Global SAP S/4HANA Integration Rollout Across Several Countries

ACBaltica supported a global medical technology company in a complex SAP transformation program as it moved from ECC to SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud.

The project covered several regions at the same time and had to be delivered within tight deadlines, in a restricted cloud environment, and a highly complex system landscape. Despite these challenges, all integrations were delivered on schedule, enabling smooth go-lives with minimal disruption to daily business operations.

The rollout was part of the customer’s global S/4HANA program led by the main implementation partner. ACBaltica joined the project as a dedicated integration partner, responsible for integrating SAP S/4HANA with multiple SAP and third-party systems and adapting the solution to regional technical and regulatory requirements.

Customer

The customer is a global medical device manufacturer operating across multiple regions, with a complex and business-critical IT landscape supporting its operations. The company operates across the Americas and Asia and relies on a complex, business-critical IT landscape to support its operations.

Earlier, the customer migrated its operations in one of the regional markets from ECC to SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud, which became the company’s global core system. Over time, this core was connected to many SAP and non-SAP solutions supporting finance, logistics, operations, and local business processes.

As the customer expanded S/4HANA to new regions, the key challenge was clear: how to reuse and adapt existing integrations while keeping the global core stable, secure, and consistent.

Project context

The rollout followed a phased regional approach:

• Country I – initial SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud implementation (global core)

• Country II – rollout based on the global core, combining reused and newly built integrations

• Countries III and IV – parallel rollout using the same global core and integration principles

ACBaltica led the integration stream across all phases, working closely with:

• the main implementation partner,

• the customer’s internal project management team,

• SAP Basis and infrastructure teams,

• and cloud and network providers.

The project began in spring 2025 with the first regional rollout, followed shortly by parallel rollouts in additional regions.

Challenge

1. A brand-new S/4HANA Private Cloud environment

The rollout was based on a new Private Cloud system, which required significant preparation before integrations could begin.

To make the system integration-ready, SAP Basis and CPI architects had to:

• establish secure connectivity,

• configure security settings,

• configure backend for the private network architecture 

• and align the environment with SAP integration best practices.

All this work took place in a closed, highly restricted network, with strict access and security rules.

2. A complex integration landscape

The project involved integrating SAP S/4HANA with more than 10 SAP and non-SAP systems, including:

• logistics and supply chain solutions,

• finance and reporting platforms,

• regional operational systems,

• and locally required third-party applications.

Some integrations from the global core could be reused, while others needed to be adapted or rebuilt to meet regional requirements.

3. Region-specific technical and regulatory constraints

Due to legislative limitations in some countries, the team faced additional challenges and had to address:

• firewall restrictions blocking external connections,

• additional network setup to enable communication with systems in other countries,

• and custom security and routing configurations to meet local regulations.

This required close coordination between integration architects, Basis teams, infrastructure specialists, and local IT teams.

4. Parallel rollouts under tight timelines

Work in country II and countries III-IV overlapped significantly. To stay on track, the team had to carefully manage dependencies, avoid conflicts, and maintain consistent quality across all regions.

Solution

ACBaltica delivered the integration stream using a structured, phased approach fully synchronized with the overall rollout program.

Project scope

• Rollout of SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud integrations for country II and countries III-IV based on an existing global implementation

• Design and implementation of a regional integration architecture using:

• SAP Integration Suite (CPI)

• Standard SAP S/4HANA integration technologies (IDoc, FTP, web-services)

• Integration with 10+ SAP and non-SAP systems, including:

• SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud (country II)

• SAP MDG

• SAP BW

• SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)

• SAP GTS

• SAP Concur

• Adobe Service Forms on SAP BTP

• External third-party systems and FTP-based solutions (3PL, custom BTP Fiori App, DGSP, Bank of America, Medispend, Vizuallease)

• Development of standard and custom CPI integration flows tailored to regional needs

• Adaptation of the integration architecture to local regulatory, security, and infrastructure requirements

• Enablement of master data governance and regional data synchronization

• Setup of reporting and analytics for the business in country II

• Establishment of ongoing operational support for SAP Basis, MDG, BW, and SAC

Key elements of the solution

• Early technical preparation

• Close collaboration with Basis and infrastructure teams ensured the Private Cloud environment was fully ready for integrations.

• Flexible integration design

• reused integrations from the global core,

• adapted integrations for local needs,

• and new integrations where required.

• Country II-ready architecture

Security, firewall, and network configurations to support compliant cross-border communication.

• Parallel delivery model

Countries II and III-IV were delivered in overlapping phases, allowing progress without delays between regions.

Implementation timeline

• Spring 2025 – Project start and preparation for the project in Country II

• June 2025 – Country II go-live

• July 2025 – Finalization of integrations  in countries III-IV 

• August 1, 2025 – Countries III-IV go-live

All milestones were met as planned.

Teams behind the project

ACBaltica

• Integration architects

• SAP CPI consultant/architect 

• SAP Basis consultant 

• ABAP developer

• SAP Analytics Cloud consultant 

Customer & Partners

• The main implementation partner

• Customer’s project management team

• SAP Basis and infrastructure teams

• Cloud and network providers

Strong collaboration across all teams was essential, especially given the restricted cloud environment and regional constraints.

Results & benefits

Despite the technical complexity and overlapping rollouts, the project delivered clear business value:

• Stable global S/4HANA core

The team successfully connected all regions to one central system without compromising performance or stability.

• Reliable end-to-end integrations

Business-critical processes continued to run smoothly before, during, and after go-live.

• Minimal business disruption

Rollout of integrations was completed without major operational issues.

• Region-compliant architecture

Local regulatory and security requirements were met without isolating Country II from the global IT landscape.

• Scalable foundation for future growth

The integration framework is now ready for new regions and additional integrations.

Why choose ACBaltica for SAP integration rollouts

This project highlights ACBaltica’s role as a trusted integration partner in large, multi-vendor SAP programs.

Our strengths include:

• deep expertise in SAP integrations (SAP CPI, S/4HANA, BTP),

• experience with Private Cloud and restricted network environments,

• practical knowledge of complex region-specific technical requirements,

• proven delivery of parallel, multi-region rollouts,

• and close collaboration with Basis, infrastructure, and security teams.

The result: complex integrations delivered on time, across regions, with minimal risk to the business.