Customer Solution Case Study
/ New Enterprise Resource Planning System Enhances Efficiency at Local Colleges
Overview
Country or Region:Germany
Industry:Education
Customer Profile
The Hessen Technical Colleges Computer Centre (FH HRZ) at the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (Darmstadt Fachhochschule) supports SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications that serve all technical and art colleges in Hessen, Germany.
Business Situation
Support for the existing SAP system, operating system, and database came to an end in 2004. As a result, FH HRZ needed to upgrade its entire IT infrastructure.
Solution
After an extensive technology evaluation, the Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 operating system and Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000 were chosen to support new SAP applications.
Benefits
Lowest total cost of ownership.
Greatly enhanced system performance.
Increased standardisation and manageability.
The system will scale to serve 800 users.
Technology investment safeguarded for five years. / “By migrating to Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2000, we have laid a solid foundation for the nationwide introduction of the latest mySAP ERP applications.”
Claus Rode, Head of SAP R/3, Hessen Technical Colleges Computer Centre
The Hessen Technical Colleges Computer Centre (FH HRZ) at the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (Darmstadt Fachhochschule) is responsible for managing a large-scale, shared IT infrastructure for enterprise resource planning (ERP) at local universities of applied science. When support for existing systems came to an end, the centre needed to upgrade SAP applications, operating systems, and databases. After evaluating all available technologies, Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 and Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000 were chosen to support the new ERP system. These tools offered the lowest total cost of ownership of any available solution. They also increased standardisation and manageability, while enhancing performance. Because the new infrastructure will scale to serve 800 users, it will safeguard the FH HRZ’s technology investment for the next five years.
Situation
In 1999, the regional government of Hessen, Germany, joined forces with eight local universities of applied science. The collaboration resulted in a standardised IT infrastructure for the administration of enterprise resource planning (ERP), financial accounting, and resource allocation.
The technology chosen for the new collaborative ERP and commercial budgeting system was SAP R/3. The architecture—which quickly became a model for other colleges and federal states in Germany—supports double-entry accounting for both costs and income. It also manages the allocation of resources based on performance, controls products, and handles decentralised budgeting. Using the system, colleges account for their spending and report on the effectiveness of the services they deliver.
A new Hessen Technical Colleges Computer Centre (FH HRZ) was created at the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (Darmstadt Fachhochschule). This organisation is the joint data and competency centre that manages and modernises shared ERP infrastructure across all local universities of applied science. It administers the SAP applications in use and delivers specialist advice on accounting, budgets, procurement, financial control, and human resources management.
In 2004, manufacturer support for the original operating system and database came to an end. In addition, the SAP R/3 ERP applications deployed in 1999 were no longer fully supported. As a result, the FH HRZ needed to deploy new hardware and software to meet its ERP requirements.
Claus Rode, Head of SAP R/3 for Hessen Technical Colleges Computer Centre says, “We wanted to deploy a new version of SAP, requiring a new certified hardware platform, as well as database and operating system upgrades. We planned the new SAP deployment for 2005/2006, so we had to update the infrastructure to support it immediately.”
Solution
Working with leading technology partners Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, and REALTECH, FH HRZ drew up a blueprint for the new solution.
Rode says, “With the help of our partners, we designed an architecture that runs on an HP Integrity server powered by Intel Itanium 2 processors. The 64-bit release of Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 was chosen as the operating system, with the 64-bit Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000 database at the back end.” Both Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2000 are part of Microsoft Windows Server System™ integrated server software.
The Intel® Itanium® 2 processors, which power Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2000, support the university’s high-performance data management. The solution can analyse massive amounts of data and produce results twice as fast as its previous 32-bit technology.
The planned solution was demonstrated at the Microsoft SAP Competence Centre in Waldorf, Germany. REALTECH delivered a proof of concept and simulated a migration from the existing Microsoft Windows NT® version 4.0 Server, Terminal Edition operating system infrastructure.
Rode says, “We were as impressed by the test migration as we were by the integration of SAP with Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2000.”
The new system, which was smoothly deployed in the live environment, incorporates two SAP servers running on Windows Server 2003. Data related to financial accounts and other ERP processes is stored and accessed using the SQL Server 2000 64-bit database and the new ERP applications can be accessed from 600 workstations.
