Optimize SAP Performance

Transcription

1 SOLUTIONS FOR SAP Solutions for SAP Optimize SAP Performance Information Lifecycle Management I Data & Document Archiving I Application Decommissioning I Output Management

2 Safeguard Business Knowledge Throughout the Information Lifecycle A growing organization thrives on information. Yet controlling the ever-increasing volume of data and documents produced by your SAP system can be a constant headache. On the one hand it is vital to deliver information quickly and securely to the people who need it - as well as retain it for legal compliance. On the other hand it makes sense to prevent the build-up of older or redundant data and documents in the live SAP database - to optimize system performance and reduce running costs. Macro 4 can help you meet these challenges and manage enterprise information with confidence throughout its lifecycle. Our SAP-certified solutions integrate fully with your SAP applications to provide enhanced document and data management capabilities that improve the user experience, increase business efficiency and reduce operating costs. We were impressed with the depth of Macro 4 s specialist knowledge about the process of archiving data and documents from SAP applications. Having worked with Macro 4 before, we were also confident in their ability to deliver a complete solution to meet our individual needs, rather than just a piece of technology. Graham Parkes SAP Program Architect, Severn Trent Water

3 Macro 4 Solutions for SAP at a Glance Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) Managing the storage, retention and, ultimately, destruction of business information at end of life, through close integration with SAP Netweaver Information Lifecycle Management Provides policy-based control over the way data and documents are managed, helping SAP customers to automate e-discovery and achieve legal compliance at lower cost Data Archiving Moving older SAP data from completed business transactions into a secure, online content server to release capacity on the live SAP database, while maintaining convenient read-only access for users Application Decommissioning Allowing legacy applications to be shut down by relocating the underlying data in the SAP Netweaver Information Lifecycle Management Retention Warehouse Releases IT resources from legacy systems support and provides long-term access to legacy data to maintain operational efficiency and compliance Output Management Assuring enterprise-wide delivery of electronic and paper document output from SAP applications and other business systems Provides centralized control and reporting, with early detection and prevention of output delivery problems to avoid disruption to document-related business processes Helps to maintain optimal system performance, streamlines backup and recovery, minimizes downtime during upgrades and reduces storage costs Document Archiving Moving scanned inbound documents and SAP-generated documents into a secure, online content server, which is integrated with SAP applications for document viewing and optional document workflow Makes documents more accessible, increases productivity in document-related business processes and retains exact LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT DOCUMENT document copies for legal compliance INFORMATION ARCHIVING SAP APPLICATIONS OUTPUT MANAGEMENT ARCHIVING DATA APPLICATION DECOMMISSIONING

4 From Archiving to Information Lifecycle Management Keeping data and documents accessible throughout their lifetime while controlling costs and maintaining excellent system performance are among the main information management challenges faced by SAP customers. Macro 4 provides a complete set of solutions to address these challenges, including software, services and consultancy to support SAP Data and Document Archiving and Information Lifecycle Management. The Dangers of Unchecked Database Growth A growing SAP database is a given for most SAP customers. However, if left unchecked, database growth can eventually impair system performance, resulting in slower batch runs, longer backup schedules and poor end user response times. The outcome could be seriously reduced productivity and less responsive customer service. More data also demands more disk storage, which incurs significant costs: an additional terabyte of Tier 1 storage regularly costs between 100,000 and 150,000 over its lifetime, including support and storage management. The larger the SAP database, the more downtime required during an upgrade. The upgrade process could take several days to complete, making it harder to schedule and increasing project costs and risks. Critically, large databases increase the risk of unplanned downtime because they take longer to restore from backup in the event of a serious system failure. Data Archiving Macro 4 s Data Archiving solutions help to contain database growth through regular archiving of SAP data, as recommended by SAP AG. Older data is automatically removed from the live system, compressed and transferred to a secure, online content server residing on low-cost storage media. Database capacity is immediately released, leading to a significant reduction in storage requirements while optimizing system performance. The archived data remains instantly accessible to users, directly from their familiar SAP applications, in a readonly format, and can also be reported on, alongside data in the live SAP environment. Data Archiving Benefits Raises productivity and service levels by improving system response times Allows faster SAP upgrades, with less downtime, less business risk and at lower cost Minimizes unplanned downtime, to safeguard revenue and reputation Reduces storage costs by compressing excess data and moving it to low-cost storage media Releases up to 80 per cent of live database capacity so that costly storage upgrades can be deferred Data Archiving Packaged Service Macro 4 offers a fixed price, fixed scope Data Archiving solution as part of SAP s Packaged Services program. The Packaged Service is quick to implement and includes all the consultancy and software required to archive data from a single SAP application, with scope for expansion to include further applications.

