SAP Supports VMware Server

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- VMware, Inc., the virtualization software leader, today announced that SAP AG will provide immediate full support to its solutions in 64-bit Windows- and Linux-based production environments running on VMware ESX Server. Servers from Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens, HP, IBM and Sun have achieved hardware platform certification for SAP(R) solutions running on Windows and Linux with VMware ESX Server, a component of the VMware Infrastructure software suite. VMware Infrastructure supports SAP solutions with both Windows and Linux on industry-standard hardware. SAP and VMware will assist joint customers in cooperative support services and problem resolution, backed by a global technology partnership agreement and dedicated support staffing.

"There has been overwhelming customer demand for SAP and VMware solutions. Support of SAP solutions on VMware ESX Server means customers can extend the numerous benefits of infrastructure virtualization to the business-critical and functionally rich SAP solutions in their IT environments," said Brian Byun, vice president of global partners and solutions at VMware. "This support reflects the increasingly productive relationship between SAP and VMware, and it provides a sought-after solution for customers looking to combine the powerful process management capabilities of SAP solutions with the robust data center management and cost-saving features of VMware Infrastructure."

SAP solutions enable organizations of all sizes to manage business-critical processes using an enterprise service-oriented architecture (enterprise SOA) to quickly translate customer signals into operational response, respond faster to business and market changes, and provide built-in application integration. Customers who rely on SAP solutions to keep their businesses moving forward can deploy VMware ESX Server with SAP support for all stages of the software lifecycle from development and test to production.

VMware Infrastructure allows customers to turn industry-standard hardware into OS- and hardware-agnostic enterprise-class virtual infrastructure where entire server, storage and network farms can be managed as a shared utility and dynamically allocated to different business units or projects. This gives IT decision makers the ability to combat the continually escalating data center infrastructure and administrative costs incurred from hardware acquisition, management, power and cooling, real estate and disaster recovery; transform IT service levels; and simplify and automate their IT infrastructure.

"VMware Infrastructure has many benefits for hosted environments," said Benno Weidmann, vice president, hosting infrastructure management at SAP Hosting. "We've been able to automate internal business processes and increase service levels to internal customers. In addition, we have reduced costs with consolidation and automation of system deployment, as well as greatly reduced the required hardware for internal training and development systems. Altogether, virtualization helps us to lower costs, develop and automate user services, better manage hardware and software lifecycles, and improve production and capacity planning across a

more unified infrastructure."VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW)

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