UPDATE: Check out this post by my colleague Klint. It adds some really good context to the shifting role of services discussion.

What I hear again and again from SAP this week at TechEd is that the company is taking a practical approach to Big Data. That means SAP must do more than just help customers with the technical challenges of implementing, managing and scaling HANA, but also applying HANA to areas where it will have the most impact on the business right now.

And that means services will play a critical role.

I spoke with Steve Lucas, General Manager of Business Analytics at SAP, about the company’s approach to services specifically in regard to HANA. He said he has seen a significant shift in the services landscape over the last decade. Through new delivery models like SaaS, software companies have made their products significantly easier to deploy and manage. As a result, services consultants “are becoming more like strategic advisors” rather than strict technology implementers.

Put simply, enterprises are increasingly looking at IT as a competitive differentiator, not just a support service. And service providers and consultants are adjusting accordingly.

Lucas said SAP is in discussions with a large retailer about deploying HANA. While implementing HANA is clearly a large part of the equation, Lucas said SAP consultants are working with the company to identify how HANA can improve point-of-sale experience for its customers and, ultimately, increase sales through better-targeted, real-time promotions.

ServicesANGLE

Companies considering HANA, Next Generation Data Warehousing from vendors like EMC Greenplum and HP Vertica, or even Hadoop should engage services providers for strategic guidance. Services providers can help companies not just implement, manage and scale new technology, but also identify areas to apply the technology for maximum business impact.