5 Free Database Health Check As a first step for SAP customers considering data archiving, Macro 4 s free Database Health Check calculates how much disk space could be saved by archiving, and from which SAP applications. We then implement an archiving solution to release disk space, reduce costs and deliver immediate performance improvements. Document Archiving SAP-generated documents can be moved into the archive to release additional database space. An exact replica of the original document is archived, for audit and compliance purposes. Archiving ensures convenient, long-term access to documents such as print lists once they have been removed from the SAP spool and avoids the performance impact of re-generating documents on the live system. Similarly, scanned inbound documents such as supplier invoices and work permits can be added to the archive and integrated with SAP business workflow to increase the efficiency of key processes such as invoice approvals. Macro 4 s Document Archiving solutions support both late and early archiving of invoices and can be combined with barcode scanning and OCR technology to reduce manual re-keying of data into the SAP application. Document Archiving Benefits Increases operational efficiency by reducing manual filing and re-keying of data Generates further efficiency improvements through integration with SAP business workflow Allows workloads to be shared between multiple sites, to support flexible working practices Reduces paper storage and frees up office space Retains documents in a legally compliant format Saves system resources by eliminating the need to re-generate print lists Future Proofing with Information Lifecycle Management For organizations seeking the additional control over data and documents provided by ILM, Macro 4 s SAP Archiving solutions support SAP Netweaver Information Lifecycle Management. To address the issue of rising business litigation, automated e-discovery and legal hold functionality has been developed that helps organizations identify and protect information required as part of legal case management. SAP Netweaver Information Lifecycle Management offers powerful features for retention management, including the ability to set detailed policies for data retention periods and compliant destruction of data and documents at end of life. The additional control over information is of particular value to organizations operating within highly regulated industries. Because Macro 4 s expertise and software certifications cover both SAP Data and Document Archiving and SAP Netweaver Information Lifecycle Management, customers can future proof their archiving strategies and transition seamlessly from traditional archiving to ILM archiving either now or in the future.

6 Application Decommissioning Following an SAP implementation many organizations are left with legacy applications they are forced to keep alive simply because they contain critical historical information required for operational reasons or compliance. Mergers, acquisitions and company re-structuring can also leave organizations with surplus applications, as can consolidation projects which replace multiple divisional or regional SAP implementations with a single overarching system. Yet keeping systems alive - just to view the data - puts a real strain on resources. Legacy applications steadily consume IT budgets in areas such as hardware and software maintenance charges and data center resources. Supporting the applications may require expensive legacy IT skills that are in short supply. Once all useful data has been extracted the original application can be decommissioned, together with any underlying software and hardware. Application Decommissioning Benefits Reduces hardware, software and support costs, potentially by millions of pounds Raises productivity and service levels by providing faster user access to legacy customer data Provides a read-only, legal archive that fulfils compliance obligations Reduces reliance on scarce and expensive legacy IT skills Frees up space and reduces running costs in the data center Releases IT resources to focus on innovation Macro 4 frees organizations from the burden of maintaining legacy systems with a tried and tested methodology for decommissioning SAP and non-sap applications, using SAP Netweaver Information Lifecycle Management. Following analysis of the customer s data retention and access requirements, plus a thorough examination of the structure and format of the legacy data, it is safely extracted from the original applications and placed in a read-only format within the ILM retention warehouse. From here it is accessible to end users from within the current live SAP system, eliminating the inconvenience of logging into separate systems to view legacy data. The data management benefits of SAP Netweaver Information Lifecycle Management can now come into play, including retention management, automated e-discovery and legal hold.

