SAP AI readiness: Why “maybe” isn’t an option for job scheduling modernization

Enterprises are sprinting toward AI-powered futures, yet many are dragging decades-old technology behind them. They’re adopting cloud ERP, implementing new data platforms and dreaming of AI-driven insights. But, ironically, they’re still running critical backend processes on legacy job schedulers that were never designed for today’s data volume, velocity or complexity.

It’s a disconnect that’s quickly becoming unsustainable. While the pace of AI adoption is moving faster than other disruptive innovations, it simply won’t work if the rest of IT doesn’t catch up. And as SAP made clear at SAP Sapphire 2025, there’s no value in building AI on a shaky foundation.

The new mandate: Modernization beyond ERP

SAP’s strategy has evolved beyond ERP. SAP CEO Christian Klein says true transformation is now about incorporating the “flywheel” of applications, data and intelligence. The implication is that SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), embedded AI and unified data models aren’t peripheral to the core — they are the core.

The explosion of SaaS tools hasn’t produced better outcomes. In his SAP Sapphire Orlando 2025 keynote, Klein noted that global productivity growth has slowed rather than accelerated because too many businesses are duct-taping together apps and automations without the foundation to make them work together.

The implication is clear: You can’t just modernize your ERP and call it a day. Supporting systems, especially those running behind the scenes, such as workload automation (WLA), must evolve in lockstep. Otherwise, you’re introducing friction into every cross-system process (and therefore, AI model) you run.

Old schedulers, new risks

Traditional job scheduling tools were built for a different era. They rely on locally installed software, custom scripts and fragile connections to coordinate batch jobs in static environments. They were never designed for real-time, intelligent processes across cloud-native applications and rapidly evolving AI models.

Sticking with these tools introduces unacceptable risks:

• Operational complexity from maintaining brittle, outdated architecture
• Technical debt from endless scripting and patchwork connectors
• Challenges with maintaining clean core principles
• Fragmented automation across SAP and non-SAP systems
• Inability to leverage SAP’s AI roadmap due to data silos and latency  
• Delayed time-to-value from SAP innovations

You can’t derive reliability and maximum value from AI if your job scheduler is stuck in the past.

Why AI fails without clean, timely data

It’s easy to think AI fails because the models are wrong. But in enterprise environments, the more common culprit is something far less glamorous: bad data. When job scheduling is not modernized, it can quickly become unreliable or disconnected and fail to feed AI systems with what they need to produce in-depth, accurate insights. When they deliver irrelevant or dated insights or hallucinations, it undermines trust in the intelligence you’re trying to deploy.

AI can’t magic its way past old and brittle plumbing that was already on the brink of needing replacement. Trying to update your kitchen or bathroom with fancy new showerheads and faucets with all kinds of bells and whistles may make it look nice, but the water that’s critical to its functioning may struggle to get there at the right time and temperature. A remodel will always require a certified inspection of the pipes and supporting foundation to ensure they work safely and reliably with the upgraded fixtures.

No workaround necessary: The modern approach to WLA

SAP has been loud and clear about the clean core mandate. What was once a push to keep ERP extensibility under control is now a requirement for AI readiness. SAP’s vision of a “fit-to-suite” architecture, where apps, data and automation are in harmony, can’t happen if your WLA layer brings discord into the mix.

Trying to keep your legacy scheduler working is like bringing a VHS tape to a Netflix pitch meeting. Sure, you might find a dusty adapter somewhere in the back closet, but you’ll be miles behind before you even press play. No amount of workarounds will make outdated technology compatible with a world that’s already streaming ahead.

