In today’s fast-paced digital economy, operational efficiency isn’t just a competitive advantage—it’s a necessity. IBM’s Quote-to-Cash (QTC) transformation is a powerful example of how large-scale enterprises can modernize legacy systems, streamline global operations, and unlock new levels of agility and intelligence.
The Challenge: Complexity at Scale
IBM’s Finance and Quote-to-Cash organizations support over 150,000 ERP users across 175 countries. Their operations were historically run on a heterogeneous mix of infrastructure—IBM Power®, IBM Z®, and Intel servers—supporting SAP ERP systems. This setup, while robust, was complex, costly, and heavily reliant on manual processes for contract registration, billing, invoicing, and accounts receivable.
The Vision: A Digital Enterprise
To address these challenges, the IBM Finance and Quote to Cash teams partnered with its own CIO organization, IBM Consulting®, and SAP® to embark on one of the largest corporate transformation projects in the world. The goal? To move from an on-premise SAP ECC environment to SAP S/4HANA Cloud using the RISE with SAP deployment methodology on IBM Power Virtual Server.
This wasn’t just a tech upgrade—it was a strategic shift toward becoming a truly digital enterprise. By centralizing and standardizing data, automating workflows, and embedding AI into core processes, IBM aimed to radically simplify and accelerate its quote-to-cash lifecycle.
The Execution: Cloud-Powered Transformation
The migration to SAP S/4HANA Cloud was completed in just 18 months, a remarkable feat given the global scale and complexity. Key enablers of this success included:
- Architecture consistency between IBM Power on-prem and IBM Power Virtual Server, which reduced migration time by up to 25%.
- 30% reduction in infrastructure costs, thanks to the move to cloud.
- Enhanced AI-driven decision-making and automated workflows, improving both speed and accuracy.
The Outcome: Smarter, Faster, More Resilient
Today, IBM’s QTC operations are more agile, intelligent, and resilient. The transformation has laid a strong foundation for future innovation, including deeper AI integration and advanced analytics. As David Ackerman, Director of SAP S/4HANA Platform at IBM, puts it:
“Where we’re at now is what we call the digital enterprise—streamlining work steps, radically simplifying global processes, and automating using AI at scale.”
Why It Matters
IBM’s QuoteCash transformation is a blueprint for any enterprise looking to modernize its core operations. It demonstrates the power of cloud, the importance of architectural consistency, and the value of aligning IT transformation with business goals.
A Strategic Foundation for RISE with SAP on IBM Cloud
This large-scale transformation within IBM’s own CIO office is more than a success story—it’s a strategic proof point. It demonstrates IBM’s deep expertise in managing complex SAP migrations and sets the stage for IBM’s new offering as a Hyperscaler for SAP RISE. With the launch of RISE with SAP on IBM Power Virtual Server, IBM is uniquely positioned to help clients accelerate their own digital transformations—leveraging the same secure, scalable, and AI-powered infrastructure that powered its internal success.
For organizations navigating similar challenges, IBM’s journey offers a clear message: digital transformation is not just possible—it’s essential, and it pays off.
For more details, please find this success story: https://www.ibm.com/case-studies/ibm-quotecash
Photo: IBM