Ecopetrol: Supporting a more sustainable, innovative energy future by moving to the cloud
Explore Ecopetrol’s journey with SAP
Looking to meet the demands for greener, more sustainable energy operations, Colombia’s national oil and gas production group Ecopetrol SA decided to move its eight group companies and 78 organizational entities from on-premise systems to the cloud. To help ensure a smooth and successful transition, it engaged SAP Enterprise Cloud Services.
faster system response time.
reduction in ERP database size (from 8 TB to 1 TB).
faster financial closing cycle (from 10 days to 6 days).
SAP System and Innovation Leader, Ecopetrol SA
The Challenge
Migrating 78 systems to the cloud
With operations across Colombia as well as abroad, Ecopetrol SA is an integrated oil and gas company involved in every step of oil and gas operations – from exploration to production, transportation, refining, and marketing. As part of the global move toward clean energy, Ecopetrol seeks to become a net-zero emissions company by 2050. Part of this endeavor involves consolidating eight companies and 78 systems onto a unified, secure, and robust technology platform. At the same time, Ecopetrol must become a more agile and dynamic organization that can adapt quickly to the changes facing the energy sector and thrive in this competitive market.
Although operations were running well on legacy on-premise systems, Ecopetrol knew that its future vision depended on the group’s 28 core systems being moved to the cloud. There was no doubt that a project of this magnitude would require the support of a trusted and knowledgeable technology expert.
SAP System and Innovation Leader, Ecopetrol SA
The Solution
Carefully choosing the right cloud technology provider
Although it has a long and trusted partnership with SAP, Ecopetrol still did its due diligence and explored a number of cloud technology providers before deciding that the plan presented by the SAP was the best option.
The SAP Enterprise Cloud Services portfolio was chosen for the cloud migration project, with the SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud service supporting the technology deployments and the SAP Cloud Application Services organization supporting the functional enablement.
As a comprehensive cloud infrastructure with managed services for running applications on SAP HANA, SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud brought the speed, capabilities, and data compression Ecopetrol needed. And SAP Cloud Application Services offered the greatest benefits in terms of project integrity and ongoing performance optimization.
SAP System and Innovation Leader, Ecopetrol SA
The Result
Improving performance through a successful migration to the cloud
Working with SAP Enterprise Cloud Services, Ecopetrol migrated its core IT to a hybrid cloud environment using SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud. Not only has this led to zero latency and high stability and availability, but Ecopetrol is also now updating existing software and adding new software-as-a-service offerings, such as SAP Ariba solutions, SAP Cloud Identity Access Governance software, and SAP Business Technology Platform. And by offering flexible, versatile, right-fit services to support Ecopetrol beyond the initial deployment, the company can continuously improve year after year.
In addition to helping ensure overall project integrity, SAP Cloud Application Services supports performance optimization by offering continuous performance tracking, incident management, and recommendations for ongoing operational improvements. In fact, a high number of tickets – nearly 1,200 – have been opened and resolved quickly since the start of the project.
All in all, this has led to 50% faster system response times, ERP database downsizing from 8 TB to 1 TB, and financial closing time compressing from 10 days to 6 days. Plus, with enhanced analytics and anytime, anywhere reporting, Ecopetrol has the insight it needs – right when it needs it. Finally, mobile access means employees can review, approve, and access the information and workflows they need wherever they are and whenever they need to – increasing user satisfaction and improving process execution.
SAP System and Innovation Leader, Ecopetrol SA
SAP helps Ecopetrol run better
Key business outcomes and benefits
Zero latency with high stability and availability, plus the ability to update existing software and add new software more easily
50% faster system response and 87.5% reduction in data footprint
Reduction in financial closing time from 10 days to 6 days
Continuous performance optimization through tracking, incident management, and recommendations for ongoing improvements
Enhanced analytics and anytime, anywhere information access, workflows, and reporting
Featured solutions and services
SAP Enterprise Cloud Services supports companies, especially large enterprises, on their path to the cloud, enabled by SAP technology and solutions.
SAP Cloud Application Services supports application operations and innovation adoption to help free up your resources to focus on optimizing business outcomes.
SAP Services and Support helps you continually drive successful business outcomes and value from your SAP software and technology investments.
About Ecopetrol
Ecopetrol SA is a national petroleum production company linked to Colombia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy. With operations throughout the country and across the globe, it touches every step of oil and gas operations – from extraction to marketing. With a goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, Ecopetrol is focused on clean energy production and a sustainable future.
| Industry | Region | Company Size |
| Oil, gas, and energy | Bogotá, Colombia | 15,632 employees |
About Ecopetrol
Ecopetrol SA is a national petroleum production company linked to Colombia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy. With operations throughout the country and across the globe, it touches every step of oil and gas operations – from extraction to marketing. With a goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, Ecopetrol is focused on clean energy production and a sustainable future.
| Industry | Region | Company Size |
| Oil, gas, and energy | Bogotá, Colombia | 15,632 employees |