Microsoft and SAP have jointly announced the launch of RISE with SAP on Microsoft’s hyperscale cloud datacenter region in Qatar. SAP customers in Qatar can now host RISE with SAP on Microsoft Azure, expanding the opportunities for building a cloud-first economy in Qatar, the GCC and the MENA region.
Microsoft and SAP made the announcement during their co-hosted ‘RISE with SAP on the Road’ exclusive event, that took place on February 21st 2023 in Doha. The two tech leaders and their partners discussed how to drive the digital and cultural change needed to steer organizations through disruption, build resiliency and achieve their business and sustainability goals.
The addition of RISE with SAP to Microsoft’s Azure multi-cloud capabilities provides customers with enhanced solutions that can work across multiple clouds, devices and digital frameworks. Businesses of all sizes and across all industries can utilize the comprehensive set of enterprise-grade cloud services for their digital transformation and innovation needs.
During the event, Lana Khalaf, General Manager at Microsoft Qatar, said, “At Microsoft, we constantly strive to provide the best cloud experience for our customers, the Microsoft cloud datacenter region will be the first cloud datacenter to provide Rise with SAP on Azure in Qatar, unlocking new business opportunities and innovation.” She added, “Bringing Rise with SAP on Azure to Qatar, supports our efforts to increase opportunities for our customers to innovate on their own terms and achieve their business goals.”
For his part, Alaa Jaber, Managing Director, Qatar and Fast Growth Markets at SAP, said: “RISE with SAP enables the rapid adoption of advanced technologies and is tailored for each enterprise’s specific needs and circumstances. The aim is to go beyond a technical migration to the cloud, and instead enable private and public sector entities to truly transform their operations, realizing a faster time-to-market for new capabilities and applications. Microsoft has deep expertise running SAP solutions on Azure, in addition to a strong, on-going partnership with SAP, and together we are proud to be accelerating the transformation of Qatari businesses into intelligent, future-proof enterprises.”
Customers in Qatar choose Microsoft Cloud for their SAP solutions because of the ease of integration, breadth of advanced services and innovation, and the highest level of security and compliance. The event shed light on customers who experienced early success in accelerating their business transformation and simplifying their path to the intelligent enterprise.
Farha Muhanna Al-Kuwari, Human Resources Information Systems Centre Director at the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau, commented “CGB has been partners with SAP for more than a decade to support the transformation of Mawared: the Qatar Government’s HR system by standardizing processes and streamline operations leveraging the latest technologies. We are proud of this partnership and our joint efforts for continuous improvements. Considering the mission critical services that the Mawared platform provides to government entities, the impact of disruption or outage can be severe in terms of business operations, data loss and reputational harm. By deploying Microsoft Azure Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Solution (BCDR), we are now able to avoid disruptions, protect Mawared’s applications and data, and keep Mawared platform running and recoverable in case of unforeseen disasters or unplanned outages.“ She added “Our partnerships with SAP and Microsoft form a major milestone on the Bureau’s cloud adoption journey in-line with the Country’s digital transformation agenda and Qatar’s National Vision 2030, featuring a strong demonstration of the value cloud-based technologies bring to our nation.”
Abdulaziz Ibrahim Al-Tamimi, CEO of Qatar Primary Materials Company (QPMC) said: “Rise with SAP was a key milestone for Qatar Petroleum Material Company (QPMC) holistic digital transformation journey, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the countries strategy to diverse its economy. SAP’s expertise and cutting-edge technologies and Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure will play an effective role in achieving our 2023 goals to drive innovation, enhance our competitiveness and deliver greater value to our customers.”
Hamdan Merchant – Senior Director Innovation & IT & BPI at GWC noted, “The cloud offers the ideal option to support the strategic goals of the GWC. Using RISE with SAP on Azure for our deployment, we get instant access to the latest patches, innovations, and updates from SAP.”
Al Meera Consumer Goods, the biggest retailer in Qatar, IT Director, Abdulaziz Almana, said, “In our journey to adopt digital transformation of our operations across our over 60 stores to the cloud, we have selected RISE with SAP running on Microsoft Azure to allow us to leverage cloud computing, automated business process and innovative solutions to significantly improve our operational performance and apply a more integrated approach in serving our clients.”