Modernizing WLA for SAP and non-SAP processes means orchestrating every part of your business to be faster and more intelligent. It means having:

• Cloud-native SaaS that orchestrates processes across hybrid environments without additional infrastructure
• Frictionless architecture that provides a singular secure gateway to connect with every SAP and non-SAP application, reduces maintenance and eliminates failure points 
• Deep SAP integration that aligns with SAP product roadmaps and innovation strategies
• Pre-built templates and connectors to accelerate time-to-value without violating clean core
• Centralized orchestration for SAP and non-SAP processes from a single interface

Automation purpose-built for an SAP cloud and AI future

Redwood Software and SAP share a trusted partnership built on over 20 years of co-development, innovation and roadmap alignment, making RunMyJobs by Redwood a strategic extension that maximizes the ROI of your SAP investments.

What sets it apart?

• SAP Endorsed App, Premium certified: RunMyJobs reduces risk, accelerates time-to-value and offers long-term reliability to SAP customers. It’s certified across a broad range of SAP technologies, meeting SAP’s highest standards for performance, security and integration. It delivers native functionality and deep integration across complex hybrid and cloud deployments, with built-in, SAP-specific templates and connectors that eliminate custom code and scripting. This supports clean core strategies and helps customers solve critical business challenges more efficiently.
• The only WLA solution included in the RISE with SAP reference architecture: RunMyJobs is included in the RISE reference architecture through managed services offered and delivered by SAP Enterprise Cloud Services (ECS). ECS handles the direct installation and maintenance of the RunMyJobs’ secure gateway connection within your RISE landscape, eliminating the need for extra infrastructure, custom workarounds and friction in the RISE journey. You can also opt into additional ECS-managed services for enhanced monitoring of SAP processes automated with RunMyJobs, improving visibility and enabling proactive issue resolution.
• Co-innovation with SAP BTP and Business Data Cloud (BDC): Get the latest connectors for SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP Datasphere, SAP Integration Suite, Databricks and more.

Proof that AI-ready automation works

What defines AI-ready in the context of WLA? It’s more than speed and scale. 

Your processes are orchestrated, not just scheduled. You’re connecting tasks and dependencies across SAP and non-SAP environments using event-driven automation.

Governance is built in. You have visibility and control over every job and data flow, from development to execution to exception handling.

Business value is clear. Automation is no longer a backend utility but a strategic driver of innovation, efficiency and competitive advantage.

These elements have already been realized by companies that have modernized with RunMyJobs.

• RS Group, a global industrial distributor, modernized its legacy job scheduler as part of its digital transformation and supply chain operations improvement programs. The company now runs business operations across 26 global markets daily, maintaining job reliability above 99%, and have eliminated Priority 1 and Priority 2 incidents in critical operations for over a year.
• UBS, one of the world’s largest financial institutions, relied on RunMyJobs to replace a legacy scheduling solution that couldn’t scale with the complexity of its SAP environment. UBS transitioned to RunMyJobs for its cloud-native architecture and reliability. The company built a cleaner automation landscape, achieving faster recovery from exceptions and future-proofing its foundation to support advanced analytics and AI-powered compliance.
• Centric Brands, a leading lifestyle brand collective with a complex ecosystem of SAP and non-SAP systems, used RunMyJobs to consolidate multiple legacy scheduling tools and modernize its WLA. By eliminating manual job chains and replacing legacy scripts with standardized, centralized automation, Centric increased visibility across end-to-end processes and significantly reduced errors. Unifying orchestration improved operational efficiency and positioned Centric to adopt AI-driven forecasting and planning tools without needing to overhaul its backend infrastructure.

Rather than being a bolt-on scheduler, RunMyJobs builds automation fabrics that prepare your SAP environment for embedded AI and intelligent processes.

AI-ready businesses don’t wait

SAP’s future is already unfolding, and AI is at the center. But its effectiveness depends on the quality and timing of your automation. If your job scheduling can’t keep up, neither will your strategy. The decisions you make now will determine whether your organization will be ready to act on AI opportunities or stay stuck reacting due to technical limitations.

Modernizing your ERP isn’t enough. You need an orchestration layer that aligns with SAP’s direction, accelerates transformation and eliminates risk. RunMyJobs gives you that edge.

When your automation is fit-to-suite, your business is fit for the AI future. Explore how RunMyJobs future-proofs your SAP ecosystem.