stakeholders, asset-intensive campuses, and suppliers they rely on for products and services.
Built on SAP S/4HANA, Penn State’s new System for Integrated Management Budgeting and Accounting (SIMBA) replaces the university’s 30-year-old finance, procurement and budgeting systems, as well as related applications. SIMBA outcomes will deliver superior financial and operational excellence and will support and advance Penn State’s teaching, research and service missions by making the university more agile and responsive to stakeholders.
This transformation to an intelligent enterprise enables Penn State to:
•Facilitate more robust and transparent reporting
•Reduce risk with state-of-the-art IT security
•Replace redundant financial systems and increase financial transparency
•Optimize and align business processes
“The functionality gained from this implementation project is a difference maker for faculty and staff across the university,” said David Gray, Penn State senior vice president for finance and business. “SIMBA was a bold and necessary undertaking, and the significance of the project cannot be understated, especially given that it was done virtually. Moving to SAP S/4HANA has given us the unique opportunity to rethink core business processes, leading to increased business agility through improved processes, reporting, budget forecasting and integrated functions.”
