SAP and Intel Collaborate to Offer Pre-Installed Business Solutions

by Astrid Polchen

Intended Offering Brings Pre-Configured SAP(R) Business All-in-One Solution onto Intel(R) Xeon(R) Processor-Based Modular Servers Packaged with Operating System and Database; Prototype is Shown at CeBIT 2008

Building upon its recently announced fast-start program for SAP(R) Business All-in-One solutions, SAP AG today revealed plans for an expansion of its partnership with Intel. SAP and its long-term technology partner Intel intend to introduce a ground-breaking offering that will be offered on Intel(R) Xeon(R)-based systems via original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and hardware system providers based on SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell and the database SAP(R) MaxDB. The offering targets midsize companies in the manufacturing, service and trade industries and directly addresses the demands in these market segments for quick and easy implementation, and tailored yet scalable solutions at predictable costs. Midsize companies are expected to see significant benefits from this comprehensive offer, as it allows quick time to deployment of end-to-end business processes at a low total cost of ownership (TCO). The announcement was made at CeBIT 2008, the world's leading information technology showcase, being held in Hanover, Germany, March 4-9, where a prototype of the new offering is being presented at the SAP booth.

"The powerful combination of advanced hardware innovation, quad core Intel(R) Xeon(R) processors and SAP Business All-in-One will bring substantial business benefits and lower cost for midmarket customers," said Pat Gelsinger, senior vice president and general manager, Digital Enterprise Group, Intel Corp. "Together with SAP, we plan to offer a solution that is optimized and validated on the Intel(R) Xeon(R) Processor Architecture and deployed on modular servers by our partner OEM system providers."

The modular servers will be available for midsize enterprises and will provide outstanding server performance, helping to meet the unique demands of small and midsize enterprise (SME) customers. A prototype of the offering will be shown at the SAP booth at CeBIT 2008 and will run on an NEC system based on 45nm Intel(R) Xeon(R) processor technology, meeting the initial modular server specifications.

"To succeed in the SME market, software and hardware vendors must develop offerings to meet the specific performance demands of small and midsize companies, but that is not easy," said Ray Boggs, VP of small and medium business research, IDC. "Industry-specific capabilities that can be readily implemented in an affordable way will be key, but so will having offerings that are easy to access, with hardware and software already aligned. In effect, customers will be looking to reconcile the somewhat contradictory goals of a solution designed to meet their individual needs but in an almost pre-configured fashion to minimize time and cost."

Bundled for Low TCO

The new offering for SAP Business All-in-One is designed to combine software, database and hardware into one package, with all components optimized to help midsize companies drive down TCO. The package includes SAP MaxDB, the affordable, simple and reliable high-performing database optimized for SAP solutions, and is based on SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell, a secure, reliable solution at low cost.

"With SUSE Linux Enterprise, midsize customers are able to optimize both their SAP functionality and their infrastructure, including a fully integrated, validated technology stack to reduce complexity and increase manageability and reduce total cost of ownership," said Jeff Jaffe, executive vice president and chief technology officer, Novell. "It is the open platform of choice, fully supported and delivering ease of use with quality innovation."

Today, more than 700 midsize companies run their SAP applications on Linux, and more than 35 percent of those in combination with SAP MaxDB.

More Hardware Partners to Come

The SAP initiative and optimization work done by Intel for the Intel(R) Xeon(R) platform is part of a series of planned partnerships with multiple hardware vendors to offer solutions for midsize companies that lower TCO, maximize cost transparency and offer comprehensive functionality to streamline core business operations. As a result, the fast-start program for SAP Business All-in-One offers best practices for pre-configured industry functionality in a defined package that can be rapidly implemented without complex adaptations. Ecosystem Embraces Planned Alliance SAP partners are free to make the intended offering part of their services portfolio, and it is already being heralded by the SAP partner ecosystem.

"The offering and the aligned components will provide SME customers with an excellent on-premise solution that is instantly ready to use, providing a very attractive TCO," said Sangita Singh, SVP and head EAS, Wipro Technologies, an SAP global services partner. "As a partner, we could rely on an aligned solution with tested components that have proven themselves with thousands of customers. We would be delighted to offer our solution in the Indian market, as we are convinced that there is both a great demand for and interest in the solution."

Built-In Innovation

With the easy-to-use solution configurator, prospective customers can quickly configure the SAP Business All-in-One solution according to their needs and immediately receive a cost estimation* for the solution, including SAP MaxDB, based on SUSE Linux, the Intel(R) Xeon(R)-based server systems as well as implementation.

"The intended offering is another compelling example of how SAP collaborates with its continuously growing partner ecosystem to develop attractive business application packages with built-in innovation," said Hans-Peter Klaey, president, Global SME and corporate officer, SAP AG. "I am confident that this package will simplify the deployment and use of on-premise solutions, drive adoption of integrated business solutions in the SME market and further deliver the best value to our customers."