PCG: The third in the group

In addition, our SAP Managed Services cover all areas - from local installations and data center hosting to environments with all major hyperscalers. At the heart of our portfolio is Alpaca, our innovative platform for automating SAP Basis workloads, enabling seamless integration into on-prem, hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Alpaca exemplifies our modern approach to application development.

Automation with Alpaca

Alpaca bears its name for a reason: similar to the animal of the same name, which is known for its robustness and flexibility, the automation tool from the Public Cloud Group (PCG) is also characterized by these qualities. Alpaca is the centerpiece for monitoring and managing complex SAP environments and combines a large number of closely linked modules. These range from monitoring, high availability and disaster recovery to backup and restore as well as cloning. It also covers life cycle management, which extends beyond the boundaries of SAP to operating systems and databases.

With security standards that correspond to those of SAP, Alpaca logs
Alpaca stores all activities in a central database, ensuring complete traceability. The automation extends to routine processes as well as complex administrative tasks, making Alpaca an indispensable tool for anyone who maintains and manages SAP environments.

The gateway to the cloud

With the Alpaca Orchestrator, PCG's solution also acts as a key to the cloud world. The component makes it possible to efficiently manage and control cloud resources and applications. The tool also considerably simplifies and accelerates the configuration and provisioning of new instances. The orchestration function ensures that all components of the SAP architecture work together seamlessly and efficiently, with workflows being provided via the various cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, as well as on-prem.

Through the self-services portal, the orchestrator enables users to easily access the SAP resources they need, which increases team agility and overall productivity. In addition, there is comprehensive monitoring and management of the SAP environment in the cloud, which not only allows IT to continuously monitor system performance, but also to keep an eye on costs at all times.

In terms of compliance and security, the orchestrator guarantees that all SAP systems and data are stored and processed in accordance with the applicable regulations and company guidelines. Access rights are carefully controlled and security-relevant configurations are implemented automatically.

Last but not least, the aspect of disaster recovery is of crucial importance for SAP landscapes. The Cloud Orchestrator manages automated backup and recovery routines that enable a rapid return to normal operation in the event of a system failure.

Proof of concept

Existing SAP customer Zeiss reduced SAP deployment times from twelve weeks to five hours: Zeiss, the global leader in optics, electronics and medical technology, was faced with the task of redesigning its extensive on-prem SAP landscape, which consisted of 70 systems, and migrating it to the cloud in the middle of the pandemic. Zeiss decided to work with PCG. Together, the partners managed the seamless transition to a cloud-first strategy characterized by a high degree of automation.

At the start of the project, the task was no less than that: To design and build a comprehensive and complete operations platform and fully automate the SAP operating processes (back-up/restore, Hana HA over SR, HA cluster for SAP instances, life cycle management, copy/refresh).

The project was carried out in several clearly defined phases. First, a proof-of-concept (POC) for SAP was carried out at a hyperscaler using the Alpaca platform. Using an iterative approach that included the plan, build, test and run phases, the partners gradually took the development and deployment process from a hyperscaler lab environment to production readiness. In addition, the team developed a comprehensive security concept in close cooperation with the Zeiss security department.

Public Cloud Group (PCG) in a Nutshell

Since its foundation in 2021, PCG has been helping companies drive their digital transformation with public cloud solutions. Our comprehensive portfolio accompanies companies of all sizes on their journey to the cloud. As an expert partner of the leading hyperscalers - Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud and Microsoft Cloud - PCG has the highest accreditations with these platforms and offers customers independent advice on their cloud journey.

SAP customer Zeiss

The partnership between Zeiss and PCG and the implementation of the Alpaca platform in the cloud brought significant improvements. The ability to dynamically adapt resources has given Zeiss significantly more flexibility, allowing it to react quickly to business changes. In addition, the company strengthened its own performance in the operational area by introducing self-service functions. Finally, Zeiss now ensures that the strictest quality and compliance requirements are met, which further strengthens the company's position as market leader.

Power of Three

Through partnerships with AWS and NetApp, the Public Cloud Group offers comprehensive and integrated SAP solutions whose benefits go far beyond the sum of their parts. The collaboration with AWS gives our customers access to a robust and scalable cloud infrastructure that is specifically tailored to the requirements of SAP applications. AWS provides a variety of services and tools that enable us to implement and manage customized SAP environments securely and efficiently.

With extensive knowledge of the entire AWS toolset and service offering, we are able to design precise and targeted solutions that are precisely tailored to the needs of your business. Our expertise enables us to exploit the full potential of AWS and offer you customized, optimal cloud solutions.

NetApp complements our offering with leading data storage and data management solutions in the cloud, which are crucial for the operation of critical SAP applications. With NetApp Cloud Storage, we ensure improved data resilience and performance, enabling us to significantly increase the efficiency and reliability of our customers' SAP landscapes.

Together with our partners, we offer a fully integrated range of SAP services. Our customers benefit from a seamless solution that optimizes the availability, security and performance of their systems while reducing the complexity of managing their IT resources. By working closely together, we are able to tailor our services and products to perfectly match the challenges and goals of our customers. The Power of Three - an unbeatable trio for your SAP needs.

Smart Cloud Sizing

A guide for your cloud decision: The transition to cloud-based infrastructures is a crucial step, but one that needs to be carefully planned and prepared. It is extremely important not only to gather precise data on the current situation of the SAP landscape, but also to gain in-depth insights into SAP performance at system level (target concept). Such an approach is essential in order to plan a targeted and cost-optimized cloud environment for S/4 Hana. Our "SAP RaDAR" software solution provides the inventory data of your entire SAP landscape for smart cloud sizing.

Public Cloud Group (PCG) in a Nutshell

Since its foundation in 2021, PCG has been helping companies drive their digital transformation with public cloud solutions. Our comprehensive portfolio accompanies companies of all sizes on their journey to the cloud. As an expert partner of the leading hyperscalers - Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud and Microsoft Cloud - PCG has the highest accreditations with these platforms and offers customers independent advice on their cloud journey.

Smart Cloud Sizing

Holistic assessment: support in analyzing and planning your SAP-to-Cloud project
Fast implementation:

• Sound basis for decision-making within a few weeks
• Detailed architecture design and transition planning
• Automated provision
• the SAP system environment with the help of Alpaca
• Optimization of your existing SAP infrastructure to achieve cost savings of up to 50 percent

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