Transforming SAP observability: The Elastic-Kyndryl partnership

Across industries and geographies, businesses rely heavily on Systems Applications and Products (SAP) systems. These powerful and versatile systems streamline operations and manage critical data spanning areas like finance, human resources, and supply chain. However, the real-time monitoring of these systems, with an in-depth understanding of performance metrics and quick anomaly detection, is paramount for smooth operations and business continuity. It's here that our unique offering steps in.

This blog post will take you on a journey through the joint solution crafted by Elastic® and Kyndryl that offers comprehensive SAP observability. We'll discuss how this offering brings business and operational value to enterprises running SAP systems.

The necessity of SAP observability

Understanding the importance of SAP observability requires a step back to look at the bigger picture. SAP systems are not just another cog in the corporate wheel. They are the backbone of the business, managing crucial functions that keep it running smoothly. The volume of data these systems handle is colossal, and any disruption or performance degradation can cause trouble across the entire organization, resulting in operational disruption, lost productivity, and even compromised customer experiences.

Therefore, real-time observability of these systems isn't just a good-to-have feature; it's an operational necessity. It's an insurance against system failures, a beacon that keeps business processes illuminated, and a guardian that ensures business continuity.

The Elastic-Kyndryl difference

SAP observability has traditionally posed significant challenges. Extracting data in real time was problematic: challenges such as data volume, data security, data consistency and integrity, integration with monitoring tools, network latency, version and release compatibility, and error handling made the task difficult to achieve, and the inability to seamlessly process diverse data sets from various SAP products compounded the issue.

Enter the Elastic-Kyndryl partnership. Together, we are changing the rules of the game. Our custom-built solution fills this glaring gap, providing real-time monitoring of SAP environments and delivering actionable insights from the data. This powerful integration of Kyndryl's extensive knowledge of SAP systems and the Elastic platform's capabilities results in a unique solution. It's a solution capable of adapting to a wide array of SAP products, providing comprehensive SAP observability that goes above and beyond what traditional observability solutions offer out of the box.

Unpacking the value of SAP observability

Our offering isn't merely about monitoring data, it's about leveraging the power of this data to drive business value.

Performance optimization

By tracking metrics such as response time, dialog steps, CPU time, database calls, and network time, among others , our real-time observability solution allows businesses to continuously track and optimize the performance of their SAP systems. It sheds light on potential issues that could cause system slowdowns or failures, empowering businesses to identify bottlenecks and take swift corrective measures.

Operational efficiency

With our solution, businesses can gain insights into system usage and performance for a clearer operational understanding of their SAP environment. By correlating SAP metrics with other business and operational data, teams can gain a more contextual view into their systems and uncover potential areas of improvement. The result? Enhanced operational efficiency and a smoother business process.

Anomaly detection

Anomalies in system behavior can be red flags signaling deeper issues. Elastic Observability is capable of detecting such anomalies proactively, enabling businesses to address potential problems before they snowball into bigger challenges.

The Elastic-Kyndryl solution across industries

Our SAP observability solution is not a one-size-fits-all product; it's a versatile offering that can adapt to various industries.

• Manufacturing: In industries where SAP systems oversee complex supply chains and production processes, our solution's real-time monitoring capabilities can prove invaluable. It can identify supply chain bottlenecks, track equipment efficiency, and monitor key production metrics, thus enabling better decision-making.
• Retail: In the fast-paced retail sector, SAP systems handle diverse functions, from inventory management to sales and customer relationship management. Here, our solution provides valuable real-time insights into inventory levels, sales performance, and customer behavior patterns, empowering retailers to make data-driven decisions.
• Healthcare: For the healthcare industry, where SAP systems manage critical data related to patients, hospital management, and medical supply chains, our solution can provide real-time tracking of patient data, offer insights into hospital operations, and efficiently manage medical inventory.
• Financial Services Industry (FSI): SAP systems in the FSI play a pivotal role in managing complex financial transactions, risk assessment, customer data, and regulatory compliance. Our SAP observability solution can revolutionize financial operations by offering real-time insights into transactional data, identifying potential risks, ensuring compliance by keeping track of all financial operations, and improving customer service by analyzing customer behavior patterns. This kind of continuous, real-time monitoring and observability not only improves operational efficiency but also helps in proactively identifying and mitigating potential risks.

In a world where data rules, the ability to monitor and analyze it in real time is a game-changer. The partnership between Elastic and Kyndryl has produced a compelling solution for SAP observability, filling a significant market gap. By combining the robustness of the Elastic platform with Kyndryl's deep-rooted expertise in SAP systems, we bring unique value to our customers. We are transforming the way businesses monitor their SAP systems, driving operational efficiency, and enhancing business value. With our SAP observability solution, businesses can now harness the power of their data more effectively than ever before.

Want to learn more? Contact us for more information.

Originally published May 30, 2023; updated January 22, 2024.

The release and timing of any features or functionality described in this post remain at Elastic's sole discretion. Any features or functionality not currently available may not be delivered on time or at all.