Scaling EIC with Red Hat’s OpenShift Advantage

SAP Integration Suite’s Edge Integration Cell (EIC) has emerged as the essential sovereign bridge for organizations needing to link on-premise sensitive data with the innovation of the SAP cloud. However, the business value of a hybrid model is only as strong as its underlying foundation.

In the final part of this series we explore why the focus is now shifting from deploying a cell to choosing an engine that can run it with enterprise-grade consistency across any environment. This is where the long-established partnership between SAP and Red Hat becomes mission-critical. Through joint engineering, the two giants have optimized the EIC to run on Red Hat OpenShift, creating a platform that extends cloud-native investments.

Consistency is the New Scalability

Fragmentation—using different tools for on-premise versus cloud operations—is the biggest challenge in hybrid cloud. However, running EIC on OpenShift eliminates this. It provides a trusted and consistent hybrid platform that supports the EIC whether it is deployed in a local data center or a public cloud environment. For teams already using OpenShift, this means adding SAP integration capabilities without adding a single layer of unnecessary IT complexity.

A Solutions Brief by Red Hat indicates that since OpenShift is built on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), it brings a hardened security foundation to the integration layer. This includes a trusted software supply chain and built-in security features that are vital when handling the sensitive workloads that necessitated a hybrid approach in the first place. For those looking for a hands-off experience, SAP also supports managed instances like Microsoft Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO).

The Strategic Shift for PI/PO Veterans

For veterans of SAP PI/PO, the SAP-Red Hat collaboration indicates a fundamental shift in how ground-to-ground integration is handled. By moving to an OpenShift-powered EIC, organizations aren’t just replacing a legacy server, but are moving to a container-based, scalable architecture that can run multiple integration cells simultaneously. This flexibility provides the rock-solid platform required to make the vision of the intelligent manufacturing thread a reality.

What This Means for SAPinsiders

Achieve architectural consistency across delivery environments. Standardizing the integration layer on Red Hat OpenShift across on-premise and cloud models reduces operational silos and simplifies management.

Secure the integration layer with a hardened supply chain. Running EIC on OpenShift provides a hardened environment with a trusted software supply chain, which is essential for protecting sensitive workloads at the edge.

Future-proof the hybrid strategy with managed service options. Organizations can balance control and reduced IT overhead by choosing between self-managed OpenShift or managed instances like Azure Red Hat OpenShift.