Are you more comfortable with using a Google-based cloud interface for your enterprise?
Having a cost-effective and reliable cloud-based infrastructure like Google Cloud Platform (GCP) for hosting ERP platforms like SAP S/4 HANA is preferred by many.
Google products are known for its flexibility, user-friendliness, security, and cost-effectiveness. All these factors make GCP a highly desirable platform for meeting the storage and deployment needs of SAP S/4 HANA. If you’re a business organization moving to a digital platform for business management for the first time, GCP will be the most reliable tool to help accomplish such tasks seamlessly.
Considering the same factors, Google has made provisions to allow SAP S/4 HANA deployment. In this article, we will be getting an idea of the features and how GCP can benefit SAP S/4 HANA.
What makes GCP More Compatible than other deployment Platforms for SAP S/4 HANA:
Many reasons make GCP one of the most desirable platforms for hosting business management platforms like SAP S/4 HANA for enterprises. Following are some of the major points that influence this choice:
- Performance – High flexibility coupled with high reliability and security makes GCP one of the most favored business hosting platforms.
- Value – GCP is a low-cost, user-friendly infrastructure that provides complete value for its cost making it one of the most affordable deployment platforms.
- Security – Regular backups and storage at multiple locations allow the data to be retrieved easily, even if lost from the enterprise’s end.
- High availability – The ability of GCP to continue working even if some components fail allows the company to decommission components when necessary without stopping the operation.
- Live migration – This is a unique feature compared to other cloud platforms, as it allows migration processes without any disruption.
- Smart features – These built-in features analyses collected data use smart embedded technologies like AI and ML.
Storage systems for SAP S/4 HANA:
Data storage types that are offered by GCP for SAP S/4 HANA –
- Standard persistent disk – Affordable storage option for a large amount of data
- SSD persistent disk – Highly reliable with low latency operations
- Local SSD – Local block storage option
- Cloud storage buckets – For storing affordable objects
The persistent disks are highly durable and are used to maintain data in an ordered format. Each disk has a memory of 64 TB which means large business-related data can be stored in these disks. These disks are also highly secure as it has the inherent feature of storing data in an encrypted format.
On the first deployment of the SAP S/4 HANA, the GCP allows a persistent disk containing the operating system. Upon further requirement, new disks and memory spaces can be added.
SAP S/4 HANA deployment models:
- Centralized deployment – In this system, the SAP S/4 HANA platform and the SAP HANA database can both be installed in the same instance. This approach is used for developmental or non-production-based environments. These are appropriate for applications that require less computing power.
- Distributed deployment – This deployment feature allows the enterprise to download different components in different instances. This is ideal for tasks that require a lot of computational power, like production-based environments.
Data Backup and Recovery:
Equipped with auto-backup features, GCP is one of the most secure platforms for working with sensitive details. Regular backups protect against crashes, data deletion, and other losses. The different ways available for uploading data onto the GCP are as follows,
- Directly backing up to the Cloud Storage using the Backing agent for SAP S/4 HANA.
- First, back up all the data to a persistent disk and then upload it to the cloud storage.
- Using the compute engine snapshot feature to backup the directory by taking a snapshot of the entire disk.
But after backing up all data to the cloud, there are sophisticated data recovery tools that can be used to retrieve previously stored data if they are lost somehow. These tools can be used to make a copy of the database in a new system. But unlike the backup process, the system cannot be operational in the recovery process. Some popularly used recovery options are:
- Restore the entire database till the most recent log; this is to be used if all the data is lost or has to be transferred to another platform
- Restore to a particular point in time, used to make up for partially lost data
- Restore to a specified full backup
Conclusion:
Google Cloud Platform is a very affordable and powerful platform for all enterprises who are willing to use SAP S/4 HANA for business purposes. In addition, there are a lot of data security features available with an inbuilt encryption facility for persistent disks. GCP is packed with all the features, and its high value for money makes it one of the leading cloud storage platform choices for major enterprises.
