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146 Chapter 5 • Implementation Strategies

and Red Hat Linux. Each vendor has specific solutions for specific ERPs. The following will examine
solutions for the SAP ERP systems.
A key and unique advantage that IBM has over the competition is that they were the origi-
nators of virtualization systems in the 1970s. IBM has also been one of the earliest supporters of
the x86 server virtualization solutions offered by VMWare, Microsoft, Citrix, and others (“IBM
Bottom Line Impact for Enterprise Infrastructures”). IBM’s model is called the IBM Dynamic
Infrastructure. By applying the disciplines of this model, companies can improve their services
to the business functions, reduce the cost of IT, and effectively manage their SAP infrastructure,
including all applications, databases, servers, storage, and networks.
Fujitsu-Siemens virtualization solution is called the FlexFrame platform. FlexFrame
provides an operating environment with a holistic approach to data center management that
enhances the way customers set up, operate, and maintain their data centers and resources. 7
FlexFrame is worldwide the first to support full virtualization, allowing companies to run physi-
cal and virtual servers within the same single shared environment (“FlexFrame for SAP”).
In 2003, Microsoft entered the virtualization business with the acquisition of Connectix, a
software vendor of virtual machine technology. Microsoft packages its virtualization software
within its server operating systems. Similarly, Red Hat Linux is also packaging its virtualization
software within its Linux server OS. The advantages claimed are first lower cost, but having the
OS and virtualization layer tightly coupled benefits applications that have high demand for
network and storage traffic. Both companies offer robust high-availability clustering options for
redundancy. Microsoft claims to have a robust centralized management tool that works with
other VM vendors such as VMWare, with the ability to intelligently place virtual machines in
the right hosts. 8
Since 1999, when VMWare introduced virtualization to x86 systems, the company has
held the dominant position in the virtualization market space, with more than 150,000 customers
globally (Davis). Additionally, since VMWare became a SAP partner in December 2007, a stag-
gering 89 percent of SAP customers who use virtualization in their data center use VMWare
virtualization (“EMA Impact Brief”).
VMWare solutions include the following:
• VMWare High Availability, which automatically restarts virtual machines on servers that
have spare capacity when there is a physical server failure.
• VMWare VMotion, which enables the live migration of virtual machines from one physical
server to another without scheduling system downtime.
• VMWare Site Recovery Manager, a disaster recovery process that can be implemented
without investing in an exact replica of the hardware. 9
Benefits:
1. A main benefit of virtualization is enhanced hardware utilization. Virtualization allows
an organization to consolidate underutilized servers. For Windows based servers, estimates indicate
that the average capacity being used on each server is 8–12 percent; UNIX servers are using 25–30
percent. Instead of purchasing more servers, new virtual machines can be created on existing

7 Friess, B. (January–March 2009). Coping with Growing Demand and a Shrinking IT Budget? SAP Insider, 3–5, Print.
8 Vu, D. (January–March 2009). Want Higher ROI and Increased Agility from Your SAP Infrastructure? SAP Insider, 15,
Print.
9 Reisbeck, C. (January–March 2009). Open Up New Possibilities for Your SAP Landscape. SAP Insider, 9, Print.