Johannesburg, 02 Aug 2017
Taking another notable leap into technology disruption, South Africa has seen its first successful SAP on Azure deployment thanks to cloud providers Mint Management Technologies and ISSC, highlighting the platform's stability, flexibility and security.
The deployment was initiated for physical asset management provider, Collaborit EAM Solutions, which notes it believes Azure is a stronger technology platform than Amazon Web Services (AWS) when comparing additional services and cutting-edge technologies such as IOT, big data and AI.
Microsoft's local presence, coupled with its commitment to delivering the complete, intelligent Microsoft Cloud from data centres located in South Africa, also aided the company's decision to move to Azure, Collaborit Group CEO Jannie Potgieter explains.
"Hosting SAP on Azure platform is a perfect fit from a cost and flexibility perspective and we are very excited about the migration."
Mint Business Development Executive, Francois Pienaar, explains that "by merging Collaborit onto the Azure platform, Mint and ISSC is enabling them to achieve better business by exposing the organisation's development ecosystem to the larger Microsoft intelligent cloud. This will result in flexibility, cost savings and superior performance compared to what the organisation's private cloud hosting provider could provide, he explains, adding that Mint will continue to engage with Collaborit around its Office 365 deployment and other virtual machines that are still being hosted in the private cloud.
He adds that, due to the benefits and continuous innovation provided by the Azure platform, Mint expects many more SAP deployments on Azure to follow suit.
Setting technology trends
Mint Smarter Systems Executive, Marius Burger, explains the absence of SAP deployments on Azure in the local market owes to a hesitancy from South Africans to host their data offshore and the complexity of moving the SAP family of systems. However, increased collaboration between SAP and Microsoft have enabled easier adoption and the opportunity for organisations to reap the full benefits of the cloud when it comes to enterprise resource planning. That, together with Mint and ISSC's focus on cloud, digital transformation and agility, enabled the realisation of the successful SAP on Azure deployment.
"By undertaking the first deployment of its kind in the South African market, both ISSC and Mint have reinforced their positions as the forerunners of technology innovation," states ISSC CIO Emil Henrico. "There is a huge digital transformation drive in the technology industry and the reluctance to move SAP to Azure has now been demystified, highlighting the innovative benefits that this platform offers and leaving the playing field open for further revolution," he reiterates.
"This achievement has enabled Mint and ISSC to form a strong relationship with Microsoft and to continue driving leading-edge technology. We don't follow trends, we set them," Henrico concludes.
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