Basis for a complex SAP landscape

The Sozialversicherung für Landwirtschaft, Forsten und Gartenbau (SVLFG) is a federal corporation under public law based in Kassel in northern Hesse and with 16 other locations. It is the agency responsible for providing agricultural social insurance and combines under one roof statutory accident, health, long term care, and old-age insurance for around 3.2 million people in agriculture, forestry, and horticulture.

For years, the Sozialversicherung für Landwirtschaft, Forsten und Gartenbau (SVLFG) has operated an SAP landscape that is as critical as it is complex, both centrally and from a single source. As part of the migration to SAP HANA, it needed a new infrastructure. A hardware overhaul was not the only thing that needed to be done, however. The IT team at SLVFG also wanted to be able to provide SAP services to the departments more quickly and easily in the future, and to operate and automate those services more securely.

Another key requirement for the future operating concept was its cost efficiency. “We were looking for a cutting-edge solution for the simple and central management of our SAP landscape, one that would enable us to easily handle future requirements even with existing staffing levels,” explains B. Hilbig, Head of operations and support, SVLFG.

Together with its partner Fujitsu, SVLFG opted to implement Fujitsu Integrated Systems PRIMEFLEX for SAP Landscapes. This solution is an integrated system consisting of a predefined, pre-integrated, and pre-tested combination of servers, software, network connectivity, storage, and the Fujitsu FlexFrame Orchestrator software solution. In the case of SVLFG, the solution includes a total of 18 x86 servers (type Fujitsu PRIMERGY RX4770 and Fujitsu PRIMERGY RX2540), NetApp storage, the Fujitsu FlexFrame Orchestrator, and the Infrastructure Manager. The advantage of the integrated system is that all components are optimally coordinated with each other. As a result, PRIMEFLEX simplifies the management of complex SAP environments, promotes business continuity, reduces costs, and optimizes the planning, operation, and change management—with the highest possible level of cost efficiency. The integrated system also scores points when it comes to the security of critical infrastructures.  

SVLFG operates its SAP environment in a private cloud with the FlexFrame Orchestrator as its centerpiece. “Our department serves as the interface between IT and the departments,” explains B. Hilbig. “It is therefore absolutely essential for us to be able to offer the departments short response times with regard to change processes and to always be able to provide the utilized SAP services in a highly available and reliable manner. Thanks to the FlexFrame Orchestrator management platform, we have done an outstanding job of this, even as our staffing levels have remained unchanged.”
Hilbig sees this as the biggest cost-saving benefit. In the medium term, SVLFG also plans to automate SAP services. B. Hilbig explains: “The FlexFrame Orchestrator has a high automation potential, which we would now like to gradually evaluate and implement for ourselves.” He adds: “With regard to SAP, Fujitsu gave us outstanding advice and provided us with optimal support throughout the implementation and migration process. We value Fujitsu as a consistent partner that offers expertise as well as continuity.”