Software AG Case Studies Business-Critical Inventory System Re-Hosted to Linux

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	Business-Critical Inventory System Re-Hosted to Linux Software AG

Business-Critical Inventory System Re-Hosted to Linux

Software AG

Technology Category	Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
Applicable Industries	Pharmaceuticals
Applicable Functions	Logistics & Transportation Warehouse & Inventory Management
Use Cases	Inventory Management Supply Chain Visibility
Services	Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services System Integration
Challenge	Alliance Healthcare, a leading pharmaceutical wholesaler in Germany, was facing high competitive pressure and a need to improve performance. The company's inventory system, Wapha, developed with Adabas & Natural, needed to be moved from the expensive mainframe environment to a more cost-effective Linux platform. The company also wanted to align its systems with IT optimizations and protect its long-term investments in its inventory system. The company's IT landscape was diverse and heterogeneous, making the rapid implementation of new requirements time- and cost-intensive. This was not acceptable in a market that is highly rebate- and sales-oriented and subject to frequent legal changes in Germany’s regulated health system. Read More
About Customer	Alliance Healthcare Deutschland AG, formerly known as Andreae-Noris Zahn AG (ANZAG), is one of Germany’s leading pharmaceutical wholesalers. The company has a group revenue of more than €4 billion. With 25 subsidiaries, Alliance Healthcare has the largest delivery network in the industry. The company is also active in the healthcare logistics and information services industries through its subsidiaries and partnerships. Alliance Healthcare holds a leading position in Germany’s wholesale pharmaceutical market with its micrologistics system for distributing pharmaceuticals. The company's custom-designed inventory system, Wapha, has logged more than 20 years of reliable operations. Read More
Solution	Alliance Healthcare launched a major optimization effort for the company’s enterprise-wide IT landscape. The project involved a diverse range of tasks: cleaning up superfluous IT processes; transitioning all operations to reduce two outsourcers to one using a virtual VMware® environment; optimizing ITIL®-compliant service processes; introducing new systems for project management, quality assurance and testing; and re-hosting the Wapha system with its multiple different instances one-to-one on Linux. Software AG’s Global Consulting Services supported the re-hosting process throughout. The re-hosting project was successfully completed according to plan and ahead of schedule; this encompassed all subsidiaries as well as the main office. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Pharmaceuticals

Applicable Functions

Logistics & Transportation

Warehouse & Inventory Management

Use Cases

Inventory Management

Supply Chain Visibility

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

System Integration

Challenge

Alliance Healthcare, a leading pharmaceutical wholesaler in Germany, was facing high competitive pressure and a need to improve performance. The company's inventory system, Wapha, developed with Adabas & Natural, needed to be moved from the expensive mainframe environment to a more cost-effective Linux platform. The company also wanted to align its systems with IT optimizations and protect its long-term investments in its inventory system. The company's IT landscape was diverse and heterogeneous, making the rapid implementation of new requirements time- and cost-intensive. This was not acceptable in a market that is highly rebate- and sales-oriented and subject to frequent legal changes in Germany’s regulated health system.

About Customer

Alliance Healthcare Deutschland AG, formerly known as Andreae-Noris Zahn AG (ANZAG), is one of Germany’s leading pharmaceutical wholesalers. The company has a group revenue of more than €4 billion. With 25 subsidiaries, Alliance Healthcare has the largest delivery network in the industry. The company is also active in the healthcare logistics and information services industries through its subsidiaries and partnerships. Alliance Healthcare holds a leading position in Germany’s wholesale pharmaceutical market with its micrologistics system for distributing pharmaceuticals. The company's custom-designed inventory system, Wapha, has logged more than 20 years of reliable operations.

Solution

Alliance Healthcare launched a major optimization effort for the company’s enterprise-wide IT landscape. The project involved a diverse range of tasks: cleaning up superfluous IT processes; transitioning all operations to reduce two outsourcers to one using a virtual VMware® environment; optimizing ITIL®-compliant service processes; introducing new systems for project management, quality assurance and testing; and re-hosting the Wapha system with its multiple different instances one-to-one on Linux. Software AG’s Global Consulting Services supported the re-hosting process throughout. The re-hosting project was successfully completed according to plan and ahead of schedule; this encompassed all subsidiaries as well as the main office.

Impact #1	Applications enterprise-wide successfully re-hosted, far ahead of schedule
Impact #2	No business impact to high-volume daily operations, in excess of 10,000 order positions during peaks
Impact #3	Improved platform performance and stability

Impact #1

Applications enterprise-wide successfully re-hosted, far ahead of schedule

Impact #2

No business impact to high-volume daily operations, in excess of 10,000 order positions during peaks

Impact #3

Improved platform performance and stability

Benefit #1	Significant cost savings without compromising on stability and performance
Benefit #2	During peaks, Wapha processes more than 150,000 database requests per second

Benefit #1

Significant cost savings without compromising on stability and performance

Benefit #2

During peaks, Wapha processes more than 150,000 database requests per second

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Overview

Business-Critical Inventory System Re-Hosted to Linux

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit