Business Process Optimization
SPARC Enterprise Adopted as a High Performance Virtualization Platform
The Japan Research Institute, Limited
- SPARC Enterprise Case Study -
In the systems consolidation and integration of HR and accounting systems with SAP, use of a SPARC Enterprise M5000 quadrupled
batch performance and improved ease of use.
PDF Download for printing (381KB) / December, 2008
| System outline | |
|---|---|
| Industry: | Total Information Services |
| Hardware: | UNIX Servers SPARC Enterprise M5000 UNIX Servers PRIMEPOWER 450, 250 Industry Standard Servers PRIMERGY RX600, RX300 ETERNUS3000 Disk Storage Systems ETERNUS LT130 Tape Library |
| Software: | SAP ERP 2005 |
“I value SPARC Enterprise’s scalability of up to four independent systems. With such reliable and flexible hardware partitioning, we can adapt to business environment changes, and also flexibly consolidate servers. ”
For business agility and optimal IT investment, the Japan Research Institute Ltd. (JRI), a leader in the IT services industry, decided to slim down its business processes. They consolidated their mission critical systems on a SPARC Enterprise M5000 for high performance and scalability.
| Problems and impacts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slow system response affecting HR/Accounting operations |  |
Customers appreciated the dramatically improved performance; due to multi-core/multi-thread SPARC64™ VI processors. |
| 2 | Inflexibility in dealing with escalating workloads | |
Consolidation onto one server, allowed server resources to be upgraded just by adding CPU/memory. With max. 4 hardware partitions and Dynamic Reconfiguration (DR), server resources can be added while the system remains up and running. |
| 3 | HR/Accounting operations were hindered slow overnight batch processing. |
|
Shorter batch program execution times ensured online transaction processing time. Even at max. workload, batch program execution shrank by 75%. Plus the ETERNUS3000 based data backup is now able to complete after just a few seconds of normal process interruption. |
Installation background
Optimizing business processes at a knowledge engineering company
Mr. Fumito Watanabe,
Deputy Director of the Information System Dept.
Founded over 40 years ago JRI, under its corporate message of “Knowledge Engineering” is a key opinion leader in Japan and continues to develop in three business areas: Think Tank, Consulting Services and Systems Integration.
Since joining the major financial holding company, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) in 2003, JRI has also been tasked with planning SMFG’s IT strategy. To adjust to this new business role, JRI has split itself into a Systems Integration company, known as “Japan Research Institute Solutions”, and a Think Tank/Consulting company under the original company name.
During these business changes, JRI continued to optimize its business processes. This required reconstruction of its mission critical systems.
Fumito Watanabe, Deputy Director of the Information System Dept. talks about the background. “After multiple system extensions our mission critical systems were complex and outdated. As a result, maintenance costs became a heavy burden. Raising business efficiency would give us the chance to shrink server operation costs and broaden system use. ”
Installation points
Key to success: High performance and scalability of SPARC Enterprise M5000, and Fujitsu’s rich experience in Solaris integration
JRI had three reasons for business process optimization:
The first was to slim down its business operations.
“Unifying accounting and HR, in terms of applications and operation, was the key to success. We used standard software functions
for unifying accounting and HR. Through such unification, we expected costs reduction in internal operations and system administration
.” says Mr. Watanabe.
The second was to strengthen internal controls.
The third was to reduce risk such as escalating operational costs due to the heavy workloads.
“I had received requests for quicker server response. An outdated system would leave the system at risk. So we decided to
upscale the servers, ” continues Mr. Watanabe.
In implementing the business process optimizations above, JRI stipulated three major platform requirements.
- Continued use of Solaris in moving from the former servers. This would avoid application migration failure.
- Improved performance to enable quicker response
- Server consolidation in line with slimming down the business processes
After through performance and price comparisons, SPARC Enterprise M5000 was chosen as the system platform. “Fujitsu has rich experience in Solaris integration. I expected higher performance for all application areas to be upgraded. I also expected that the multi-core/multi-threading processor SPARC64 VI would handle both light and heavy workloads swiftly. Due to Fujitsu’s rich expertise with mainframes I also had confidence that SPARC Enterprise would have the right performance even for high back-end system processing, ” says Mr. Watanabe.
