Under the strategic partnership, SAP and Arvato Systems will be developing a sovereign cloud infrastructure harnessing the Microsoft Azure platform to accelerate the digital transformation of Germany’s public sector.
SAP announced its latest investment in a new German company in collaboration with global IT specialist Arvato Systems to further support the digitalisation efforts of the German government. The new business entity anticipated to provide the first sovereign cloud platform for the public sector will offer a comprehensive portfolio of cloud-based digital solutions that comply with the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) requirements.
Commenting on the innovation partnership with Arvato Systems, SAP CEO Christian Klein said:
“This partnership represents a breakthrough approach for cloud-based innovation. Together we’ll provide a unique solution that not only meets the highest standards of cloud-based technology but also meets the strictest requirements of data sovereignty. This one-of-a-kind collaboration unlocks the potential of digital transformation for the German government and beyond.”
SAP’s strategic partner Arvato Systems has a market footprint across 25 locations in America, Europe, and Asia and a 3,000 workforce helping organisations worldwide accelerate their digital transformation journey by transitioning into the cloud, creating innovative IT solutions as well as providing IT systems support. The IT firm was recently named Leader by analyst firm ISG in all four segments of the “ISG Provider Lens™ Digital Business – Solutions & Service Partners Germany 2021” report. Specific to Arvato Systems’ SAP expertise, the report highlighted the firm’s commendable supply chain consulting leveraging SAP solutions such as SAP S/4HANA, SAP EWM (Extended Warehouse Management), and SAP TM (Transportation Management).
Sovereign Cloud Based on Microsoft Azure Platform
Set to propel the digital transformation of Germany’s public sector, the completely new company will have the German enterprises SAP and Arvato Systems as shareholders with the latter pegged to take over operations being an experienced infrastructure operator.
Matthias Moeller, CEO of the Arvato Systems Group and CIO of Bertelsmann, expressed that the company is keen on the expanded partnership with the enterprise software giant. He stressed:
“At Arvato Systems, we have been supporting large infrastructures, including those in the public sector, for many years and understand their unique requirements. The intended partnership offers the best outcome from various perspectives: to use the best available technology and secure German sovereignty interests while accelerating digitalisation for citizens and employees alike.”
The new firm will be leveraging the Microsoft Azure platform and other Microsoft services such as Microsoft 365 as well as SAP business applications and tools to support the sovereign cloud offering that the company is intended to provide for the government sector. To offer full interoperability with other tools and support cloud solutions from independent vendors, the offering will be designed as a vendor-neutral stack built on an open platform powered by Microsoft Azure, Microsoft’s secure public cloud computing platform.
Since the offering is intended for the use of the German public sector, it will be in accordance with the technical, operational, and legal sovereignty requirements of the government and will be governed by German law. Furthermore, the cloud infrastructure to be owned by the new business entity will also have to comply with the data sovereignty needs of the government sector and will be strictly separated both from the global data center infrastructure of Microsoft and the country’s existing public cloud infrastructure.
“As digital technology continues to rapidly transform work and life, we have a critical opportunity to ensure these advancements benefit people and organizations everywhere, including in Germany,” commented Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella. “Together with SAP and Arvato Systems, we will create a cloud platform that meets the requirements of the German public sector to help drive digital transformation across the country.”
SAP and Microsoft were among the global tech companies that have established the industry initiative Trusted Cloud Principles to ensure the free flow of data, promote public safety, and protect the privacy and data security in the cloud.
