TAKE NOTE (Insights and Emerging Technology)
Blockchain is hot right now. But how can it be harnessed in the federal government?
First, a brief explanation. Blockchain is a distributed digital ledger that can record and verify transactions between two parties. Anything of value — property, patents, copyrights, etc. — can be tracked and traded through blockchain. Because it’s a shared ledger, it can be used to record any transaction and track the movement of any asset, which creates enhanced visibility and eliminates the opportunity for malicious parties to alter previous blocks or data transactions.
In short, blockchain offers trust. There is no need for a middleman to manage information or assets, so users can own their own data and decide with whom to share it.
Providing trust and emerging technology foundations
Agencies can use blockchain to bring trust into their ecosystems with data that is immutable, distributed and has provenance. Rather than managing data in a centralized manner, which creates data silos and points of failure or vulnerability, blockchain distributes data among the ecosystem of various parties and agencies.
The data is also encrypted. This encryption works alongside the blockchain’s distributed properties to keep data safer, unlocking its potential to be used as a foundational technology which others — such as microservices, artificial intelligence or process automation — can leverage.
Even with all the benefits blockchain can yield, it may not be right for every agency. In cases where IT leaders seek to simply aggregate or analyze datasets, for example, a simple, more cost effective database will suffice.
Interested in learning more about RPA? Download our FREE White Paper on “Embracing the Future of Work”
How to determine if blockchain is right for your agency
Government leaders should explore use cases and start asking questions. First and foremost, they must decide whether their use case is truly aligned with blockchain architecture, or if a traditional database will achieve their goals.
The use cases that best align with blockchain are those where there is a constant stream of shared data and where there is a risk the data could be changed, lost or exposed — for example…
UNDER DEVELOPMENT (Insights for Developers)
SAP BW on HANA Migration Overview
As you prepare to migrate your business warehouse (BW) from ECC to SAP HANA, you will need to consider various aspects of the planning process for a successful migration. While this post may be a bit short to list every element to contemplate, the focus is on those key aspects to ensure the smoothest migration possible.
We will begin with a starting point from which to plan your migration strategy of BW systems onto SAP HANA within an on-site landscape. With an overview of the various migration path options, we will point out some common recommendations and further elements and guidance to help you identify the optimum procedure for your business requirements. You can bring these various elements into the conversations with your cross-functional teams and utilize them as foundation for assessments based upon the boundaries and conditions your business faces.
Overview of Options in BW Migration Paths
There are several ways you can take an existing SAP BW system, running on ANY database, and migrate it to BW running on HANA. SAP has a one-step option that combines a database migration with a system update for the migration to SAP HANA with the DMO (database migration option) of SUM (software update manager). Alternatively, you can choose the classical migration method, which is a two step approach. First upgrade to a minimum level of BW which is required for HANA, than migrate to BW on HANA using SWPM (Software Provisioning Manager).
In the end, a BW on HANA migration consists of an export run – which will export any database data into a common location and an import run will write data from common location to HANA database. So it’s similar to any other SAP OS/DB migration.
DMO: One Step Migration to HANA
Holiday Message <em(From Leadership)
We really enjoy this time of the year as it is when we reflect back on what has been achieved during the year both personally and at IT Partners. 2018 has been a great year for us and we very appreciative of all the hard work put in by our valued business partners at all the customer sites across the DOD.
There is no doubt that our consultants our are greatest strength as an SAP service company, along with our culture. We talk a lot about how “Experience Matters” and we are all truly privileged to work with some of the most talented professionals in the business. They, along with all our Partners, make the greatest difference and set us apart. Our team and the culture we foster underpin all the good work that we do, and the customers that we are able to help.
We look forward to 2019 in anticipation of continued success in helping our clients achieve their goals and welcoming new members into our team to help us make a difference.
Thank you again, and Happy Holidays from all of us at IT Partners!
