Making the Most of SAP S/4HANA: Committing to a Platform

Making the Most of SAP S/4HANA: Committing to a Platform

You’ve explored the range of possible solutions for SAP S/4HANA and have made some important decisions: getting a good understanding of your enterprise ecosystem and what data needs to be moved where; opting to work with an SAP migration consultant (or not); and selecting your preferred deployment model.

Because SAP S/4HANA only runs on the Linux operating system, your most critical choice in this phase is which Linux distribution to use—such as SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications. Not all Linux distributions are created equal. They can vary widely in terms of the product quality, governance model, availability of added tools and features, and the level and quality of support.

To ensure you make the right choice for your business, keep the objectives below in mind when considering a platform for SAP S/4HANA.

Reducing Infrastructure Complexity

You chose SAP S/4HANA, SAP HANA and other SAP applications because they can greatly simplify operations and work together seamlessly. Your operating system should be just as easy to manage and run

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications works so smoothly with SAP S/4HANA and other SAP solutions because it was developed specifically for SAP. In fact, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications was the first Linux distribution for SAP HANA and SAP S/4HANA—and SAP itself uses it as its development platform.

SUSE helps reduce complexity by automating routing tasks such as adding servers and deploying upgrades. It also includes an installation wizard with tuning parameters and an installation configuration package that allows you to quickly and accurately configure the operating system to support SAP applications. It simplifies integration with Microsoft environments by integrating with Active Directory and Remote Desktop Protocol, so IT can use existing Microsoft credentials to access SUSE systems.

SUSE Manager is an additional tool that allows you to manage all of your Linux systems in one place, and a SUSE Manager add-on is even available that integrates it with Microsoft System Center Operations Manager.

Getting the Tools, Services and Support You Need

A big differentiator between Linux distributions is the built-in features and added tool options that come with them. With decades of enterprise support and expertise behind it, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications includes a wealth of tools that help you achieve your goals.

For instance, SUSE helps increase service availability with built-in business continuity features that include automated data recovery, resource agents that automate the takeover in SAP HANA system replication setups, and full operating system rollback. An SAP-certified high-availability extension, certified for SAP NetWeaver, provides an integrated clustering solution for physical and virtual Linux deployments, which allows you to implement highly available Linux clusters to eliminate single points of failure.

When you choose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications, you get a dedicated update channel that delivers operating system enhancements that correspond to SAP application updates. You also get priority support and maintenance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Finding a Partner That Delivers It All

Your Linux provider should have longtime experience in enterprise Linux and helping organizations overcome their challenges, especially when it comes to SAP migration. It should have a strong working relationship with SAP and should be continually evolving the operating system to keep up with SAP solution changes.

SUSE has worked with SAP for more than 20 years and our close relationship is evident in the fact that 95 percent of all SAP HANA installations run on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications—including SAP’s own HANA installation. All of this is because SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications is designed to deliver the enterprise-level reliability, availability and scalability (RAS) capabilities today’s organizations require.