Fumito Watanabe also thinks platform scalability was a decisive point in the server consolidation.
“I value SPARC Enterprise scalability of up to four independent systems. With the reliable and flexible hardware partitioning, we can adapt to business environment changes, and also consolidate servers flexibly.”
Installation process
Key to success : Harmony of development and operation teams
Mr. Katsuyuki Hosoda
Deputy Director
System
Development
Dept 5
Development
Group 2
The project took two years in two stages. In the first year, JRI upgraded the platform temporally to a PRIMEPOWER 450 to improve performance. In the second year, a SPARC Enterprise M5000 was introduced for business process optimization. To succeed with this project in such a short period, JRI formed a tight collaboration between all teams on the project.
Project manager Katsuyuki Hosoda, talks about the key points of success. Specifically the tight collaboration between the development and operation teams. “As a first step, we drew a line on the roles and responsibilities of each platform development and operation team. This project included accounting, HR, workflow, and other applications. Leaders of the specific development teams and the operation team continuously communicated on how best to achieve the solution. Requests from operation and development teams were responded swiftly with alternative measures and proposals. Through frank, professional and cost-conscious discussions the development and operation teams built solid relationships and shared goals for success of the project.”
Reliability of the SPARC Enterprise M5000 was essential for an on-time launch. On this Mr. Hosoda comments. “During development,
platform problems never happened, so we were able to pour all our energies into development. The platform’s performance and
reliability added to the efforts and skill of the development teams, and was an important factor in the timely success of
the project.”
Shimpei Yamane from the Information System Dept adds. “I appreciated the support from Fujitsu and Fujitsu FSAS in upgrading
to Solaris 10 and related validation tests.”
Expected effects and future
Increased investment effect from server consolidation
Mr. Simpei Yamane
Information System Dept.
On April 2008, the new mission critical system went live using the consolidation server, SPARC Enterprise M5000, with secure and reliable storage consolidation provided by ETERNUS3000, and an ETERNUS LT130 tape backup device.
Just three months after system commencement, JRI were convinced of their success.
Simpei Yamane states. “I heard from the operation teams that server response had improved. Overnight batch processing times had been reduced by 75%, so daytime online transaction processing was never affected by batch programs. Plus data backup completed in just a few seconds due to the Advanced Copy functions of ETERNUS3000. Overall the burden on system administrator was especially reduced. We now expect to flexibly scale-up the system using Dynamic Reconfiguration to reassign CPU and memory resources while in the server is in operation.”
Mr. Hosoda gives his perspective on this project. “While HR operations have become easier with the new system, I know there is still room for improvement and lots left to be done with this first project. We must review the functions already delivered and then tackle enhancements. Based on a solid relationship, the development and operation teams can continue to improve the system together.”
Mr. Watanabe gives his perspective on the platform. “We have created a server consolidation platform. We must make the most use of it and shrink costs as we go forward together.”
The Project was called VEGA an acronym which expressed the win as a shared Victory by Equal Goals All. Using such goal sharing, JRI expects to continue its forward progress with the support of Fujitsu and SPARC Enterprise.
Information System Dept. staff from JRI and Fujitsu FSAS Masaru Egawa (Fujitsu FSAS), Shimpei Yamane(JRI), Tadashi Uoki(JRI), Fumito Watanabe(JRI) and Takashi Suzuki(Fujitsu FSAS)
VEGA project team Keiko Fujita, Yujiro Takahasi, Eiji Yamamoto, Keita Sasaki, Takehiro Osima, Yu Kurihra from Information System Dept., and Katsuyuki Hosoda Deputy Director of System Development Dept.5, Development team 2
The Japan Research Institute, Limited Company Profile
| Head office | 16 Ichiban-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0082, Japan |
|---|---|
| Capital | 10 billion yen |
| Number of Employees | 1,800 (4,700 Consolidated) |
| Established | February 20,1969 |
| Business Details | Systems Integration (for SMFG, and other credit card companies) Consulting services and Think Tank （Research, policy proposals and business planning） |
| URL | http://www.jri.co.jp/english/index.html |
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