Indian energy leader drives stellar efficiencies with SUSE Linux

“With SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications, we’ve seen a 30% reduction in our operating system costs, and we’ve also been able to cut our infrastructure maintenance costs by a further 30%.” VNK Reddy, Chief General Manager, IOCL.

A volatile crude oil market coupled with the need to drive decarbonization means meeting the energy needs of millions of companies and individuals is more complex than ever before.

Given this reality, it is critical that Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) drives innovation and enhances systems to build on its market-leading position. Having relied on SAP ERP for many years, IOCL saw an opportunity to reduce costs and improve performance by migrating to the SAP HANA real-time data platform.

Encouraged by the positive results already seen from running other applications on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES), IOCL adopted SLES for SAP Applications to support the move to SAP HANA. This decision was based on SUSE’s excellent performance, reliability, and stability as well as the close partnership that exists between SUSE and SAP. As a certified operating system for SAP HANA the IOCL team felt confident that SLES for SAP Applications would provide the optimum environment for their SAP landscape.

To help ensure uninterrupted uptime for its critical systems and protect against data loss, IOCL deployed SUSE Linux High Availability Extension and runs SUSE Manager to simplify the monitoring and updating of its SLES landscape.

Future-proof architecture

By moving to SAP HANA on SLES for SAP Applications, IOCL has unlocked impressive IT infrastructure savings, while ensuring 24/7 availability for its mission-critical systems.

The team has seen a 30% reduction in operating system costs and have been able to cut infrastructure maintenance costs by a further 30%, while saving 30% on administration. Ultimately, these savings release more resources for IOCL to invest in research and development, helping the company to become more competitive in an increasingly challenging market.

SLES for SAP Applications is easier to use than the previous system, and SUSE Manager makes monitoring the SAP environment quick and simple. The IT team have slashed the time it takes to bring new hires up to speed from two years to just six months as well as gaining access to a much broader pool of IT talent.

Boasting one of India’s biggest instances of SAP HANA deployed on SLES for SAP Applications, IOCL’s future plans are firmly focused on growth. The deployment of SUSE leaves the team well placed to scale systems quickly and easily without incurring huge costs.

Click here to find out more about how SUSE keeps mission-critical applications running efficiently and in compliance with industry standards. Working with SUSE, IOCL can focus on supporting communities with energy solutions while innovating to meet the energy challenges of tomorrow.