Cloud-Native Strategy Management on SAP BTP for a Technology Company

LeverX architected and developed a complex cloud-based system to manage strategic initiatives and company-wide scorecards based on live KPIs provided by a wide range of external systems.

Customer

Cipher BSC is a global consulting company that partners with various software vendors, providing corporate solutions, including SAP Analytics Cloud, Microsoft Power BI, and Tableau. 

Challenge

Cipher BSC wanted to build its own IP/SaaS product to replace manual consulting tools or third-party reselling solutions.

The client struggled to manage strategic processes due to the lack of a dedicated software system. Information authorization control was inefficient, and data retrieval wasn’t automated. These factors made strategic planning and management difficult.

During the project planning and development, additional technical challenges arose:

• A need for a multi-cloud deployment strategy for such customers.
• Absence of SAP-provided ORM for the HANA database in Node.js.
• Adherence to stringent regulatory demands regarding data storage within the UAE/KSA regions.
• Integration with customers' systems, such as Active Directory and different databases.

Solution

LeverX built a cloud-based solution that brings together strategic planning and execution. It centralizes performance management by integrating real-time data from multiple systems and aligning departmental goals with corporate strategy.

Key capabilities include:

• Remote access supported through cloud deployment, depending on network and regional access policies
• Real-time data integration for consistent reporting
• Strategic alignment visualization across the organization
• Department-level planning supported by role-based access
• Collaboration tools, notifications, and analytics dashboards powered by SAP Analytics Cloud

Business value

• The organization gains real-time, actionable insights into strategic KPIs via visualization, enabling executives to make timely course corrections.
• Clear cascading of corporate goals and performance tracking across all departments ensures organization-wide alignment.
• Users can instantly generate specialized reports and conduct real-time analysis without reliance on technical specialists.
• Silos are broken down by enabling seamless team communication and document sharing directly within the planning platform.

Technical value

• Cloud-native microservice architecture with multi-tenancy
• Automated integration with external systems (Cloud/On-Premise)
• AWS S3 document storage and SMTP-based notifications
• Role-based access and identity management via SAP IAS/IPS

The project covered the entire development lifecycle: from planning and architecture design to development, testing, deployment, and ongoing support. The development process itself involved close collaboration with Cipher BSC's team in the areas of Business Analysis, Quality Assurance, and Customer Support. In addition to developing the core strategy management solution, the LeverX team also helped the client with the onboarding of new customers from different parts of the world.

Technology Stack

The solution is built using a modern SAP cloud technology stack designed for security, scalability, and seamless integration.

• Platform foundation: SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP)
  SAP BTP serves as the core platform for application development, integration, identity management, and extensibility.

• Identity and access services: SAP IAS and SAP IPS
  SAP Identity Authentication Service (IAS) provides secure user login and authentication, while SAP Identity Provisioning Service (IPS) manages roles and user provisioning across connected systems.

• Application runtime: Cloud Foundry environment
  The solution runs in the SAP BTP Cloud Foundry environment, using Node.js and NestJS frameworks for backend services.

• User interface layer: SAPUI5
  A Fiori-compliant interface is built using the SAPUI5 framework to offer a consistent and intuitive user experience.

• Database platform: SAP HANA Cloud
  SAP HANA Cloud serves as the primary database for high-performance storage, processing, and real-time data access. Smart Data Integration (SDI) enables seamless data ingestion and synchronization.

• Connectivity layer: SAP Connectivity Services
  SAP Connectivity Services provide secure and reliable communication between cloud applications and on-premise SAP or third-party systems.

• Architecture model: microservices with scaling and multitenancy
  A microservice-based architecture ensures modularity, flexibility, and support for horizontal scaling and multitenant deployments.

• Analytics and reporting: SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC)
  SAP Analytics Cloud is used for dashboards, analytics, and reporting, enabling insights directly from SAP HANA Cloud data.

• Cloud infrastructure: AWS
  AWS S3, EC2, and VPC provide storage, compute scalability, and network security within the solution environment.

• Messaging layer: external SMTP services
  External SMTP servers/services are supported for notifications, alerts, and communication workflows.

Results

As a result, Cipher BSC received a unified strategic management platform that allows them to:

• Publish and cascade the corporate strategy across departments
• Access live KPIs from connected systems for real-time decision-making
• Define, monitor, and report on performance metrics
• Collaborate seamlessly and maintain transparency across all levels

The solution is now publicly available in the SAP Store, supporting customers across various industries globally.