Describing the Development History of Defense & Security

The SAP Solution for Defense and Security builds on top of Commercial Best Practice, as built into the SAP ERP solution. Additionally, these industry solutions are used in both the public sector and aerospace industries.

Described in a building-bricks model, the Defense solution is based on a SAP HANA database, and uses of non-industry-specific processes from the ERP, including basic inventory management, personnel management and finances. Two other industries contribute central processes also in use in Defense: budgeting from the public sector and complex weapon systems modeling/maintenance from aerospace and defense. On top of that, the D&S (former DFPS) component adds the Defense-specific processes, especially in the areas of force generation and force employment. Our Industry-specific ERP system interacts with both internal and external systems for harmonization of its processes across defense-specific partnership domains. This includes interaction with NATO services, our defense organization’s command and control systems and the conduction of MILSTRIP procurement (US FMS).

The particular strengths of this component are as follows:

• End-to-end mapping of the organizational structures for the domestic base and operations and exercises.
• Complete process chains from planning through implementation and execution, to the completion of operations and exercises.
• Provision of information and evaluation options.
• Integration of personnel and material information and resource management.
• Organizational flexibility during day-to-day operation: Changes to organizational structures and resource requirements are taken into account and implemented immediately in downstream processes.
• Offline capabilities (functions can be used even if communication to a leading system is broken temporarily) for individual organizational units thanks to a decentralized system architecture that is also designed for the integration of mobile applications. Specific mobile applications for armed forces, police, and aid organizations are provided with the SAP xApp Mobile for Defense and Security component that is delivered separately.
• Integration in the standard processes of the SAP system (Accounting, Human Resources, Logistics, and so on).
• Component-specific workflows and object status and authorization management.

The German Forces Bundeswehr implemented a cross-area and integrated standard software. All logistic and administrative processes are to be supported.

In the initial stages of DFPS, its functionalities were tightly coupled to shipments within the SDP. However, with time, functionalities beyond the ones planned for Bundeswehr have also been introduced.

The particular strengths of this component are as follows:

• End-to-end mapping of the organizational structures for the domestic base and operations and exercises
• Complete process chains from planning through implementation and execution to the completion of operations and exercises
• Provision of information and evaluation options
• Integration of personnel information, material information, and resource management
• Organizational flexibility during day-to-day operations
• Changes to organizational structures and resource requirements are taken into account and implemented immediately in downstream processes
• Offline capabilities (functions can be used even if communication to a leading system is broken temporarily) for individual organizational units as the result of a decentralized system architecture that is also designed for the integration of mobile applications
• Integration in the standard processes of the SAP system (Accounting, Human Resources, Logistics, and so on)
• Component-specific workflows and object status and authorization management