5 Cloud Myths Debunked

SAP INSIDER SPECIAL REPORT | JOURNEY TO THE CLOUD

5 Cloud Myths Debunked INSIDE THIS SPECIAL REPORT Tim Minahan Chief Marketing Officer SAP Cloud

A

s more organizations realize the benefits of the

According to IDC, “Over the

S-3

HP Enterprise Services: Use a Hybrid Approach to Accelerate the Value of an SAP HANA Investment

S-5

T-Systems International GmbH: No Cloud, No Business Transformation

S-7

smartShift Technologies: Enhance Application Performance by Moving Your Legacy Systems to SAP HANA and the Cloud

S-8

Freudenberg IT: Take Your SAP Environment to the Cloud

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cloud, it is fast becoming the de facto standard for

next several years, the primary

deploying and managing technology. But as cloud-based

driver for cloud adoption will

delivery models continue to evolve and win proponents,

shift from economics to inno-

CA Technologies: Mission-Critical Application Development in SAP Environments

there’s still some confusion about what the cloud actu-

vation as leading-edge compa-

S-10 Retarus: Faxing Reinvented in the Cloud

ally is and what the true benefits are for businesses.

nies invest in cloud services as

To help SAP users gain some clarity about cloud,

the foundation for new com-

we’ve gathered the top five cloud myths and provided

petitive offerings.”2

S-11 Capgemini: How Tailored Cloud Solutions Can Provide SAP Customers with Greater Availability and Scalability

the realities behind them.

S-12 Worksoft, Inc.: Minimize Cloud Risk at the Source

efficiency, collaboration, and insight. Line-of-business

Myth #2: You’re Either on Premise or in the Cloud — You Can’t Be Both

(LoB) executives are embracing the cloud to accelerate

Reality: The cloud is no lon-

business transformation. In fact, IDC predicts that by

ger an “either/or” proposition.

2016, LoB executives will be involved in 80% of all new

It’s not even an “and” proposi-

IT investments and will function as the lead decision

tion — it’s an “and better” one.

makers in more than half of those investments.1

The cloud gives businesses both

While the cloud certainly offers a cost advantage, the

flexibility and choice. With the

real benefit that the cloud brings to business comes in

right vendor, you can mix public

two flavors: innovation and agility. With easy configu-

cloud applications and services,

ration and advanced development platforms, the cloud

private cloud managed services,

gives companies the agility they need to quickly adapt

and on-premise technology to

processes to capitalize on changing market dynamics

meet your company’s specific needs. In fact, a Wakefield

and stay ahead of the competition. More importantly,

Research study found that more than two-thirds of CIOs

businesses are tapping the cloud to enable new processes,

have adopted hybrid cloud models, extending their on-

gain new insights, and unlock new value.

premise applications and infrastructures with the cloud.3

At Cisco, for instance, the strategic marketing group

In other words, you can get your cloud, your way, and

mined historic data and social media mentions for

enable new processes, gain new insights, and unlock

customers who revealed both a “propensity to buy” and

2

Myth #1: The Cloud Is About IT and TCO Reality: The cloud is about driving new levels of process

a high “readiness to buy.” Cisco’s sales force converted that insight to a sales uplift of $4.2 billion. IDC, “IDC Predictions 2013: Competing on the 3rd Platform” (November 2012).

1

S-13 SECUDE Americas: Your SAP Data Is Already in the Cloud — Whether You Like It or Not S-14 EMC: Secure, Always-On, Scalable: Planning and Design Considerations for Fully Virtualized SAP Infrastructure S-15 Fujitsu: Achieve Maximum Flexibility and Efficiency with Cloud-Based SAP HANA Deployments View this special report at SAPinsiderOnline.com

IDC, “IDC Forecasts Worldwide Public IT Cloud Services Spending to Reach Nearly $108 Billion by 2017 as Focus Shifts from Savings to Innovation” (September 3, 2013). SAP and Wakefield Research Survey, “By Migrating to the Hybrid Cloud Environment, Over 70 Percent of CIOs Simplified Their IT Processes, Citing Increased Speed and Flexibility” (2013).

3

Reproduced from the Jan n Feb n Mar 2014 issue of SAPinsider with permission from its publisher, WIS Publishing | SAPinsiderOnline.com

JOURNEY TO THE CLOUD | SAP INSIDER SPECIAL REPORT

new value for your enterprise. With increasing frequency,

Take Marriott International for example. Using cloud-

companies are investing in one platform that combines

based HCM applications from SuccessFactors and the

cloud, on-premise, social, mobile, and big data technology.

enterprise social network SAP Jam, the company has

Hundreds of SAP customers, for instance, have

been able to enhance learning, knowledge sharing, and

expanded process automation and achieved greater

project management within the enterprise, as well as

savings and working capital performance by extend-

enable a new engagement, on-boarding, and training

ing their SAP ERP and SAP Supplier Relationship

model with its growing workforce.

Management footprints with Ariba cloud applications and the Ariba Business Network. Hundreds more have improved their employee recruitment, training, and perWhile the cloud certainly offers a cost advantage, the real benefit to business comes in two flavors: innovation and agility.

Myth #4: The Cloud Isn’t Secure Reality: Leading cloud applications are developed with

formance management capabilities by extending SAP

the same security mindset as on-premise software and

ERP Human Capital Management (SAP ERP HCM)

are maintained with frequent updates to ensure that

with cloud-based talent management solutions from

the latest security standards are always in place. Leading

SuccessFactors. Still more customers have created new

cloud service providers ascribe to international security

levels of customer engagement by expanding their SAP

standards, such as SAS-70 Type II, ISO 27001, SSAE, and

Customer Relationship Management deployments with

PCI, and employ measures to prevent attacks from the

SAP Cloud for Customer.

internet and attempted theft of customer data.

Myth #3: The Cloud Isn’t a Proven Platform for Business Reality: The cloud has transformed the nature of business and engagement. Just as consumers use social tools and networks to shop, share, and consume better, companies are leveraging cloud-based applications and business networks to collaborate more efficiently, connecting and interacting with expanding commu-

Cloud solutions are in use by some of the most security-conscious organizations in the world, including government, military, research and development, and financial institutions. Many companies have found that the cloud can provide an even more secure, up-to-date application and transaction environment than they could maintain on their own with limited budget and resources.

of all sizes are using the cloud not only to accelerate

Myth #5: The Cloud Can’t Adapt to My Business

process efficiency and productivity, but to gain new

Reality: The beauty of the cloud lies in its scalability

insights, engage customers and partners in new ways,

and flexibility. With easy configuration, public and pri-

and unleash new operating and business models that

vate delivery options, and advanced development plat-

drive profitability.

forms, the cloud gives companies the ability to innovate

nities of customers, suppliers, and peers. Businesses

quickly and design and deploy new applications and business processes that meet their unique requirements

5 Quick Facts about SAP’s Cloud Portfolio

even faster to capitalize on changing market dynamics.

Today’s cloud technology is about driving business innovation and agility. SAP‘s cloud portfolio is specifically designed to help companies reach that goal. For example, SAP has:

companies in the world, chose to design apps to reach

■■ More than 33 million users of its cloud solutions ■■ A comprehensive cloud portfolio — with public and private cloud options — that covers all lines of business ■■ More than 10 million users of its social business platform ■■ A business network with more than 1 million connected companies transacting over $500 billion in commerce annually ■■ An advanced cloud platform that provides the agility to drive new levels of innovation and adapt business processes faster than ever Visit www.sap.com/pc/tech/cloud.html for more information.

For example, Groupe Danone, one of the largest food consumers on their mobile devices in the cloud because it wanted to start small and pay as it went along, rather than spend a lot of money up front to build large IT systems. Using SAP HANA Cloud Platform, Danone has been able to quickly build user-friendly apps that have opened new opportunities to connect consumers directly to its back-end systems and to explore new markets. Some companies view the cloud as just another deployment option. But savvy organizations see it for what it really is: a requirement for success in today’s fast-moving world, where agility and innovation determine winners and losers.



Use a Hybrid Approach to Accelerate the Value of an SAP HANA Investment Realizing a Real-Time Data Platform with HP As-a-Service Solution for SAP HANA

I

n today’s data-driven world, many enterprises have

Suite and BI applications powered by SAP HANA sce-

realized the importance of big data analytics and

narios. This service enables both on-premise, dedicated

are using the increasingly abundant transactional and

setup within a customer’s data center, as well as hybrid

behavioral information available through channels

scenarios delivered out of HP’s enterprise cloud as a

such as social media to enhance individual customer

virtual private cloud.

offerings and improve decision making. Business users

HP As-a-Service Solution for SAP HANA bundles

in these enterprises expect to have tools that enable

hardware and ongoing operational management

them to conduct analyses and transactions on any device

into a complete solution delivered as a cost-effective,

in any setting. And the business expects IT to produce

monthly subscription-based payment model. HP As-a-

self-updating, consumption-based, continuously acces-

Service Solution for SAP HANA addresses a number of

sible applications on top of ecosystems that allow speed,

challenges:

elasticity, and reach. Unsurprisingly, many IT departments are unable to keep pace with these demands. A strong foundation is necessary if IT departments are going to deliver the innovations needed in today’s market. Real-time data platforms (RTDPs) can leverage SAP HANA’s in-memory multiplatform database architecture, which enhances analytics in SAP business intelligence (BI) applications and transactional processing for SAP Business Suite applications. However, as big data solutions face unpredictable data volumes, more companies are looking to expand their landscapes into the cloud, rather than hosting everything on premise. This hybrid approach gives companies the ability to meet spikes in demand without over-provisioning

■■ Building a new platform demands considerable capital investment. HP removed the need for upfront capital expenditure by bundling licenses, hardware, and ongoing service costs into a simple, rolling monthly fee. The service also allows the use of a company’s own SAP HANA licenses. ■■ Deployments need to be fast and flexible. HP offers accelerated deployments by leveraging end-toend capabilities to set up the operational platform in less than eight weeks. Realization in a virtual private cloud also enables faster provisioning and continuous improvements.

and still maintain “always-on” availability. For a hybrid

■■ Businesses want to lower their business risk. HP

solution to be successful, it must marry the cloud’s

provides a global network of industrialized delivery

ability to provision capacity more elastically with the

centers, with global SAP HANA centers of excellence

power, speed, and accessibility of SAP HANA.

accelerating migrations via a factory approach that

Hybrid Approach — Enabling Big Data to Exceed On-Premise Capabilities To meet this need, HP has released HP AppSystems for

takes a client from concept to production and is completely managed and delivered by HP, removing some of the risk of traditional investments.

SAP HANA, a preconfigured, in-memory infrastructure-

■■ Align with SAP’s enterprise cloud strategy. HP

as-a-service (IaaS) technology appliance architected

As-a-Service Solution for SAP HANA enables mission-

for HP’s Converged Infrastructure that can be part of

critical applications within a dedicated, cloud-based

a shared pool of always-on, virtualized resources and

deployment environment certified to work with

managed as a service. This appliance is the foundation

SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud. This allows companies

of HP As-a-Service Solution for SAP HANA, built to

to leverage the latest business applications and tech-

realize consumption-based, productive SAP Business

nology innovations from SAP.


Dr. Chris Nøkkentved CTO Enterprise Application Services HP Enterprise Services


FIGURE 1  HP As-aService Solution for SAP HANA accelerates value realization

Ubiquitous, secure access Enable agile interactions

Speed up decision making Mobile computing

Big data and event insights

Leverage hybrid cloud platforms Compress time to market

SAP Business Suite and SAP BI applications on HP As-a-Service Solution for SAP HANA

Cloud computing

HP VPC for SAP

Continuous quality improvements

Enable frugal innovation

HP operations

Enable simplification and harmonization

Industry-specific applications

Operate on business process outcomes

Handle any data

Social and business network computing

$

Reach higher efficiency

Accelerate business growth with industry solutions

The most evident value of HP’s offering is that

■■ Drive landscape simplification and harmonization

customers avoid immediate capital expenditure to

for better response, faster change, and lower total

establish an RTDP based on SAP HANA. HP As-a-

cost of ownership (TCO)

Service Solution for SAP HANA accommodates hybrid enterprise-grade deployment scenarios for a dedicated, virtual private cloud, enabling scheduled flexing and smooth scale-out on a converged subscription fee. Cus-

■■ Accelerate business growth by deploying SAP’s industry solutions and mobile apps ■■ Establish an innovation platform by deploying an

tomers can therefore focus on leveraging the advan-

SAP RTDP to enable the creation of differentiating

tages of SAP’s BI applications and SAP Business Suite

business solutions

on SAP HANA, thus accelerating business growth and operational innovation initiatives based on major technology trends (see Figure 1).

■■ Ensure business process execution and improvement ■■ Compress time to market by migrating to and

HP As-a-Service Solution for SAP HANA enables

enhancing current solutions faster with rapid-

modern enterprises to:

deployment solutions for SAP HANA

■■ Speed up decision making and compute massive data volumes at high speeds ■■ Gain insights from structured and unstructured data

■■ Reach higher efficiency, innovate without disruption, and focus expenditure on business efficiency and growth

in SAP and non-SAP platforms ■■ Enable agile, real-time interactions across your value chain and sharing data faster ■■ Leverage an enterprise-grade, always-on hybrid cloud platform ■■ Unlock unparalleled insights with predictive

Learn More HP’s close collaboration with SAP ensures access to the latest appliance and enterprise cloud technologies as well as industry applications grounded in the SAP roadmap. To learn more about HP As-a-Service Solution for SAP HANA and our other services, visit

analytics from social, demographic, and business

h10131.www1.hp.com/campaign/hp-service-solution-

network data

saphana and http://bit.ly/1fdFjaU.



No Cloud, No Business Transformation Achieve a Business Transformation by Linking Game-Changing Innovations with Cloud Solutions

W

Sibylle Becker Solution Marketing T-Systems International GmbH

orldwide, companies of all sizes and industries

or legacy operations and achieve greater flexibility

are undergoing change. While the term “trans-

for innovation.

formation” is normally associated with IT departments,

The cloud forms the basis for the “age of the user,”

from a business point of view, it means making the

in which expectations with regard to simplicity, avail-

necessary changes to move into new business areas and

ability, and usability are transferred to business ap-

toward greater proximity to customers. In other words,

plications. The cloud is also at the heart of the entire

achieving what we like to call “zero distance” between

mobility movement — an absolute must if your com-

your company and your customers.

pany wants to get closer to consumers. It is becoming

These transformations can be seen clearly in the re-

clear that cloud adoption is about much more than

tail and automotive industries. For example, market

the cloud, and cannot be sufficiently understood as a

leaders in e-commerce offer virtual supermarkets in

standalone phenomenon in the IT market. It should

subways. Food can be ordered on the go with a smart-

instead be considered a core ingredient of a larger

phone and delivered to a customer’s home. In the

transformation of the IT industry — and many other

automotive industry, connected cars talk to each

industries using IT to transform themselves.1

other, to the dealer, to the manufacturer, and most im-

In fact, within three years, it is predicted that 70% of

portantly, to the driver.

CIOs will pursue a cloud-first strategy in their IT spend-

The benefits of these transformations are enormous

ing (see Figure 1 on the next page).2 CIOs recognize

and every company should be moving toward achiev-

the benefits that cloud services represent for transfor-

ing zero distance to the customer if they want to com-

mation. IT departments are under increased pressure

pete. According to analysts, there is a paradigm shift

to expand their understanding of business and the

in relationships between customers and employees, as

associated processes.

well as a stronger focus on the end customer and on

Product managers want to collect customer opin-

projects to increase customer satisfaction.

ions of new developments from the outset, marketing

However, it isn’t always easy to incorporate in-

directors want to quickly make success forecasts more

novations like social collaboration, mobility, cloud,

precise using big data, and HR departments want

and big data into your business landscape. This is

urgent implementation of e-recruiting. There is a shift

where IT needs to be transformed into the enabler of

in decision-making authority. Consistent with this

revenue growth and competitive advantage. And IT

is the fact that by 2020 almost two-thirds of all

providers play a decisive role here. They must master the

IT spending will be for distribution and customer-

innovation drivers and the interface issue to link all

oriented applications.3

this together.

Dropping Anchor for Transformation via the Cloud

Cloud — The Enabling Technology Until recently, cloud computing has served as a relatively mundane means to make IT production simpler and to reduce costs. Now, the cloud has become the enabling technology for change — simply

The multidimensional transformation in a future that can only be planned to a limited degree goes hand in hand with the increasing possibilities and availability of cloud services. To take full advantage of cloud services

put, no cloud, no business transformation. Through

1

IDC, “Four Pillars ‘Cloud’” (2013).

the cloud, companies can gain the opportunity to

2

IDC, “Insights 2013: The CIO Agenda” (December 2012).

adjust the proportion of resources tied to routine

3

A.T. Kearney, “IT 2020 Preparing for the Future” (July 2013).


The key concept of transformation is a departure from the tried and tested. It stands for radical restructuring in which no stone is left unturned — and all at an everincreasing pace.


FIGURE 1  IT leadership is increasingly embracing the cloud

IT managers are embracing the cloud Established cloud architecture standards

Although today’s ﬁgure stands at just 23%, in less than three years 70% of CIOs will adopt a cloud-first strategy for IT purchases — with full backing from their CFOs.

70 %

Updated service management processes for cloud

Developed a cloud migration path 0% 20 % 40 % 60 %

Yes Working on it IDC Insights Predictions 2013: The CIO Agenda, December 2012

Developed new contract terms and conditions for the public cloud

80 % 100 %

Have appropriate skills in place to support the cloud

and ensure a successful business transformation, it is

3. SAP HANA out of the cloud. SAP HANA offers

imperative to look at your specific needs and require-

many advantages, such as reduced costs, quick

ments, as well as the state of your current landscape.

insights, and optimized technical development.

After these considerations have been laid out, not only

When working with a cloud partner experienced in

can every suitable offering be used immediately, but

virtualized and dynamic environments, companies

these offerings can also be quickly expanded to meet

can feel secure knowing that the transition to the

unforeseen demand.

cloud can be achieved smoothly with minimal risk.

