From Manual Work to Automated Updates of the World’s Most Widely Used Enterprise System

Organisations around the world rely heavily on large, well-functioning IT systems to streamline, improve, and standardise internal processes across a wide range of business areas, including finance, inventory management, payroll, accounting, sales, customer service, procurement, and logistics.

Before 2027, all companies using SAP ERP must transition to SAP S/4HANA. This is a major undertaking and a business-critical initiative, as the system supports the entire value chain of the organisation.

“Until now, the task has been carried out manually. But it has now become possible to digitise the process using artificial intelligence, opening up entirely new possibilities,” explains Lars Bork Dylander, CEO of SOA People Denmark, which advises companies that use SAP as their ERP system.

It may not sound revolutionary, but it truly is. Traditionally, SAP customers have relied on large offshore teams to upgrade systems and rewrite code, ensuring compatibility with the new platform. These projects often took up to a year to complete. Today, AI-powered algorithms are capable of performing the same tasks significantly faster.

“Instead of having 25–30 developers working on the project for months, companies can now use artificial intelligence to complete much of the work in hours or days. At present, algorithms can automatically convert 80–90% of all code, which is obviously a huge advantage,” says Lars Bork Dylander.

For starters, companies can save millions in labour costs by automating what was previously manual work. Secondly, it frees up significant amounts of time within organisations. Thirdly, digitalisation reduces the risk of errors because, unlike humans, an algorithm can continuously upgrade systems throughout the process, rather than discovering at the very end whether all issues have been resolved. Finally, these new capabilities help strengthen companies’ compliance efforts, i.e., the process of ensuring that organisations comply with applicable laws and regulations.

“When a company sends all of its data, including customer information and employee salary data, to India, it creates a potential GDPR risk because a large number of people in a third country gain access to that data. Artificial intelligence eliminates this concern because the work is carried out by an algorithm – and an algorithm does not steal anything,” explains Lars Bork Dylander.

He finds it fascinating that digitalisation is now creating more digitalisation and believes that future generations may look back on this period as the moment when the AI revolution began.

“Not long ago, it seemed like science fiction that artificial intelligence would become intelligent enough for algorithms to solve tasks independently. But that is exactly where we are today: artificial intelligence has become capable of performing tasks on its own,” says Lars Bork Dylander.

For some, the future of artificial intelligence represents a utopia where we no longer need to work. For others, it resembles a Terminator scenario where robots take over and destroy humanity. The truth probably lies somewhere in between.

“Of course, it takes some getting used to that work we consider technically complex can now be carried out automatically. And naturally, it is thought-provoking that AI can perform tasks that we would not have imagined possible just a short time ago. But once the dust settles, I believe it will be a benefit to society because individual employees will be able to accomplish more,” says Lars Bork Dylander, who encourages companies to speak with other organizations that have already seen the technology in action.

“Right now, 30,000 companies worldwide still need to upgrade their IT systems, and there simply are not enough people available to complete the work before 2027. AI can help us overcome that challenge, and these new opportunities will change the way businesses operate. However, if companies are concerned about the technology itself, it can be beneficial to seek references and form their own opinion through dialogue with others who have experience with it,” he says.