SAP partner builds up cloud practice
If your company relies heavily on SAP solutions but is thinking about moving some of it into the cloud for more flexibility or to cut infrastructure management costs, the cloud services division of integrator Wharfedale Technologies is worth investigation.
Founded in 2000 and based in Lawrenceville, N.J., Wharfedale specializes in SAP applications for both enterprise accounts and midsize companies -- it has been a partner since 2007 and was one of the first SAP partners to move its technology into fully virtualized SAP environments. Some of the clients it lists on its Web site include Blue Cross Blue Shield, Callaway Golf, Chico's and Columbia Sportswear, although these aren't necessarily the companies using Wharfedale's cloud services.
The integrator launched its specialized cloud services portfolio in 2011, focusing on operational management of SAP applications being hosted in cloud environments, which makes sense given its background. It has two main offerings: Enterprise Cloud for complex environments and large deployments; and Express Cloud for smaller companies that are seeking to establish proof-of-concept or sandbox environments where they can test cloud applications.
So far, Wharfedale -- which is SAP Certified in both Cloud and Hosting Services -- has completed more than 12 enterprise migrations into its private cloud infrastructure, which it calls WFT Cloud.
Typically, the environment resides within the customer's own data center, but it is elastic enough to handle requests for additional capacity on demand. The WFT Cloud approach supports all SAP applications, including HANA. Wharfedale's other partners for this offering include the vendors involved with the VCE converged infrastructure approach: Cisco, EMC and VMware. It is also aligned with Terremark and Xtium.
Wharfedale touts costs savings as the big reason for its customers to think cloud: it estimates that it can help larger clients save between 30 percent to 40 percent on their SAP applications by moving them into a cloud environment that is managed on premises. The company also offers a "cloud aggregation solution" that enables businesses to use multiple cloud infrastructure services to host their various SAP applications.