Ensuring SAP’s Stability in the Cloud Age with RTS – Part 1

Securing SAP systems can be complex since they are nearly always online and connected to most other parts of the enterprise. They can also have specific security needs and patching requirements. In fact, SAPinsider research lists unpatched systems as the top cybersecurity threat for SAP systems.

For SAP customers that utilize hyperscalers like AWS for their SAP platforms, companies like Resolve Tech Solutions (RTS) provide services like bug fixes and production patches to help them resolve this issue. In the first of this two-part interview with SAPinsider, Anup Sinha, Chief Delivery Officer at RTS, discusses the company’s process for product patching and how it enhances SAP’s scalability for end users in a rapidly changing technological landscape.

A Structured Approach to Bug Fixes

According to Sinha, the company follows a structured process for providing bug fixes in SAP production environments to minimize business disruptions. Resolve Tech Solutions has been able to take downtime from not only from hours to minutes to seconds but in most cases eliminate downtime completely.  The process includes:

• Identifying root causes using SAP tools
• Assessing issue severity
• Prioritizing the issue based on the service-level agreements (SLAs)

Sinha adds, “We keep stakeholders informed and notify users of any potential downtime. Fixes are first applied and tested in development and QA systems, with thorough regression testing to avoid unintended consequences.”

Transport requests are created, approved, and deployed during maintenance windows, ensuring backups and recovery plans are in place. Post-deployment, system monitoring tools track performance, and user feedback is collected. “Documentation of the issue, resolution steps, and continuous improvement measures are then implemented to prevent future occurrences and ensure ongoing system stability,” Sinha explains.

The Challenge of Production Patching

Then, there’s production patching, a process that involves applying updates or fixes to SAP systems to address security vulnerabilities, resolve bugs, enhance performance, or implement new features while minimizing business disruption. This complicated process involves identifying required patches, testing in non-production environments, obtaining approvals, backing up systems, deploying patches, and validating post-patching performance.

“Production patching involves challenges like balancing downtime, managing compatibility with customizations, and ensuring sufficient testing without delaying updates,” Sinha says, highlighting RTS’ automation framework that efficiently patches multiple customers and environments weekly. The framework includes backup operations, status checks, and seamless application management.

According to Sinha, this solution supports various databases like SAP HANA, Oracle, SQL Server, Sybase, and MAX-DB, as well as operating systems, ensuring minimal disruption and consistent, secure updates across diverse environments. “The automated process helps maintain system stability while reducing risks to business operations,” he notes. He illustrates RTS’ production patching process, emphasizing the company’s 24/7 approach to it with an example of a typical SAP patching process followed by RTS. Sinha says that the company essentially works on three key pillars to prepare scripts for the client’s system:

• When: Includes the exact day, week, or month for the patch.
• What: Which machines and ENVs will get the patch
• Who: This includes the owners and scope of the patch.

These scripts are then worked into an assignment sheet for the client’s system, detailing the patch calendar, asset list exceptions, assignments, and process. Post-patching, the Assignment sheet creates a post-patching report for the client.

What This Means for SAP Insiders

Automation enhances efficiency and reduces risks in patching. An automation framework for production patching streamlines applying updates, managing compatibility, and ensuring sufficient testing. This framework supports various databases and operating systems, enabling consistent and secure updates across diverse environments while minimizing downtime and operational risks. Automation also facilitates 24/7 monitoring and post-patching validation, ensuring system performance and stability.

Business processes and security are critical for stable SAP operations. SAPinsider’s 2024 CIO Report Card indicates that more than half the CIOs surveyed plan to use SAP solutions for core ERP, new cloud solutions, and innovation. However, business process risks and security have been among the top five risks to transformation success for SAP users for two successive years. Thus, prioritizing robust security measures and addressing process-related vulnerabilities to ensure successful SAP implementations and upgrades is critical for businesses.

A structured approach minimizes disruptions: Companies like RTS employ a structured approach that ensures minimal business disruption, maintains system stability, and prevents future issues through continuous improvement and documentation.