Agora Strengthens IT Security and Streamlines Operations with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

⇨ The expansion of digital infrastructure makes businesses more vulnerable to different forms of cyber-attacks such as phishing, theft of identity, malware and ransomware attacks.

⇨ SAP databases running on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) are not compromised, even when a ransomware attack happens.

⇨ Spain's oldest independent brewery achieved greater security and simplified their IT landscape by migrating SAP application servers to SLES, reducing business risk and cutting system maintenance costs.

With the expansion of digital infrastructure, the potential entry points for cyber threat actors are increasing. This makes businesses more vulnerable to different forms of cyber-attacks such as phishing, theft of identity, malware and ransomware attacks. These attacks are often targeted towards unpatched systems, outdated software, or unsecured networks, leading to major disruptions in business operations, data breaches, and losses. Ransomware, in particular, has emerged as a widespread threat. To counter these threats, companies must deploy robust cybersecurity strategies, such as data encryption, multi-factor authentication, and regular software updates.

Agora, Spain’s oldest independent brewery has a 160-year heritage as a family-owned business and generates over 198 million euros in revenue each year. The company has various product and service lines including beers, mineral waters, sodas, food, and beverage distribution services. Agora uses SAP solutions to manage their diverse business operations.

With the increasing scale of operations, they added multiple supporting IT systems, resulting in a complex network of SAP applications and databases on a combination of Windows and Linux operating systems and operated five different system platforms, running SAP ERP applications and SAP Business Warehouse. This complex infrastructure became costly to maintain and posed significant business risks, leaving the company’s confidential data and IT systems vulnerable.

In this scenario, Agora’s key application servers were disabled by a ransomware attack in 2019. The recovery process made the team realize the challenges posed by IT system complexity. Agora not only took immediate action to address the attack but also used it as an opportunity to reconsider their long-term IT strategy. During the ransomware attack, it was noted that SAP databases running on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) were not compromised, unlike applications and data on other platforms. This helped Agora realize that migrating their SAP application servers to SLES would provide greater protection and simplify their IT landscape, reducing business risk and cutting system maintenance costs. Agora adopted SUSE Manager as the strategic platform for their entire SAP landscape.

Starting with moving the SAP HANA database the company planned to migrate to the latest SAP S/4HANA solutions in the long run. The challenge was to migrate the SAP ERP applications, including production, finance, and sales, within a tight deadline of only a few weeks. By collaborating with SUSE-certified partner PROSOL, they successfully completed the transition to SLES for SAP Applications in three weeks.

During this period, they deployed 13 new subscriptions and three new SAP HANA databases, while enabling the company to return to full production within a very short span of time. SUSE also provided finance options to help Agora get back on track, letting them pay for the new solution only when revenues returned to normal. After adopting SLES, the company successfully detected and defended against another hacking attempt.

With the SUSE landscape in place, Agora is now pursuing a strategy of containerization to further enhance security, facilitate cloud migration, and increase operational efficiency. Containerization packages software applications and their dependencies into standardized, lightweight containers. These containers can run consistently across different computing environments, such as on-premises servers, cloud platforms, or hybrid systems. By using containerization, the risk of vulnerabilities spreading can be reduced.

SLES  has created an integrated and consolidated operating environment for both SAP systems and general office solutions at Agora. The company has gained greater reputation for sophisticated IT systems and is now better positioned to serve its customers and meet their needs quickly.

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