IT operating concept for SAP R/3
exemplary at the Global One
Local Business Unit ATLAS Germany
As part of a post-merger integration, ATLAS Deutschland is to be affiliated with the Global One units worldwide and the products and solutions offered in Germany, as well as the underlying business processes (end-to-end) and IT systems, i.e. corporate applications, are to be harmonized to enable “seamless services”.
Introductory remarks
The present IT operational concept is a component of the OPUS project, i.e. Operational Prototyped User System, such as the quality assurance concept (QA). It completes the OPUS solution approach as a decision-making aid for the management of ATLAS.
The OPUS project also provides an implementation proposal for the ERP software system SAP R/3. The business concept defines the business requirements of the ATLAS business processes and defines what is to be mapped in SAP R/3.
Within the framework of the OPUS project, the suitability of the business management software SAP R/3 is explicitly examined, but with appropriate modifications this IT operational concept can also be applied to other business management software systems (e.g. Oracle Financials).
Baseline situation
ATLAS Germany is the German representative Local Business Unit (LBU) of Global One S.A. and concentrates on its core business, i.e. telecommunications services in an international environment. For this purpose, it requires integrated and group-wide IT-supported information processing, a corresponding IT infrastructure, and full support across all business specialist areas. There is currently no company-wide corporate IT solution for ATLAS Germany. Currently the daily business is processed on the basis of Microsoft-Office (i.e. MS-Excel) tools.
Due to a lack of resources, the realization of an own IT support can only be realized by outsourcing to external partners. In addition to the development of a long-term IT strategy, the basis for this is the present IT operating concept based on SAP R/3.
Objective
Objective of the present IT operational concept:
- IT-Management “Know-How” of ATLAS
- Guidelines for a later R/3 Implementation
- Investment protection for company management
Furthermore, the introduction concept for live operation regulates the following points in detail:
- Hardware & Software installations (e.g. SAPGUI)
- Detailed capacity planning (number of users per SAP module and location
- Training concept (business specialist areas)
- Data migration of legacy systems (e.g. SAP R/2, PAISY)
- Simulate test scenarios and preparing Data Backup
- Interfaces to shareholders & partners , i.e. Deutsche Telekom AG, Global One S.A.
- Disaster recovery (Continuity Service) and simulation of such a system
IT operating concept
This document uses the example of the Global One Local Business Unit ATLAS Germany to illustrate an IT operating concept for the ERP software system SAP R/3. The document is divided into the following chapters:
In the introduction, formal points such as document structure and document management are dealt with and the initial situation of ATLAS Germany as a Global One Business Unit (hereinafter also referred to as LBU for simplicity’s sake) is presented.
The objective of this document is to compile and consolidate at an early stage all the data processing information required by the technical side with regard to a later introduction of SAP. It deals with the entry into force and the scope of validity of the IT operating concept and in particular with the underlying conditions in the Deutsche Telekom AG Group environment and the subsidiary T-Data GmbH, as well as the Global One organization. The further procedure with regard to the IT operating concept is mentioned.
In the second chapter, the technical requirements that are relevant to the IT operating concept and that are already known are compiled and recorded. The technical details and the implementation in SAP R/3 are to be dealt with in a corresponding technical concept still to be developed. At the time of writing, only a provisional quantity structure, e.g. number of users per SAP module and location, and only an estimated WAN traffic volume could be assumed. Various business scenarios should provide information about future software requirements and trends and indicate a possible migration path.
The implementation concept for live operation, which is based on the present IT operating concept, regulates the necessary measures (e.g. training concept, data migration, test scenarios, etc.) for the start of productive live operation for ATLAS in the appropriate level of detail.
Chapter 3 deals with the prototype development OPUS. This prototype forms the basis for the subsequent SAP R/3 implementation and the technical concept to be developed. Finally, the environment of the test and development system and the selection of the software tools and the hardware environment are briefly discussed.
Chapter 4 defines the system requirements for ATLAS. The current situation of data processing technology in the individual ATLAS locations is discussed and the existing WAN topology, LAN structure with frontend computers and software components are described. The SAP R/3-specific system requirements are recorded.
Chapter 5 deals with various possible WAN network concepts for operating SAP R/3 in ATLAS. In addition to the current situation inside Telekom (HITNET), a Corporate Network and a Telekom Defined Network (TDN) solution are discussed. In addition, the possibility of an Internet/Intranet deployment is discussed, which will become more and more important in future system environments. In particular, the future requirements of enterprise-wide (i.e. corporate) software solutions, which are not to be seen in the SAP environment, must be considered at an early stage in the network design. In addition to the existing mail system, Software solutions such as groupware (e.g. Lotus Notes or MS-Exchange), management and executive information systems or data warehouse solutions and workflow management systems should be mentioned here.
Chapter 6 deals with the organization required to start SAP R/3 operation. The tasks of the LBU-internal IT management are highlighted and the possibilities of an internal IT organization or an external IT organization are shown. These organizational institutions form the interface to the data center operator with its data center contact persons.
Chapter 7 specifies the ATLAS requirements for the data center operator DeTeCSM GmbH and deals with the SAP R/3 system requirements and the various management concepts for system, security, network, facility, application, backup, problem, fallback, change, etc. necessary for live operation.
Finally, in Chapter 8, various cost statements and price estimates for internal system requirements, WAN network operation, etc. are compiled. In the appendix, reference is made to other IT documentation and further information is given in the list of sources.
Global One
Testimonials
Dr. Klaus Weiser | DeTeCSM GmbH, Magdeburg (heute: T-Systems International GmbH)