How Arthrex Rebuilt SAP GTS Automation for RISE with SAP

Arthrex needed more than three months to get its first critical job chain running as it moved SAP Global Trade Services into RISE with SAP.

The process appeared straightforward: retrieve sanctioned-party screening data from an external provider, prepare and archive the file, and load it into SAP GTS. The migration revealed how much of that workflow operated outside the SAP background job itself.

The medical-device manufacturer uses the data to screen customers and other parties before sales orders and shipments proceed. A single agent had previously handled the sequence, but the move to RISE required Arthrex to redesign how the work crossed the company’s Microsoft Azure environment and SAP’s managed cloud.

Arthrex ultimately divided the workflow across Azure, RunMyJobs, and an SAP Enterprise Cloud Services Secure Gateway. RunMyJobs coordinated the customer- and SAP-managed portions of the process, while Redwood Software helped Arthrex navigate the available ECS services and connection requirements.

Arthrex discussed the project during an on-demand webinar, “Demystifying Job Scheduling for RISE with SAP: Insights from Arthrex”, sponsored by Redwood, which provides the RunMyJobs platform used in the implementation.

RISE with SAP Changed the Boundary of Automation

Arthrex uses RunMyJobs across its SAP landscape, executing approximately 600,000 to 700,000 jobs each month. About 550,000 of those executions involve file transfers, while other complex chains support supply chain processes.

The company selected SAP GTS as its first system to move into RISE with SAP because it was business-critical and less complex than a full migration from SAP ECC to S/4HANA. Its sanctioned-party-list screening process offered an early test of how existing automation would operate when SAP managed the underlying cloud environment.

Arthrex purchased SAP’s standalone Secure Gateway service because the Platform Agent was not available when the project began. The gateway could start traditional SAP background jobs, but the screening process also depended on retrieving, preparing, and archiving data before the GTS load could begin.

“The most significant restriction we found with the standalone secure gateway is that it can execute only traditional SAP jobs associated with SM36 and SM37,” said Holger Piprek, senior manager for SAP Basis at Arthrex.

Those jobs represented only the final part of the chain. Arthrex therefore used RunMyJobs to handle the file retrieval, preparation, and archival work in Azure before calling the Secure Gateway to start the SAP GTS load in RISE.

RunMyJobs Coordinated Work Across Azure and RISE

Because the Secure Gateway could handle only the SAP portion of the process, Arthrex kept the file preparation work in Microsoft Azure. The company set up a virtual machine with a Common Internet File System (CIFS) share and a RunMyJobs agent to retrieve and prepare the screening data.

SAP GTS in RISE could then access the completed file from that shared location.

Each night, RunMyJobs triggers the Azure-based agent to retrieve the latest screening data, prepare the file, and archive earlier versions. It then calls the Secure Gateway, which starts the SAP job that loads the data into GTS. RunMyJobs coordinates the handoff between the customer-managed work in Azure and the SAP-managed environment in RISE.

“This is not like flying to the moon, but the devil is definitely in the details,” Piprek said. The business process had not changed, but the move to RISE divided work that one agent had previously handled across separate environments.

Arthrex managed the Azure environment, file preparation, and complete workflow. SAP Enterprise Cloud Services installed and monitored the Secure Gateway, while Redwood provided RunMyJobs and helped the teams navigate the connection requirements.

Arthrex also chose to route RISE traffic through its own network for inspection, adding firewall work specific to its security model. Under a standard RISE configuration, SAP would manage the outbound connection to the RunMyJobs cloud.

The GTS Migration Gave Arthrex a Model for SAP S/4HANA

The three-month project gave Arthrex a working SAP GTS job chain, a reusable architecture, and the experience needed to navigate SAP services and responsibilities for future RISE migrations.

Some options changed while the project was underway.

Arthrex initially planned to use a Network File System (NFS) share, but SAP did not support it at the time, so the team redesigned the interface around CIFS. SAP later introduced the Platform Agent, which allows Enterprise Cloud Services to install and monitor a RunMyJobs agent directly in RISE, after Arthrex had already selected the Secure Gateway. Redwood helped the company understand how the available ECS services fit its requirements.

Arthrex initially planned to use a Network File System (NFS) share, but SAP did not support it at the time, so the team redesigned the interface around CIFS. SAP introduced the Platform Agent later, giving customers another option for running a RunMyJobs agent directly in the RISE environment. Redwood helped Arthrex understand how the available ECS services fit its requirements.

Support involved Arthrex, SAP Enterprise Cloud Services, and Redwood.

Piprek said SAP’s role covered installation but not the full workflow: “SAP will help install the gateway or agent, but after that the customer must make the overall solution work.”

After opening incidents with SAP Enterprise Cloud Services, Arthrex worked with Redwood to assess the issues and relay technical guidance back to SAP. Piprek said Redwood was instrumental in helping the company accelerate troubleshooting.

The resulting architecture provides a foundation for future work in RISE with SAP.

SAP GRC is expected to be one of Arthrex’s next migrations, followed eventually by SAP S/4HANA. The GTS project gives the company a tested approach for dividing file-based automation across Azure, RunMyJobs, and SAP-managed services.

What This Means for SAPinsiders

• Managed cloud changes the automation boundary. RISE did not eliminate Arthrex’s process; it redistributed execution across customer- and SAP-managed environments. That makes dependency mapping as important as migrating the SAP job itself.
• Specialized partners reduce managed-cloud friction. Redwood’s knowledge of SAP ECS services helped Arthrex connect product capabilities to the realities of RISE. That expertise can shorten future design cycles and make service decisions more deliberate.
• Support design shapes operational resilience. When responsibility spans SAP, Redwood, and the customer, troubleshooting depends on shared context and clear escalation paths. Support design therefore becomes part of operational resilience, not an afterthought.