As a quick introduction, I began my SAP professional career in 1998 when I joined the SAP competency center of one of SAP’s global hardware partners. In that role, I worked with many customers and partners to properly build and enable “go-live” for SAP solutions designed to produce value for the business.
Producing business value
“Produce value for the business”— it’s such a simple phrase that maybe you glossed over it. But now I have brought your focus onto it, so let’s ask a question: How did my role in building and placing into production these business-critical systems directly produce business value? If I am being honest, that is a tough question to answer.
Sure, my role was required within the broad scope of SAP projects. SAP systems must be sized correctly, and the compute, operating systems, storage, and network must be deployed and configured properly. Then the SAP applications and databases must be installed and configured. But are those activities comparable in business value to the functional and process consulting that uncover astounding new business efficiencies or new channels for customer engagement? The value is clear when applications enable examples like that for the business. Is the same business value clear from the activity of deploying infrastructure and SAP applications?
Clearly, the answer is no. So, the purpose of this blog is to acknowledge that some SAP project activities are time-consuming and costly without directly producing business value, while others do. The main objective is to reallocate project budgets and expenditures from activities that do not directly generate business value to those that do.
In simpler terms, it aims to move financial resources away from tasks that are costly and time-consuming but don’t contribute directly to the business’s success. Instead, focus on investing in activities that bring tangible benefits and create value for the organization.
Leveraging SAP System deployment automations on IBM Cloud
By leveraging SAP System deployment automations on IBM Cloud, this shift becomes possible, allowing businesses to optimize their project resources and prioritize activities that have a direct impact on achieving business goals. Here are some of the SAP application deployments that are automated, and more are being delivered every quarter:
- SAP S/4HANA
- SAP S/4HANA with High Availability
- SAP NetWeaver with Db2 database
- SAP NetWeaver with HANA database
- SAP BW/4HANA
- SAP NetWeaver with ASE database
- SAP NetWeaver Additional Application Server(s)
The below table provides an overview of the different components that can be automated in the SAP deployment process. By leveraging automation, you can start from scratch and have your new SAP system ready for login within a matter of hours. This is a significant improvement compared to the traditional manual deployment method, which often takes weeks or even months to complete. Moreover, manual deployments are susceptible to errors and configuration inconsistencies. Automation accelerates the deployment timeline and minimizes the risks associated with manual processes, ensuring more efficient and reliable deployment of your SAP system.
| Component | Description | Outcome | Elapsed Time |
| VPC network, Bastion Host (SAP Install Server) | Initial secure VPC network, Bastion Host with necessary storage capacity for customer provided SAP system installation kit(s) | Base elements from which to deploy desired SAP system(s) | VPC/Bastion: 15 minutes or less. Customer-provided SAP installation kit(s): Download time from SAP. |
| SAP-certified infrastructure | Power or x86 compute, storage volume creation/mounting, network connectivity, and apply SAP-required hardware and operating system settings | Infrastructure and Operating Systems ready for SAP system installation | 40 minutes or less |
| Network services (if required; for example, high availability) | Domain name services and application load balancers | Network services required for SAP instance clusters | Minutes |
| Installation of SAP application and database software, and creation of SAP system tables | Installation of SAP system | When completed, logon via SAPGUI to the newly deployed system | 2-3 hours |
| Deployment/configuration of high availability services | SAP database replication, cluster resource manager (Pacemaker, etc.), configuration of cluster resources and agents | Provides failover capability for SAP central instance and SAP database services | 1 hour or less |
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Introducing the new IBM Community forum for SAP on IBM Cloud deployments
We are excited to introduce the new IBM Community forum for SAP on IBM Cloud deployments. This is the go-to place to discuss the latest automation capabilities across multiple SAP-certified IBM Cloud environments, such as VPC and Power Virtual Server. Do check out this community blog for the list of detailed technical blogs that are already published and the blogs that are in the works.
We cordially invite you to join our vibrant community and be part of a dynamic network of like-minded experts. Stay up to date on the latest product enhancements, industry trends and best practices shared by your peers. This is your chance to connect, collaborate, and unlock the full potential of SAP on IBM Cloud.
Learn more about IBM Cloud for SAP https://www.ibm.com/cloud/sap