The best of all worlds

E-3: HPE advertises GreenLake as "the best of the cloud". What is the best of the cloud in a nutshell?

Ulrich Seibold, HPE: Simplicity, speed and flexibility - with full control and freedom of choice. With GreenLake, customers are not tied to a specific cloud stack and can decide for themselves where their cloud services are operated - in their own data center, at any location or in a colocation data center.

E-3: GreenLake is reminiscent of Data Lake - is this intentional and what is HPE trying to say?

Seibold: GreenLake does indeed have a strong connection to the topic of data value creation. The majority of data is generated decentrally, for example in factories, vehicles or hospitals. However, it is not efficient and it can be a problem for data sovereignty to transfer all this data to central platforms. With GreenLake, we are taking the opposite approach: we are bringing the cloud to the data, not the data to the cloud.

E-3: SAP attempted a data lake with the Data Hub and failed. What does HPE do better?

Seibold: We create uniform data access without centralization. In other words: With our technology, customers can set up data rooms that encompass many locations, systems or devices. The data remains where it is generated, but it is all accessible together so that it can be correlated, analyzed and used to train artificial intelligence.

E-3: According to Gartner, Data Lake is an inadequate technology. The analysts are currently talking about Data Fabric. When will HPE have a green fabric?

Seibold: We have been offering the technology for three years and, since last year, the Data Fabric has been an integral part of HPE GreenLake. We also refer to it as Data Lakehouse - the term stands for the latest generation of analytics platforms: They combine the efficiency of a data warehouse with the comprehensive data pool of a data lake. 

E-3: Obviously, most CIOs are in favor of cloud computing - but the debate is about the right operating model: cloud only with a hyperscaler, a hybrid model or cloud functionality in your own data center. So what is GreenLake?

Seibold: Firstly, HPE GreenLake means: Cloud in your own data center or at any other location of your choice - with HPE assuming complete operational responsibility with SLA up to application base operation on request. Secondly, GreenLake is a multi-cloud
platform. Customers can use it to seamlessly connect their own platforms with external public clouds.

E-3: What are the advantages of GreenLake for an existing SAP customer?

Seibold: This allows them to transfer their SAP environment to a cloud operating model and still remain in control in-house. For example, they decide for themselves where their SAP applications are operated and up to which level HPE assumes operational responsibility. They also decide for themselves whether and when they want to migrate to S/4 Hana.

E-3: Does GreenLake contradict Rise with SAP?

Seibold: No, on the contrary. SAP itself uses HPE GreenLake as the basis for the "Customer Data Center Option" of its S/4 Hana Cloud.

E-3: The SAP user association DSAG has stated that many of its members prefer an on-prem model for Hana and S/4. Can GreenLake be a compromise between DSAG members and a cloud-only SAP?

Seibold: I wouldn't call it a compromise, but a fully-fledged cloud alternative for customers who prefer on-premises operation.

E-3: What is the main advantage of GreenLake for a CIO who does much more than just SAP?

Seibold: Centralized and proprietary approaches are no longer up to date. GreenLake, on the other hand, is a platform for the new era of digitalization. It combines two seemingly incompatible principles: Decentralization, openness and diversity on the one hand - and end-to-end cloud experience and unified management on the other. SAP is just one of many applications that we support with the platform. We have a large GreenLake partner ecosystem from the infrastructure to the applications.

E-3: And how do you convince a CFO?

Seibold: CFOs generally welcome us with open arms. On the one hand, it's about opex instead of capex and the lower overall costs. The customer only pays for what they use. We can measure usage very granularly and allocate the costs to the customer's cost centers if desired. This alone reduces costs enormously, as costs are charged according to where they are incurred. We also offer very interesting financing options via HPE Financial Services - such as leaseback of the existing IT infrastructure, which provides the customer with liquid funds for their digital transformation. 

E-3: Thank you for the interview.