Data management and data authority

Added value in the SAP environment through hybrid data storage and management

NetApp's European concerns in the SAP community are managed by Thomas Herrmann, who has an office in the SAP Partner Port in Walldorf. He organizes an annual "SAP on NetApp Summit" with great success and was available to E-3 Magazine for an exclusive interview.

NetApp is regarded in the SAP community as a specialist in data storage and management, as well as a partner to many other IT vendors: Where is the focus in direct contact with existing SAP customers or in the indirect channel via your partners?

Thomas Herrmann, NetApp: NetApp works closely with partners who appreciate our added value in the SAP environment, whether they are the large partners, i.e. the global systems integrators such as Capgemeni, Accenture, Kyndryl, or the rather smaller specialized boutique partners. Contact with our customers is 80 percent in the channel, i.e. via partners, and 20 percent direct sales via our sales and presales specialists.

Thomas Herrmann, Manager Business Development SAP at NetApp for EMEA, knows the SAP community like no one else. His contacts help NetApp's existing customers.

And what are the focal points in terms of content?

Herrmann: We are known for data management. Our focus, or rather goal, is to provide data authority for businesses. With NetApp solutions, customers have complete control over their data and benefit from simplicity, efficiency, flexibility, and excellent integration with application management. Our partners appreciate this very much.

Digital transformation is also affecting NetApp: Are you making more sales in the SAP community with hardware or software?

Herrmann: NetApp no longer calls itself a hardware company, the focus and added value is in our software, hardware is commodity. Our hardware comes with a software package that is unique. But you can say that in terms of overall revenue, the on-prem business still dominates, but we see the higher growth numbers in the cloud with the cloud services that we offer.

And what's next? Where is NetApp's future focus - hardware or software?

Herrmann: Definitely in software and, of course, in cloud services, which can also be a combination of hardware and software.

NetApp has a large number of different partners - from Cisco to AWS, Fujitsu to Red Hat. How do you orchestrate this heterogeneous partner landscape?

Herrmann: With each of these partners, Cisco, AWS, Fujitsu and Red Hat, we have a long-standing partnership from which both parties benefit. With Cisco, for example, we built the joint FlexPod solution, with which we are very successful in the SAP market. Fujitsu has relied 100 percent on NetApp for years with its PrimeFlex for SAP Landscapes solution. At NetApp, we have alliance managers for each partner who plan strategic matters; I plan SAP-specific topics directly with the corresponding counterparts at the partners.

And where is the added value for the existing SAP customer in this complex offering?

Herrmann: The added value is of course always solution-related, a solution is always a combination of several products. NetApp, of course, offers the added value in SAP data management, while partners such as Fujitsu, for example, can offer the service and the complete package, so to speak with FlexFrame a complete operational concept for SAP landscapes.

What does hybrid data management and data storage mean to you?

Herrmann: Data is the most important thing a company has, but how do customers use data properly? How do you ensure that you fully exploit the potential of data, where and how it is optimally used and stored? And how do users differentiate your data from important and unimportant so that you don't eventually run out of data? Companies need to have operational data in quick access, so only fast storage comes into question here. Data that needs to be stored for the long term and is only used sporadically can, in turn, be outsourced cost-effectively. Storing and keeping available data that you don't even need only causes costs? Hybrid data management is the combination of all these questions and their answers? NetApp offers solutions for all these challenges for data lifecycle management in hybrid worlds.

Do you see a trend in the German-speaking SAP community in one of the directions cloud, hybrid and on-prem?

Herrmann: The cloud is being used more and more, and for many companies it is already the standard. The trend, I think, is towards a hybrid cloud infrastructure, i.e. the combination of internal IT infrastructure on-prem, private cloud and one or more public clouds - i.e. multi-cloud. Companies will increasingly move to using cloud services and/or using different cloud providers in parallel, depending on how good the respective offer is; price/performance plays a major role here, of course.

In terms of data management in an S/4 Hana environment, where do you see the key challenges for NetApp and what are your solutions for that?

Herrmann: Compared to its predecessors, SAP S/4 Hana relies on a simple architecture. This applies to both the data model and the user interface. The Hana database itself, of course, provides more speed through its in-memory architecture and enables working in real time. S/4 Hana environments accordingly have special hardware and infrastructure requirements.

What are the specific challenges?

Herrmann: NetApp has certified hardware and software, for S/4 environments on-prem or at the appropriate hyperscalers. All KPIs specified by SAP are met. The challenges for S/4 Hana in data management are not seriously different from the S/4 predecessors, here NetApp has solutions with its well-known portfolio to operate SAP landscapes efficiently, cost-effectively, flexibly, and simply.

What do you expect from SAP in terms of data management and Hana in the future, how will this partnership develop?

Herrmann: SAP is one of our largest customers worldwide, and it is impossible to imagine SAP's internal data center operations without the added value we deliver for data management. With SAP as a partner and a joint go-to-market, I currently see joint approaches in the area of Industry 4.0, where we will work closely with SAP and other partners. 

Which partnerships will be particularly important in the future for NetApp and, of course, for SAP NetApp customers?

Herrmann: Our mission is to simplify and modernize the data infrastructure. Our strategic partnerships that we will have will remain, but new partners will come in. I'm seeing more and more partners here that are providing solutions in the cloud services space, and we're partnering with them to provide and build solutions and services. With NetApp as a partner, you can control, consolidate, and organize everything from the data center to the cloud.

What digital innovations will NetApp surprise the SAP community with in 2023?

Herrmann: Moving applications to the cloud is only the first step on the journey to the cloud. Delivering on the promise of the cloud requires a holistic approach to cloud operations that considers cost, resource management, optimization and security. Our growing portfolio offers a compelling suite of cloud operations solutions that enable enterprises to focus on their SAP applications, not infrastructure. We will be adding solutions to our portfolio for 2023 and beyond, stay tuned.

E-3: Thank you for the interview.