HDS Scale-Out Platform for SAP HANA

Hitachi Data Systems Corporation announced that the new scale-out capabilities of Hitachi Unified Compute Platform (UCP) Select for the SAP HANA platform have been certified by SAP AG.

The platform enables enterprises to achieve higher performance, scalability and data persistence for faster analysis of large volumes of data over a distributed environment. The scale-out architecture combines Hitachi Compute Blade with Hitachi enterprise storage, and supports up to 16 nodes today with further expansion in the future.

This announcement was made at the SAPPHIRE NOW and SAP TechEd conferences being held in Madrid, Spain through November 16.

Hitachi Unified Compute Platform Select for SAP HANA gives enterprises the ability to accelerate business decisions and provides real-time insights based on in-memory analysis of massive datasets. The solution delivers SAP’s next-generation, in-memory computing technology on an integrated, optimized hardware platform, which combines Hitachi blade server technology and enterprise storage systems with industry-standard network components.

"Large and even some midsize businesses seek higher quality and more timely access to data to facilitate real-time operational analytics with 24/7 applications," said John Mansfield, executive VP, Global Solutions Strategy and Development, HDS. "Our scale-out solution for SAP HANA not only gives customers the ability to handle larger volumes of data with better failover, increased performance and higher availability – all of which are essential for big data use cases – but we offer several advantages as well. Most notably this solution combines highly reliable and scalable compute clusters for in-memory computing with an external, enterprise-class persistent storage tier to further ensure 24/7 operation in the most demanding and data-intensive environments. Customers have been relying on our understanding of the business requirements for the largest mission-critical deployments of SAP solutions for nearly 20 years. We have a proven track record of delivering the performance, scalability, reliability, management and total cost of ownership that they require."

In-memory computing, the technology that enables the real-time business intelligence of SAP HANA, demands processing, storage and transport at unprecedented speeds and volumes. Hitachi UCP Select for SAP HANA gives organizations a solution that scales to accommodate dynamic workloads. The solution uses Hitachi blade server technologies to expand capacity for SAP HANA. By integrating Hitachi compute, storage and networking resources, organizations can accelerate their business value and meet their demanding applications in either physical or virtual computing environments.

HDS will begin availability of the new scale-out platform for SAP HANA next quarter.

Hitachi and SAP Alliance
Hitachi and its subsidiaries, including HDS, have had a strategic relationship with SAP since 1994, including the sale, integration and implementation of SAP solutions. Together, they certify integrated offerings that provide mutual customers with availability, scalability and performance for their corporate information. The new scale-out capabilities of Hitachi UCP Select for SAP HANA is the latest milestone in the Hitachi global technology partnership with SAP, which includes integration of HDS technologies with SAP software, first announced in May 2011.

Customer benefits of Hitachi solutions
integrated with SAP applications include the following:

• Predictable, Repeatable, Reliable Results: Pre-validated reference architectures, pre-packaged solutions with enterprise-class components across the entire stack, and targeted provisioning help ensure consistent, predictable results as organizations look to manage and store massive volumes of fast-changing data.
• Performance: High-density computing and throughput combines with wide-striping technology for enhanced utilization. Customers benefit from flexible server management capabilities and scalable architectures.
• Faster Time to Value: Quicker, simpler deployment is offered from a single source for ordering and for providing services for planning and implementation. Pre-configuration and SAP validation of key components drastically reduce onsite deployment time. Intelligent automation of complex tasks enables rapid provisioning of resources with the assurance that the appropriate underlying infrastructure components are in place.