Approyo – Innovating Data Processing via the Cloud
The world is shifting online and if you own a start-up/business and do not follow the changing trends closely, you just might be missing great opportunities and possibilities to link your start-up/business with. Often hurdles and challenges bring hidden possibilities and chances in disguise, as most industries began their maximum processes on the internet, it not only took a toll on the servers and the pent-up stress on IT teams and other maintenance support staff.
This also led to rising concerns over the security of the data, the stability of the systems and software used for the same, and most importantly the surety of not losing valuable and important data due to any technical glitch, etc. This calls for the unique and advanced innovation called cloud computing, as it was new a time before but now it serves as the most valuable and suitable option for data processing needs.
Approyo is one of a kind company in the Technology service provider industry as they use SAP to make the best and efficient solutions for their clients with their particular needs and concerns about data handling, management, processing, etc. They closely follow their client’s needs and demands, are available round the clock for support, and believe in providing custom-made solutions with the highest industry standards and assurance. These are some of the few reasons for Approyo being highly sought-after and their respect in the industry and among their clients. Their long list of happy and satisfied clientele speaks for their hold and expertise in the Technology service industry.
In an interview with the CEO of Approyo, Christopher M. Carter, we found more about Approyo, their products/services offerings, and his entrepreneurial journey.
Please tell us about Approyo, the initial hurdles and the reasons leading to its success:
Approyo is a private, global technology services company focused on making its customers’ IT management and cloud migrations simple. Approyo is an SAP-certified cloud and infrastructure, management, and SAP HANA operations services provider and a Microsoft SilverPartner. Approyo works with customers spread across all industries and for businesses of every size and is headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin with multiple offices worldwide.
We specialize in providing migrations and upgrades for SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA, and any other SAP core instance. We also provide ongoing managed services such as hosting, monitoring, and SAP Basis support for clients. Our team of experts is available around the clock to handle our customers’ requests.
The biggest challenge we faced was finding the right clients. When the cloud was introduced, many people had little to no understanding of what it was. Businesses everywhere were content with their old legacy systems and saw SAP HANA and other cloud solutions as a risk rather than beneficial. It was up to us to show and prove the benefits of the cloud and how it could completely transform business for the better.
Approyo specializes in providing migrations and upgrades for SAP HANA, SAP S/4HANA, and any other SAP core instance.
It is our values that have gotten us this far. We believe in a customer-first approach, integrity, quality service, teamwork, and quick time-to-value. We work hands-on with our customers from beginning to end, adjusting to requests that must be met. Our ongoing managed services for hosting, monitoring, and SAP basis allow customers to gain trust in us, seeing that their systems run efficiently at all times.
Our firm has grown from $0 and one employee, Chris, to a multi-million-dollar revenue company with over 20 plus employees.
Give a brief about the products/services offered and the roadmap for the future:
As of now, we focus primarily on SAP. A lot of Managed Service Providers (MSPs) like to provide multiple platforms as a service, such as IBM, AWS, Microsoft, Google Cloud, etc. While we are still partnering with these companies, we provide services that integrate with SAP, always.
SAP is always adding new business suite applications and solutions; therefore, our services are always expanding. We have three specific groups in our company, we call them the “Three Amigo’s” Technical SAP, Functional SAP & Cloud/Hosting that also entails our Security teams. These three Amigo’s work hand and hand with each other, as well as they, can all be stand-alone support for a customer. An exciting activity is a new tool in our newly created “Software division” This solution will be able to predict run-times, heat-output, drive capacity, and more. Stay tuned!
Give a brief about your professional experience and what are the duties of an entrepreneur according to you:
I began my professional journey when I attended The Georgia Institute of Technology. During college, I worked with SAP and found a love for it. After graduating, I worked at a regular office job and was watching the way the company approached business, I had a better vision for it which when I realized that I didn’t want to be bossed around, I wanted to BE the boss. I went on to own multiple businesses and later sold them. I was retired for a short time when I heard about SAP HANA.
I decided I wasn’t ready to be done just yet, so I jumped back in and thus came the creation of Approyo. Today, I hold almost three decades of experience in the SAP industry and have helped people all around the world, assisting them in their journey to the usage of Big Data in the forms of Hadoop (Cloudera and Hortonwork’s) and SAP HANA.
I believe the main responsibility of being an entrepreneur with your own business is to be a leader and a guide to your employees. Like I have mentioned, give them the tools they need and encourage their growth. It is also important that entrepreneurs set goals, and set plans in place for the future. Know where you want to be in a year, in five years, in ten years, and you will more likely get there.
Your take on employee relations and what makes Approyo’s team so unique:
I am the CEO of the company, so I must oversee the success of Approyo. I work with both the Service Delivery team and the executive team to execute our goals and clients’ needs. I look after my employees by giving them the tools and guidance they need to succeed in both their personal and professional journeys, overall leading to the success of Approyo. If a technical team member wants to earn a new certification or skill, I encourage them to do so by paying for it. The Approyo team is unique because we are scattered all around the world.
The reason we can provide 24 x 7 x 365 services is that we have staff spread across all regions of the world, in the US-Midwest, US-Western region, India, Brazil, etc. Even though we may not all be in the same office, we still work together daily to keep the ball rolling, and have no issues in communicating properly.