Benefits
The Most Cost-Effective Solution
Before deploying the new technology, REALTECH conducted a thorough cost evaluation of all available technologies. The study found that the Microsoft solution offered a lower cost of ownership than competing open source systems, including Linux.
Bernhard Mändle, Senior Consultant for REALTECH, says, “In our cost comparison of technologies to support the new SAP environment, the Microsoft infrastructure came out on top. It is decidedly cheaper overall than a competing Linux platform.”
Lower total cost of ownership was also a factor in the selection of SQL Server 2000. Rode says, “The licence fees required to deploy Oracle and other competing technologies would have been significant. The Microsoft solution met all our business needs and was a far more cost-effective alternative.”
Finally, the transition from the previous Informix database to SQL Server 2000 has delivered additional savings. This is because the new technology has reduced storage requirements and associated costs by around 35 percent.
Powerful Processors Allow New System to Run Faster
The Intel Itanium 2 processors help the college run its student database more efficiently by providing a larger, higher performance address storage space. The processors reduce network traffic so that rising numbers of concurrent users can be better supported.
Rode says, “We are very satisfied with the performance we’ve received for the price. The 64-bit architecture of the Intel Itanium 2 processors provides excellent support for our large database.”
Existing Microsoft Skills at the Computer Centre
FH HRZ historically worked with a range of Microsoft software. As a result, it already had the required skill sets to manage the new infrastructure.
Rode says, “Our knowledge of Microsoft technologies prepared us to manage the new infrastructure effectively from day one. It also helped to minimise employee training requirements and ensure high availability for our critical ERP applications.”
Full Integration Across All Elements of the Infrastructure
The new Microsoft infrastructure is fully integrated with SAP, as well as with desktop productivity tools across the organisation. As a result, information can be shared easily and employees and students can communicate effectively.
Rode says, “Because all Microsoft technologies are fully integrated with SAP and with each other, they increase the stability and availability of our ERP systems. This is endorsed by an independent test conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which recommended the migration based on increased security and stability.”
A Firm Foundation for Future IT Deployments Safeguards Technology Investments
Using SQL Server 2000 and Windows Server 2003, FH HRZ has taken a step toward standardising its previously heterogeneous IT infrastructure. In doing so, it has created a firm foundation for all future IT projects.
Rode says, “The new solution allows us to extend access to SAP to new users. It also supports the integration of new projects, such as our forthcoming account plan reorganisation and imminent transition to mySAP ERP.
“Because the system will scale to serve as many as 800 users, it will protect our technology investments for at least the next five years.”
Increased System Performance Delivers Time Savings and Enhanced Productivity
The new system has significantly enhanced the performance of ERP applications overall. Users have experienced a tenfold increase in the speed of applications and their responsiveness. In addition, production test systems work much more efficiently, supporting faster development and deployment of new IT projects.
Rode says, “The system response times have been reduced by a factor of ten with the Microsoft solution. Users are extremely satisfied with the improved efficiency.
“In addition, processing tasks that previously took up to 18 hours can now be completed in just two hours. This ensures that we can optimise our productivity across the board.”
Support from Leading Technology Partners
From day one, Microsoft and REALTECH worked with FH HRZ to develop the solution in a test environment. The technology partners also provided ongoing support throughout the deployment process.
Rode says, “Cooperation and support from Microsoft and REALTECH was essential to the success of this project. We had to solve some difficult problems and our partners were with us every step of the way.”
Imminent Deployment at Other Local Colleges
Other colleges now want to share in the success of FH HRZ. To date, JustusLiebigUniversity in Giessen, JohannWolfgangGoetheUniversity in Frankfurt am Main, and DarmstadtTechnicalUniversity have opted to deploy Microsoft software to support their SAP applications.
Rode says, “By migrating to Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2000, we have laid a solid foundation for the nationwide introduction of the latest mySAP ERP applications.”
Microsoft Windows Server System
Microsoft Windows Server System is a comprehensive, integrated, and interoperable server infrastructure that helps reduce the complexity and costs of building, deploying, connecting, and operating agile business solutions. Windows Server System helps customers create new value for their business through the strategic use of their IT assets. With the Windows Server operating system as its foundation, Windows Server System delivers dependable infrastructure for data management and analysis; enterprise integration; customer, partner, and employee portals; business process automation; communications and collaboration; and core IT operations including security, deployment, and systems management.
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