Companies should consider four key points before

A further advantage is the opportunity of providing

beginning their cloud transformations:

demand-oriented developer environments in the

1. Readiness. Before moving your applications to the

short term for SAP HANA, which can save compa-

cloud, it is important to make sure your landscape is

nies time and money.

well prepared. Taking a cloud-readiness assessment

4. Security. Security in the cloud goes beyond basic,

clarifies whether your applications are cloud-ready,

on-premise security. It requires a holistic view of cor-

whether your processes and IT services are suitable,

porate and business processes, as well as the respon-

and what risks or side effects can be expected. The

sibilities and skills of employees. A corporate-wide

assessment also defines the key aspects of the busi-

security strategy, involving the development and im-

ness architecture, such as business strategy, processes,

plementation of an end-to-end security perspective,

and potential, as well as service architectures, such as

needs to be applied.

delivery models and service levels. 2. Hybrid vs. full-cloud approach. Companies need

Custom Business Transformations

to evaluate whether they want to pursue all-cloud

The end-to-end approach can no longer be limited to

solutions, or a hybrid approach that combines

plan, build, run, and optimize. Rather, it is about link-

on-premise and cloud solutions. The starting point to

ing game-changing elements like mobility and big data

a sturdy hybrid approach is the secure private cloud.

— and the transformation to completely new business

It offers high availability and security for business-

models cannot be mastered in any other way. Our goal

critical

degree

at T-Systems is to help you achieve a custom transfor-

of standardization. The transition to a hybrid

mation based on standardized solutions and your own

approach enables distributed use of workloads such

unique landscape.

as regional or on-premise cloud solutions according

With the right IT provider, your company can focus

to the specifics of function or location. The smooth

on business transformation and achieve zero distance

parallel operation and meshing of these cloud

between your business and customers. To learn more,

models is crucial.

visit www.t-systems.com.

applications

and

the

highest



Enhance Application Performance by Moving Your Legacy Systems to SAP HANA and the Cloud

M

aking the right decisions at the right time and

far more rules can be applied to increase application

harnessing innovation are at the heart of gain-

stability and maintainability.

ing a competitive advantage. Technologies such as in-

■■ Enhance data security. Moving your existing, on-

memory computing and the cloud enable organizations

premise SAP Business Suite applications to the cloud

to capitalize on innovative solutions by providing real-

delivers faster performance, increased scalability, and

time business insight to accelerate decision making. For

lower costs. As with any cloud-based solution, security

SAP customers, SAP HANA Cloud Platform provides

is paramount. An automated process can quickly iden-

the in-memory computing benefits of SAP HANA,

tify potential security breaches on the application level

in addition to the elasticity, scalability, and cost-

within the code, and on the infrastructure level for

effectiveness of the cloud.

data in flight and at rest. The automated process pro-

You might think that a move to SAP HANA and

vides an efficient way to pinpoint security challenges.

the cloud is only viable for new SAP applications. And

Once identified, the code is automatically modified to

you may have experienced the time-consuming, error-

ensure protection against outside security threats.

prone, and costly process of manually updating ABAP code. Here is the good news: An automated solution can migrate your legacy applications to the cloud and SAP HANA. This process can increase your application speed by up to 10,000 times, eliminate errors, and significantly reduce overall cost. And you can preserve the time and money you’ve invested in ABAP for your strategic business processes.

A Path to Better Application Performance An automatic migration process to the cloud involves

■■ Create a cloud instance. An automated process creates a cloud environment that allows you to maintain your existing relational database during the migration to SAP HANA and ensures minimal risk and disruption to your business. With a cloud instance in place, whenever a change is made in your production system, that change is automatically integrated into SAP HANA — without slowing down your existing business processes.

four main components:

Providing the Acumen and Know-How to Get You There

■■ Move core business functionality to the database

Although you can implement an automated migration

layer. This move is key to unlocking the in-memory

process on your own, you may not have the time,

computing power of the SAP HANA database and

resources, or expertise to execute a migration to SAP

can result in immediate application performance

HANA efficiently, effectively, and safely. smartShift

improvements. While legacy ABAP functionality

Technologies does.

would take months to change hundreds or thousands

smartShift Technologies’ automated tools can help

of lines of code manually, automation can accom-

you transform your SAP environment — including your

plish this feat in days with less expense.

legacy ABAP applications — and bring the benefits of the

■■ Increase performance. Source patterns embedded

cloud to your SAP applications. smartShift Technologies

within the ABAP code, such as non-optimized data

has the expertise to modernize your SAP investment, so

access and unused columns in queries, can slow per-

you can take full advantage of the in-memory perfor-

formance. A rules-based engine with an automated

mance of SAP HANA quickly, easily, and with less risk.

migration process is far more effective — and it’s

To learn how smartShift Technologies can transform

error free. You can identify and fix the issues typically

your SAP environment by moving it to the cloud, visit

associated with a manual process. At the same time,

smartshifttech.com.


Stefan Hetges CEO smartShift Technologies


Take Your SAP Environment to the Cloud How to Get More Value at Less Cost from a Cloud Hosting Platform Richard Downham Vice President of Business Development – Strategic Alliances & Products Freudenberg IT (FIT)

T

here are a number of scenarios in which a cloud-

An ideal cloud services provider owns the entire tech-

based IT infrastructure makes good business sense:

nology and support stack: the data center (DC), IaaS,

when a new organization is just getting started; to sup-

and the SAP Basis technical management services. You

port business growth that demands rapid scalability;

can then rely on a single provider of a “DC + IaaS + SAP

for organizations with variable infrastructure demands

Basis” managed cloud service, which delivers meaning-

such as new development projects or subject to busi-

ful end-to-end service level guarantees. You can apply

ness seasonality; and, finally, to save costs.

your resulting cost savings to getting business value out

Most cloud services providers are good at generic

of using your SAP applications instead of expending

infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) — that is, the self-

resources running and maintaining them.

provisioning of development and test systems that do

You also want to look for a cloud services provider

not require high performance, high uptime, or systems

that provides the high-touch support that business-

that have variable demand. Productive SAP systems,

critical applications like SAP solutions demand, is finan-

however, are another story. These systems are resource

cially solid, and has secure and redundant DCs where

(IOPS and CPU) intensive, requiring a cloud platform

you can identify the physical location of your SAP sys-

that is architected from the ground up according to the

tems and data for regulatory, auditing, security, and

uptime, performance, and elasticity requirements of

compliance reasons.

specific SAP applications. Even if you outsource your services provider, you still need additional resources for

A Cloud Platform Purpose-Built for SAP Environments

the technical management of those SAP systems.

Freudenberg IT (FIT) is an SAP-certified global provider

If your goal is to reduce the cost of your SAP environ-

of hosting and cloud business-critical services, including

ment while improving operational quality and flexibil-

SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud. FIT delivers an all-in-one

ity, you need to look beyond simply outsourcing your

“DC + IaaS + SAP Basis” managed cloud service via five

SAP IT infrastructure to an IaaS cloud services provider.

physical global locations — using the FITvFlex cloud host-

SAP environment’s IT infrastructure to an IaaS cloud

Thinking Beyond IaaS for SAP Systems

ing platform — purpose-built for the needs of SAP customers. This cloud service provides significant cost savings

The most significant cost savings — up to four times

while improving end-to-end operational quality, increas-

the savings provided by IaaS alone — come when the

ing flexibility, and offering ongoing support and advice

technical management of the SAP applications is out-

across SAP’s extensive and growing application portfolio.

sourced along with its IT infrastructure. Maintaining an on-premise technical team dedicated to managing

Learn More

the SAP Basis technology underlying your SAP applica-

With over 40 years of experience running and hosting

tions can be expensive and challenging due to lack of

SAP software, FIT currently supports thousands of SAP

experience, overall resource constraints, and the high

systems and hundreds of SAP customers. To learn more

turnover rate of such resources due to high market

about how you can focus on running your business and

demand. A cloud services provider with a cohesive 24/7

partnering with industry-specific system integrators

SAP technical team can provide the depth, breadth,

and application management support vendors, while

flexibility, and consistency across your SAP environ-

FIT keeps your SAP systems up and running 24/7, visit

ment to meet your organization’s constantly changing

www.freudenberg-it.com/us/sap-cloud-solutions/

business needs.

fitvflex-for-sap.html.



Mission-Critical Application Development in SAP Environments How Service Virtualization Helps You Deliver More — Faster

A

pplications are inextricably entwined with daily

testing, and integration frameworks to address con-

business operations. Rapidly changing business

straints around system unavailability, performance, and

and technical requirements are driving increasingly

complex test data management, and to enable develop-

complex solutions, and building these applications

ment and testing teams to work in parallel.

while minimizing costs is a difficult task, especially

While CA LISA has supported SOAP-compliant SAP

when working with an unavailable or constrained sys-

NetWeaver implementations since its earliest releases,

tem. Service virtualization — the creation of dynamic,

version 7.1 includes native SAP support for enhanced

scalable simulations — can help organizations over-

validation and virtualization capabilities, and increased

come this challenge by allowing developers and testers

support for non-SOAP-compliant SAP interfaces.

to create solutions in a constraint-free environment, and to validate those solutions much earlier, when it is less expensive and disruptive to fix them.

How Service Virtualization Can Help in SAP Environments Service virtualization enables organizations to quickly and easily create assets that developers and testers can use to accelerate application delivery, improve quality and reliability, and reduce costs and risks. Let’s say a team is developing an application against an SAP instance that is unresponsive due to load issues. Developing against a virtual service that simulates that instance allows huge gains in productivity. The preproduction virtual service also has a high fidelity to the real production service, ensuring code that survives unit testing will continue to work as it passes through testing phases and scenarios.

Features include: ■■ Live recording of service requests for the creation of virtual services, ensuring accurate models are created with high fidelity ■■ Decoupling of integration developers from front-end and back-end developers ■■ The ability to perform load and performance testing without a full SAP environment ■■ Support for SAP NetWeaver, SAP NetWeaver Process

and testers can

improve quality

■■ Increased support for mainframe protocols and

and reliability,

environments, including CICS LINK, DTP MRO,

and reduce costs

CTG, and IMS Connect

and risks.

■■ Role-based authorization views of service virtualiza-

LISA installations

the risk of defects late in the build/test cycle.

that developers

Java Connector (JCo), and .NET Connector

is working on a new release of that component. If the

reflect the latest changes from the SAP team, lowering

easily create assets

application delivery,

for administrators to monitor and maintain all CA

can even automatically update the virtual service to

tions to quickly and

including RFC, IDoc, SOAP, HTTP, File, JDBC, JMS,

integrates with an SAP component while the SAP team

progress in parallel. A service virtualization solution

enables organiza-

use to accelerate

tion assets, and a centralized enterprise dashboard

represents the SAP component, then both teams can

Service virtualization

Integration, and the messaging and adapter layers,

Or suppose a team is developing a solution that

solution is developed against a virtual service that

John Michelsen CTO CA Technologies

Learn More Like much of CA Technologies’ feature roadmap, increased SAP support in CA LISA 7.1 was driven by our customers — those with robust, mission-critical SAP installations and need to deliver more, faster, and often with fewer resources. This is where CA LISA is

Native SAP Support for Validation and Virtualization

positioned to help. To find out how CA LISA can help

The CA LISA Service Virtualization solution from CA

requirements in your own application development

Technologies works with your existing development,

environment, visit ca.com/lisa7-1.

you meet rapidly changing business and technology



Faxing Reinvented in the Cloud How SAP Customers Can Use Retarus Cloud-Based Services to Make Business Communications More Efficient and Reliable Johannes Hecker Group COO Retarus

M

ost enterprise CIOs today focus on leveraging the latest technology to do three things: drive

An Alternative for Critical Business Communications

innovation, streamline business processes, and reduce

With Retarus cloud-based services, SAP customers have

the complexity of their IT infrastructure. When the CIO

more options to meet the business requirement of send-

sees “fax server” on the company’s list of capital expen-

ing mission-critical documents out of their SAP ERP sys-

ditures (CAPEX), he or she knows none of those priori-

tem via fax, email, or SMS, without requiring additional

ties are being met. But for many organizations, there

modifications to their current SAP infrastructure, stream-

are still important business processes that rely on fax

lining the integration with higher reliability. SAP custom-

communication — sales orders, bills of lading, purchase

ers can send faxes out of their SAP system without using

orders, and trade confirmations are still sent to suppli-

an internal fax server, email documents without depend-

ers or partners via fax.

ing on the availability of a server (as it runs independent-

Despite being a mature technology, fax servers can

ly), and send SMS anywhere globally. Retarus’ Messaging

require substantial investment to maintain — even

Services for SAP provides users with unlimited capacity,

escalating to millions of dollars for some larger orga-

scalability, and a world-class infrastructure.

nizations. As a result, there’s a high demand for man-

On the back end, setting this model up in an SAP

With Retarus

aged communication solutions, as more businesses are

system is a simple task for an SAP Basis administrator.

cloud-based

outsourcing their IT services to cloud-based systems

A Retarus node is created within the BC-Con interface.

services, mission-

as they do not require hardware, software, or mainte-

Faxes are routed securely over the internet via a VPN to

critical documents

nance, and offer higher capacity and scalability.

our global data centers, and delivered to the recipient

are delivered in a timely manner.

Performance Anxiety Maintaining fax servers generates performance con-

quickly due to our server capacity. The client doesn’t need on-premise servers, making the Retarus cost model more flexible.

cerns. Depending on use patterns, mission-critical com-

Retarus Faxolution is an SAP-certified proprietary sys-

munications could be stalled during the most active

tem that offers a high level of infrastructure and trans-

periods due to traffic bottlenecks on the server.

action-level security. The SAP connectivity is protected

Not only does this affect business operations, it

by site-to-site VPN and all data stored with Retarus

serves to further frustrate the CIO and IT leadership.

is AES encrypted. Retarus utilizes only Tier 4, SSAE

The company has invested in an SAP system, fax serv-

16 Type 2-certified data centers and employs real-time

ers, and the connector module, yet the most basic busi-

security and application monitoring on all connections.

ness communications still do not reach recipients in a

In addition, the EAS portal provides for administrative

timely manner — or at all, in some cases.

access to track all messages in real time and access trans-

IT departments often overlook monitoring and report-

action history for 12 months. This allows users to moni-

ing fax activity, but they should not. The time and effort of

tor outbound messages as they are in progress and offer

calling partners to find out if a fax was successfully deliv-

a query for specific transaction information to view sta-

ered contributes to the cost and inefficiency of a business

tus or resend past messages. EAS also provides for statis-

process. And in an industry like healthcare, lives depend

tical analysis of transmission across all services.

on the accuracy and promptness of a delivered message.

To learn more about how Retarus can help your organi-

Without a viable alternative, fax servers and the

zation move to a more reliable and cost-effective method

necessary modules to connect to SAP systems remain

for communicating out of your SAP system, visit www.

on the CAPEX list, much to the CIO’s dismay.

retarus.com/us/products/fax-service-for-sap.php.



How Tailored Cloud Solutions Can Provide SAP Customers with Greater Availability and Scalability

O

rganizations that transition to the cloud have

well as increased scalability, affording customer cost

long cited increased flexibility and lower com-

decreases on par with multi-tenancy without negatively

mitment levels as their primary drivers. But increased

affecting performance. Licensed as a service provider in

flexibility, when compared to on-premise installations,

a VMware virtualized network, we can better provision

Cynthia Borgman Vice President, NA Hosting Business Unit Capgemini

isn’t the entire appeal of cloud technology. With busi-

for our customers’ specific needs.

ness needs and technology constantly changing, cloud

With a focus on customers’ needs and require-

customers today demand levels of availability and scal-

ments, Capgemini’s adaptable cloud provisioning

ability beyond that of a dedicated, fixed platform.

model supports a virtualized network. This is just

Recognizing this evolution, Capgemini now provides

one component of the Capgemini model, which sup-

more targeted offerings and provisioning options to

ports hybrid solutions in a multi-tenant platform

meet the unique needs of companies and their continu-

and features seamless transitioning from public to

ously changing landscapes. Having worked closely with

private environments as resources dictate. The trend

many SAP customers to tailor solutions to meet their

toward multi-tenancy has encouraged us to increase the

specific requirements — in some cases with the same

breadth of offered services, which

dedicated team in place for more than a decade — we

are reflected in our service-level

are well-positioned for a quick, yet deliberate response

agreements (SLAs). Companies

to rapidly changing needs. By hosting a VMware x86,

benefit through a range of ser-

multi-tenant virtualization platform, with scalability

vices, from complex event man-

that a highly flexible, scalable,

inherent in a Linux or Microsoft Windows environ-

agement and trending analysis of

and multi-tenant cloud

ment, we enable organizations to shift from a dedicated

a specific environment to up-to-

cloud hosting model to a platform that is highly adapt-

date capacity planning informa-

environment should be as

able. The approach can be modified on a customer-

tion, granular chargebacks, tiered

by-customer basis. Our customers’ instances can now

storage, and various disaster

Organizations today recognize

dynamic as the business itself.

be seamlessly provisioned across public or private

recovery and backup solutions.

clouds like never before, allowing for high agility and

In addition to providing Tier 1 storage, we offer pric-

availability with low levels of risk.

ing models based on storage classes. With a focus on

A Virtualized Network and Multi-Tenancy SAP’s recent decision to certify SAP HANA to run

automated provisioning, we can help customers lessen the time it takes from making a provisioning request to getting up and running.

non-production systems in a virtualized environment

Learn More

has sparked interest from many of our customers, sev-

Just a short time ago, cloud versus on-premise was the

eral of whom have already taken advantage of SAP

primary cloud consideration. Today, organizations rec-

HANA running in a virtualized environment. This

ognize that a highly flexible, scalable, and multi-tenant

approach enables these customers to set up relatively

cloud environment should be as dynamic as the busi-

low-cost proofs of concept. The shift toward virtualized

ness itself. This need calls for a hosting partner that

environments will likely continue to gain steam as a

can offer the right solution at the right time. To find

transformation enabler, which is just one example of the

out more about how Capgemini can help you transi-

inherent benefits of virtualization. That is, there is fur-

tion to the cloud and leverage your cloud services, visit

ther granularity in terms of resource provisioning, as

www.capgemini.com/cloud-services.



