SAP Virtualization, RISE, and GROW

VMware and SAP Virtualization

Virtualization is a long-standing and highly regarded topic within the SAP community. Prior to the advent of cloud computing, the SAP CCC (Customer Competence Center) faced a significant challenge: the harmonization, orchestration, and virtualization of complex technologies. The SAP Customer Center of Expertise (CCoE) remains a key resource for customers, as relevant now as it was in the past, even if the topics being discussed have changed.

Virtualization is once again a topic of growing interest within the SAP community. The traditional VMware platform is no longer a cost-effective solution for the majority of ERP users, and support for SAP-specific tasks is inadequate. In addition, not all SAP customers are inclined to transition to the public cloud. The search for alternative ERP operating models has begun, and the traditional on-prem architecture with virtualization remains a viable option. In addition to VMware, there are now numerous alternative providers.

SAP Hana and virtualization

As is widely understood, the foundation for S/4 is the Hana database platform. It is, of course, possible to virtualize this database with any available hypervisor in theory. However, SAP does not make all technically feasible options available. Only specific product combinations have been approved for development, testing, and operational use.

At the outset of the Hana market launch, there were no virtualization solutions for the database whatsoever. Following extensive discussions and negotiations, SAP agreed to make one of the most popular hypervisors, KVM, available for use with Hana. Of course, this proved successful, with Suse incorporating this variant into the Enterprise Linux offering. Hana is currently compatible with a range of hypervisors, including those used for testing and production environments.

Red Hat vs. Suse

It should be noted that Red Hat also offers the open-source product KVM as part of its product range. However, development is not static. It is also theoretically possible to virtualize Hana and S/4 in a container environment. Red Hat has the requisite concepts and expertise to virtualize S/4 Hana. However, SAP has yet to provide approval, which may be due to political reasons.

It is evident that SAP's primary focus is on the public cloud with RISE and GROW. It is unlikely that SAP would prioritize the relaunch of on-prem systems with a Red Hat Enterprise Linux, container management, and virtualization.

Virtualization vs. SAP RISE and Grow

Until the DSAG (German-speaking SAP user association) exerts massive pressure on SAP to act in the interests of its customers, the global ERP market leader SAP will likely continue to adhere to its unofficial "cloud only" strategy with RISE and GROW. Despite the company-wide emphasis on a "cloud first" strategy, it is evident that the RISE and GROW roadmap largely excludes other operating models.

Does "cloud only" have a future? Not likely in the long-term, as it will become clear that the IT world is far too agile, colorful, and heterogeneous to be confined to a single operating model. In addition to "cloud only", the future will bring SAP BTP (Business Technology Platform) in containers, Hana in virtual ERP environments, and cloud scenarios. Virtualization is here to stay.