Ugh, not another SAP “Intelligent Enterprise” Blog post! It’s not, this one features HPE!

This interview, in my series on Global Technology Partners, is focused on Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).

As you’ve seen in the first three posts, on Dell, Virtustream, and Cisco I pose the same questions to each partner. This provides you with a view into the 360 relationship we share as customers, suppliers, co-innovators, and go-to-market partners.

1. What is your elevator pitch … introduce your company, please

In an 80+ year tradition that began in David Packard’s famous garage, Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s hallmark remains “innovation,” But given today’s rapid evolution of technology and business realities, we felt we needed to go further, taking an extra step with an approach and a vision that would deliver innovation quickly to exactly where it needed to go and make sure it accomplished exactly what it was supposed to do.

So as soon as we spun off as HPE in 2015, we added “action” to “innovation.” This has allowed us to look ahead to determine where business and technology were going and develop solutions from the edge to the cloud that would help enterprises adopt those solutions fast.

“Action” to “innovation” continue to help us anticipate the future. That’s why Antonio Neri, our President and CEO, has committed HPE to offering its entire solutions portfolio on an “as-a-service” basis by 2022.

So change for the sake of change? Nope. That’s not us. Change for the better now and tomorrow? Definitely us.

2. Please discuss your experience drinking SAP “champagne”

We began sipping years ago and loved it. That’s why we selected SAP to run the entire HPE enterprise.

However, times change … and these days, time AND technology change at a dizzying pace. That’s why we made transforming our organization into “HPE Next” one of our most important goals from the moment we became HPE. A critical part of that transformation has involved moving our expansive SAP landscapes to S/4HANA in what we call the HPE Next Generation IT (NGIT) project. The entire process has been successful and transformative. Throughout the move and upon completion, NGIT will make an essential contribution to the formation of HPE Next into a more agile and streamlined organization that is better able to respond quickly to rapidly evolving customer needs.

It is also important to note HPE gladly shares the best practices we have learned with customers undergoing a similar transformation. We are taking the NGIT best practice to our customers.

3. How do you prioritize certified solutions for the SAP ecosystem?

We first look at the “what”: what IT solutions do today’s customers need to achieve their business goals more quickly, securely, and confidently? We then make sure that each element of the “what” is included in the certified solutions for the SAP ecosystem. This encompasses:

• HPE Compute such as HPE Superdome Flex, HPE ProLiant, HPE Synergy and HPE Apollo
• HPE ConvergedSystem portfolio based of HPE SimpliVity
• HPE Storage Solutions – HPE Nimble, HPE 3PAR with the new HPE Primera
• HPE Intelligent Edge – HPE Edgeline and Aruba

Then, we look at the “how”: what options can we offer that will make it easier for customers to acquire the solutions they need? One major contribution we make is this area is HPE GreenLake, an acquisition and consumption model that lets customers purchase solutions using OPEX funds, plus acquire the compute and storage capacity they need while paying for only what they consume.

HPE also makes available the expertise customers need to successfully plan, design, implement and manage their SAP deployments with our Pointnext Advisory & Professional Services. Learn more about the HPE | SAP Alliance.

4. Who cares? I mean really – why should customers care about our partnership

When they work with us, customers get solutions that have been co-innovated, jointly tested, and proven to deliver the results they want and need. Moreover they deliver desired outcomes – imagine that – in transformation projects from the edge to the cloud.

HPE also provides a choice of acquisition models: consumption with HPE GreenLake and up-front purchase. Our consumption model delivers flexibility and faster access to advanced HPE – SAP solutions, among its many benefits.

Customers who have tried the consumption approach fully understand why it is so much more desirable. And that’s something they really care about.

5. As a trusted partner, when should SAP customers consider contacting you?

As soon as they know they want to embark on a journey of digital transformation. This allows HPE and SAP to work together from the start to plan, design, and implement the set of solutions that’s ideal for the customer. For example, using HPE’s Right Mix approach and Hybrid Cloud Optimization Advisory, we can quickly determine the best hybrid cloud approach and identify which workloads belong where.

As I noted earlier, we can also help customers define the best way for them to acquire the technology for their solution, especially using the HPE GreenLake consumption approach/model.

Finally, contacting us early allows us to identify other ecosystems partners who can bring important capabilities to the solution.

6. Please discuss how SAP drinks your “champagne”

Because of our long relationship and the fact that 46% of SAP licenses run on HPE systems, I think we can assume that SAP drinks our champagne with confidence and a great deal of enjoyment. This is especially true today with the move to S/4HANA that so many of our joint customers need to undertake. HPE can provide everything from hardware to operating systems to expert services to innovative consumption models in support of the migration.

With our “from the edge to the cloud” approach, we can help customers implement a hybrid cloud that allows them to enjoy the best of the two worlds – public cloud and on prem. Finally, HPE has strong partnerships with leading systems integrators and ISVs who can add significant value to the solution.

To summarize, our champagne delivers a true “kick” – a complete, end-to-end solution from the edge to the cloud. Another glass, anyone?

7. As an SAP ecosystem ally, how do you educate SAP customers on our joint potential to digitize and transform their business?

After 30 years of partnering with SAP, this has become a definite no-brainer. Our account professionals can typically identify joint HPE-SAP opportunities almost immediately and move to bring the appropriate joint solution to the customer’s attention. We make sure they know that we can provide them with SAP expertise and best practices through our technology, our unique HPE GreenLake as-a-service offerings, and our expert Advisory and Professional Services focus

We consistently spotlight the fact that we have over 9,500 SAP solution experts managing more than 2,000 data centers for SAP customers, and actively (and enthusiastically) participate in major SAP conferences.

Whatever it takes to get the message out, we do it.