Minimize Cloud Risk at the Source An Automated Approach to Managing Risk in Hybrid Cloud Environments Shoeb Javed CTO Worksoft, Inc.

F

or companies that use SAP solutions, the cloud

checked can disrupt mission-critical business processes.

offers a host of possibilities, including faster de-

For example, an undetected software glitch in a hybrid

ployment of new technologies, more affordability, and

environment can keep customers from placing orders

improved sustainability of technology platforms in a fast-

or prevent your warehouses from processing shipments,

changing environment. And SAP customers are seizing

which can be disastrous for business operations.

this opportunity, with more than 33 million users using

Software changes are also happening faster than

SAP cloud-based applications.

ever — faster than manual processes can handle. The

Shifting enterprise applications to the cloud enables

accelerated rate of change means that your team must

companies to gain instant benefits, with fast access to

continuously ensure the quality of the integration

new technology in a simpler, more cost-efficient land-

between cloud and non-cloud enterprise applications,

scape. However, it also carries a unique set of challenges,

across both SAP and non-SAP systems.

particularly if your cloud strategy is a hybrid approach — some combination of individual cloud applications,

Automated Risk Management

cloud services from multiple sources, hosted solutions on

To ensure success in a hybrid cloud enterprise land-

a private cloud, or public cloud applications — which is

scape, companies need a way to validate the integrity

the most likely scenario for large enterprises.

of their end-to-end business processes at a rate that can

These challenges introduce “cloud risk,” and manag-

keep pace with software changes.

ing this risk is a critical task for today’s CIOs.

An automated validation approach enables a com-

Where Risk Lives in a Hybrid Cloud Environment While cloud-based systems help companies quickly deploy new technology and updates, they also take some amount of control out of your hands. For instance, your company may have less say in the timing of software changes and where those software changes occur. You may not even be informed of these changes. This introduces risk into cloud environments because software changes that are not monitored and

plete step-by-step check to confirm that all underlying business functions and transactions are performing properly across every enterprise application and interface, including cloud apps. This is known as end-to-end business process validation, and can help companies: ■■ Lower the technology risk for public, private, and hybrid cloud applications ■■ Shorten cloud project timelines and reduce the cost of deployment ■■ Ensure the success of cloud technologies and systems integration with quality business execution

Comprehensive Coverage Is Key A successful business process validation approach needs to support all leading enterprise cloud applications, including: ■■ SAP’s portfolio of cloud solutions, including SAP Cloud for Customer, SAP Cloud for Financials, and SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud ■■ Non-SAP cloud-based applications ■■ Custom-built cloud applications

■■ Validate critical end-to-end business processes

Learn More Worksoft automation software for business process validation can enable 24/7/365 coverage in complex, hybrid cloud environments that include SAP solutions. Whether you’re moving entirely or partially to the cloud, Worksoft can help you accelerate cloud projects and reduce technology risk. For a demonstration, contact info@ worksoft.com or visit www.worksoft.com/risk.



Your SAP Data Is Already in the Cloud — Whether You Like It or Not

M

Michael Kummer Information Security Expert and President SECUDE Americas

any companies are finding it difficult to decide

SAP data may already be in the cloud, and beyond your

what resources they can or should migrate from

control. Do your employees use cloud storage, like

their own private data centers into the modern and less

Dropbox or SkyDrive? Do you allow employees to

expensive clouds run by IT giants such as Amazon and

access company resources on their mobile devices and

Microsoft. The decision of moving to the cloud is gen-

tablets? Do you work with partners and share informa-

erally based on limitations of customized legacy plat-

tion? Are their email systems and collaboration plat-

forms, the low cost of migration, and the even lower

forms already in the cloud, storing data you’ve shared

cost of maintenance.

with them? A very significant portion of your SAP data

The cost benefits of the cloud are clear, but there is

is already in the cloud and there is a strong chance you

one concern to address before moving to the cloud: You

have no idea where it is.

must trust the cloud vendor to protect and secure your

Fortunately, there is an answer to the problem.

data. Information such as HR data, finances, and prod-

Technologies like the Microsoft Active Directory

uct intellectual property require careful handling due

Rights Management Services (AD RMS) wrap files in

to legal requirements and corporate governance. How

cryptography and access controls, ensuring that only

do you ensure your financial data residing in a cloud application is safe from a prying IT administrator? And how can you make sure the systems’ security meets the requirements of your company and the laws under which you operate?

Protect Your Sensitive Data Keeping your SAP data out of the cloud is not as easy as you might think. Cloud services extend to every element of the modern day-to-day activities of your employees. Whether you like it or not, some of your

authorized users can access sensitive data. But to effectively protect all the sensitive data leaving your SAP systems, you need to directly integrate Microsoft AD RMS with SAP NetWeaver and SAP GUI. This way, when someone attempts to download a file, it is only delivered in a protected format. Then it won’t matter where the document goes — every time someone attempts to open it, they will need to log in with an authorized account.

Take Control of the Cloud SECUDE, an experienced SAP security company, has released a solution that helps companies integrate the

Halocore for SAP NetWeaver: Key Features and Functions

document security technology of Microsoft AD RMS

■■ Instant security as soon as data is downloaded from SAP systems

downloaded via SAP GUI, and other methods will be

■■ Permanent protection with Microsoft Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS)

you to secure the SAP data no matter where it ends up:

■■ Mobile and cloud security

For more information on how Halocore for SAP

■■ Rich auditing and reporting capabilities

to their SAP solutions. Halocore for SAP NetWeaver ensures the protection of any type of SAP data as it is supported in the future. This protection then allows on an employee laptop, in the cloud, or forwarded from a partner’s inbox to a competitor. NetWeaver can help you protect your sensitive SAP data in the cloud, please visit www.secude.com/ solutions/halocore/for-sap-netweaver.