7 Output Management SAP customers rely heavily on document output to drive business processes but nearly a third of process disruptions result from document delivery failures. This can lead to severe financial and operational consequences, as the following scenarios testify: Trucks cannot leave the warehouse because delivery notes or picklists fail to print Printing problems on the assembly line halt production Delayed invoice printing leads to late payment and impacts cashflow Print delivery problems also incur significant IT costs, with print issues accounting for up to 50 per cent of helpdesk calls. Significant additional resources are required to diagnose and fix the reported problems. Inefficiency and waste in the way document output is delivered adds to printing costs such as paper, printer consumables and hardware. Cost accounting and reporting allows cross-charging based on usage and provides statistics to help identify wasteful printing practices. Macro 4 s intelligent routing facility can enforce greener, more cost-effective printing policies, such as restricting single-sided and color printing and directing output to the least cost device. Output Management Benefits Lowers business risk by resolving output problems before they impact on business operations Cuts the cost of servicing print-related helpdesk calls Reduces printing costs by switching selected output to electronic delivery Eliminates wasteful printing practices and lowers environmental impact Increases operational efficiency and user productivity Reduces the cost of managing the printing infrastructure Macro 4 s Output Management solution increases the reliability of document-related business processes by assuring delivery of documents from SAP applications. It provides a single point of control for managing document output across the enterprise, with full status feedback to users. In the event of a printer failure output is automatically re-routed to an alternative device and users are notified. We have been impressed by the level of support and professionalism we have seen from Macro 4, and they have become valued partners in our plans for growth. Jason McKnespiey Senior Technical Architect, B&Q Output delivery is not limited to print. With Macro 4, output can be sent via multiple channels, including printers, fax, , the web and mobile devices, in line with user preferences, document content or business workflow. Whatever the delivery method, an Output Management solution from Macro 4 cuts business disruption through early detection and diagnosis of output delivery problems.

8 Belgium Tel: +32 (0) Fax: +32 (0) Spain Tel: Fax: France Tel: +33 (0) Fax: +33 (0) market.fr@macro4.com Switzerland Tel: +41 (0) Fax: +41 (0) market.ch@macro4.com Macro 4 Limited The Orangery Turners Hill Road Worth, Crawley West Sussex RH10 4SS United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) market@macro4.com Germany Tel: +49 (0) Fax: +49 (0) market.de@macro4.com Italy Tel: +39 (0) Fax: +39 (0) market.it@macro4.com USA Tel: Fax: market.usa@macro4.com Why Macro 4? Macro 4 is a global software and services company that has been successfully implementing SAP information management solutions for over a decade. We work with organizations in all major market sectors, including financial services, utilities, manufacturing, retail and the public sector. Macro 4 is the only company to have solutions for Archiving, Output Management, including fax delivery, and SAP Netweaver Information Lifecycle Management all certified by SAP. Our solutions are underpinned by proven technology that integrates seamlessly with SAP applications to enhance the user experience and optimize performance. Our professional services team provides specialist consulting and implementation skills to ensure that every project runs smoothly and meets the customer s business objectives. Macro 4 solutions are available for outright ownership, as hosted applications and as Software as a Service (SaaS). For more information on Macro 4 products and services visit Macro 4 is a division of UNICOM Global. UNICOM Systems, Inc. UNICOM Plaza Suite 310, San Fernando Mission Blvd., Mission Hills, CA USA Tel: Fax: Copyright All Rights Reserved. Macro 4 Limited a division of UNICOM Global. SAP, SAP NetWeaver and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries.