SUSE Delivers Kubernetes Management Platform Designed for SAP Hybrid Environments
Meet the Authors
Key Takeaways
⇨ SUSE Rancher for SAP Applications is a Kubernetes-based platform designed for seamless hybrid integration between on-premises systems and cloud-based SAP services, providing a strategic modernization path as SAP retires its Process Integration/Process Orchestration platform by 2027.
⇨ The platform emphasizes robust security features, including AI-driven activity monitoring and zero-trust principles, while offering pre-tested templates and tools to streamline SAP deployments, thereby enhancing governance and reducing rollout timelines.
⇨ SUSE differentiates itself in the hybrid cloud market through its multi-cloud support and close alignment with SAP, positioning organizations for faster project deployments and improved agility, especially as 70% of SAP applications run on Linux, predominantly on SUSE infrastructure.
SUSE has released SUSE Rancher for SAP applications, a Kubernetes-based platform tailored to support hybrid SAP environments. Developed in partnership with SAP, the solution helps enterprises manage and secure integration between on-premises systems and cloud-based SAP services. It arrives as SAP prepares to retire its Process Integration/Process Orchestration (PI/PO) platform in 2027, replacing it with the cloud-native SAP Integration Suite and its Edge Integration Cell runtime.
What’s New
The Edge Integration Cell requires a container-based infrastructure to bridge local applications with SAP cloud services. SUSE Rancher for SAP Applications is built to support this model, offering centralized management across multi-cloud, edge, and on-prem environments. The platform works with SUSE’s RKE2 engine—a conformant Kubernetes distribution—and other Kubernetes distributions, giving customers flexibility and avoiding vendor lock-in.
SUSE Rancher for SAP Applications helps protect your SAP environments with built-in security features from SUSE Security. It includes tools to spot unusual activity with AI, follow zero-trust security principles, and verify software components to reduce risk. SAP users also get ready-to-use tools like Helm charts and container images tailored for SAP, all designed to work smoothly with SUSE Linux for SAP, making deployment more reliable and easier to manage.
Explore related questions
To make setup even faster, SUSE Rancher offers an Application Collection—a set of pre-tested templates and tools designed specifically for SAP. These resources help IT teams avoid common mistakes, apply consistent security settings, and speed up the rollout of SAP systems on Kubernetes. It also includes centralized controls to help manage changes and track updates across different systems, improving visibility and governance.
What sets SUSE Rancher apart is its deep interoperability with both SAP-specific components and heterogeneous infrastructure. Whether organizations are managing legacy VMs, cloud-native microservices, or AI workloads at the edge, SUSE Rancher aims to deliver a unified interface to orchestrate all resources seamlessly. With native support for multi-cloud capabilities, and the ability to manage multiple Kubernetes clusters from a single control plane, SUSE Rancher helps to reduce the learning curve and may enable faster onboarding for SAP Basis and IT operations teams alike.
What This Means for SAPinsiders
Hybrid Kubernetes may become SAP’s integration backbone by 2027. SUSE Rancher for SAP Applications provides a strategic modernization path for enterprises needing to retain on-premises infrastructure while embracing SAP’s cloud-first integration model. With SAP’s PI/PO platform set to sunset in 2027, technology leaders must reassess their architecture, and SUSE’s hybrid Kubernetes platform offers a realistic migration route—especially for industries bound by regulatory or latency constraints.
Hybrid SAP deployments are shifting towards secure container orchestration. Successful integration of SAP’s Edge Integration Cell using SUSE Rancher for SAP Applications begins with a comprehensive audit of existing environments to identify local workloads. Aligning early on network and security configurations—leveraging SUSE’s built-in zero-trust container security—is an option for organizations to reduce compliance complexity, improve ease of use, and accelerate rollout timelines.
Open-source platforms gaining edge in SAP hybrid cloud market. According to SUSE, 70% of SAP applications run on Linux and 85% of SAP HANA systems are running on SUSE infrastructure. Competing with Red Hat OpenShift and VMware Tanzu, SUSE differentiates through open-source flexibility and native SAP alignment. SUSE says that early adopters in manufacturing and financial services report up to 40% faster project deployments, potentially giving SAPinsiders a tangible advantage in agility and cloud-readiness.
