Abstract:

This research aimed to examine the architecture of a modern En-terprise System based on the case of SAP S/4HANA, present a refined defini-tion of Enterprise Systems, and identify the possible deployment options to-gether with their implications for the clients. We found that Enterprise Sys-tems have evolved from Enterprise Resource Planning to organisation-wide, multi-component systems, covering major business processes and manage-ment functions of an enterprise and including both transactional (Enterprise Resource Planning, Supply Chain Management) and analytical sub-systems. We also identified three main deployment options for Enterprise Systems: public cloud, private cloud, and on-premise. We discussed the major conse-quences of choosing each option, which involve a trade-off between the ease of implementation offered by a cloud solution and the scalability provided by the private cloud and on-premise solutions. The paper concludes with sug-gestions for further research directions.