Chris Ritter Principal Systems Engineer EMC

Secure, Always-On, Scalable: Planning and Design Considerations for Fully Virtualized SAP Infrastructure

V

irtualizing an SAP landscape or environment

of production information. Second, clones provide full-

requires the right technology and strategy. Solu-

volume copies identical to the original, which can be

tion architects must consider the overall objective for the solution based on business requirements and create a flexible, software-defined data center where SAP systems can be managed and monitored. The key is to create a design that will scale based on demand but leverage the smallest number of hardware and software pieces to maintain the lowest overall cost of ownership possible.

Creating that environment means leveraging the best-of-breed technology for each level or function of the technology stack. Through its partnerships with other technology vendors, EMC provides the storage

written to just like a standard volume.

Data Replication Data replication is a vital, but often time-consuming aspect to virtualization. Organizations need to put the right data in the right place at the right time — and they need to do that either on demand or automate it based on schedules and policies. EMC Replication Manager manages replication through a centralized management console. It simplifies your replication and puts the right data in the right place at the right time, saving time and money while

foundation for Vblock Systems from VCE, which com-

increasing data protection and options for repurposing.

bines technology from Cisco, EMC, and VMware into

Tiering

an integrated computing infrastructure offering. Let’s review some of its components.

Fully automated storage tiering allows users to monitor the temperature of their data and allow the array to

Storage

move that data to the appropriate storage at the appro-

A virtualization solution needs a storage infrastructure

priate time, without impacting performance. This activ-

that offers high scalability, performance, availability,

ity is based on policies that associate a storage group to

and protection. Because storage demands grow expo-

multiple drive technologies via virtually provisioned stor-

nentially, organizations need a solution that can easily

age pools, as well as the performance requirements of

expand capacity over time. The solution must simplify

the application contained within the storage group. EMC

processes to reduce storage costs and complexity. In the

Symmetrix VMAX Fully Automated Storage Tiering for

Vblock stack, this capability comes from EMC Symme-

Virtual Provisioning automates the identification of data

trix VMAX, which provides the information scalability

volumes for these purposes and puts the right data on the

and “always-on” availability needed at this level.

right storage type at the right time so the balance between

Expanding Application Availability

performance and cost are always optimized.

Every business strives to increase the utilization of its

End-to-End View

information to improve business productivity. The busi-

Organizations seek an end-to-end view that provides stor-

ness challenge is to create an environment in which a

age performance monitoring and analysis across the vir-

singular instance of corporate information can be ac-

tual and physical infrastructure. EMC Storage Resource

cessed in parallel by multiple business units and retain

Management Suite provides that end-to-end view with

multiple checkpoints of that data throughout the day

the additional security of threshold alerts that enable

without consuming large amounts of disk space.

proactive problem identification for fast resolution, and

In the Vblock stack, the array-based EMC TimeFind-

uses historical data to identify trends, isolate bottlenecks,

er software provides local replication and creates two

and optimize performance.

views of business-critical systems. First, it creates snap-

To learn more, visit https://community.emc.com/

shots that are logical point-in-time, space-saving views

community/connect/everything_sap.



Achieve Maximum Flexibility and Efficiency with Cloud-Based SAP HANA Deployments

I

n an ideal world, IT would optimally support busi-

on-site deployments, to create Fujitsu Cloud for SAP

ness growth with little pressure and a never-ending

HANA (see sidebar).

budget. But the reality is CIOs and IT managers find

Because virtualization is a major foundation for the

themselves in an area of conflict among numerous

efficiency of cloud platforms, Fujitsu ran a proof-of-

opposing demands: They are expected to reduce costs

concept (POC) project with a VMware-virtualized SAP

all while rapidly implementing new applications, com-

HANA platform, to exactly detect the impact on costs.

plying with tight service levels, and efficiently utilizing

The POC analysis revealed that the smaller the

big data.

database, the higher the cost reduction through vir-

While thousands of application and service offerings

tualization with VMware vSphere. Small-to-midsize

promise to provide a remedy, too often they simply

companies are not the only ones to benefit from server

introduce more complexity and shrink already min-

virtualization, however. Fujitsu Cloud for SAP HANA

iscule budgets. There are two trends, however, that

can also be a smart option for larger organizations that

seem to stand out from the crowd: cloud services and

want to start with a limited scope to gain initial SAP

in-memory technology. Each has the potential to make

HANA experience and that prefer cloud deployments

companies more responsive to changes than ever be-

for their development and test systems. Here, the solu-

fore — and this has already been proven in numerous

tion complements the overall SAP HANA strategy.

real-life projects.

Weighing the Benefits and Risks

Learn More More than 3,600 organizations trust Fujitsu’s mission-

In-memory and cloud solutions have the potential

critical serviceability and utilize its broad cloud portfolio,

to support business growth by providing users with

supported by 18 highly secure cloud data centers world-

increased flexibility and real-time information based on

wide — with six more coming in 2014. Fujitsu’s specific

the analysis of big data. To bypass infrastructure costs

expertise regarding dedicated cloud services have been

and lower the entry barriers to adopt in-memory tech-

accredited by the SAP certification for SAP HANA

nology, Fujitsu leverages its expertise in cloud services,

Enterprise Cloud. For more information on Fujitsu’s SAP

as well as its knowledge of more than 300 SAP HANA

HANA portfolio, visit www.fujitsu.com/fts/hana.

Fujitsu Cloud for SAP HANA Fujitsu Cloud for SAP HANA is more than a traditional database service. It represents a complete 360-degree cloud solution, including assessment, advisory, and professional support over the entire project life cycle. The solution provides: ■■ Maximum flexibility, which minimizes the financial and operational risks of undersized or oversized infrastructure and fully exploits reduced hardware capacity needs due to SAP HANA data compression ■■ High availability based on a multi-redundant architecture concept, which reduces costs and ensures secure operations with no need of special skills or additional operational effort ■■ Synergy effects by sharing infrastructure, services, and resources, which ensures secure operations and constant utilization of the most efficient technologies


Andrea Voigt Senior Product Marketing Manager Services and Solutions Marketing Fujitsu