Syntax CxLink for ILM: Simplify SAP Data Lifecycle Management on AWS

By Mario de Felipe, Executive Director – Syntax
By Soumya Sekhar, Sr. Partner Solutions Architect, SAP – AWS
By Praveen Katari, Sr. Partner Solutions Architect – AWS

Syntax Systems LP

Managing data throughout its lifecycle—from retention to deletion—is an escalating challenge across industries. Organizations face the inevitable task of archiving or removing outdated information, but must do so strategically. Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) requires a delicate balance between operational needs and compliance with data privacy regulations. Companies must navigate this complex landscape carefully to ensure proper data handling at every stage.

This blog post introduces Syntax CxLink for ILM, a new AWS Marketplace solution that allows SAP users to utilize Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) for Information Lifecycle Management, enhancing their SAP on AWS experience. You will explore key use cases where CxLink for ILM can provide significant benefits.

Key use cases for SAP on AWS with CxLink for ILM

1. Data Lifecycle Management:
   • Determine optimal database retention periods for various data types.
   • Establish appropriate archiving and deletion timelines.
2. Personal Data Compliance:
   • Manage data blocking or deletion in accordance with jurisdictional requirements.
   • Balance data processing purposes with legal retention obligations.
3. Audit-Ready Data Organization:
   • Configure and retrieve data grouped by specific business functions.
   • Ensure compliance with tax regulations and product liability requirements.

SAP Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) using CxLink is a comprehensive solution designed by Syntax to help organizations manage data and documents in compliance with legal and business requirements throughout their lifecycle.

SAP ILM enables the efficient archiving of data that is no longer needed for daily operations but must be retained for legal or business reasons. This helps in reducing the size of the database, improving system performance, and lowering storage costs.

Solution Overview

CxLink for ILM integrates with SAP information management platform to efficiently archive data that is no longer needed for daily operations but must be retained for legal or business reasons. Using CxLink organizations can define ILM policies which defines the rules for data retention, archiving and deletion and specify central repository for archive data. This helps in reducing the size of the database, improving system performance, lowering storage costs and provide capability to anonymize data to protect sensitive information and comply with data privacy regulations.

Figure 1: Architecture of the SAP integration with Amazon S3

Syntax CxLink enables data to be stored and managed directly in Amazon S3 using SAP ILM’s retention management processes. The entire process, from archiving to storage to deletion, is completely managed from within the company’s SAP environment.

Syntax CxLink for ILM: Bridging SAP and Amazon S3

Syntax CxLink for ILM serves as a crucial middleware solution, empowering SAP users to effectively manage their data throughout its entire lifecycle using Amazon S3. This integration leverages Amazon S3’s capabilities as an ILM-certified WORM (Write Once, Read Many) high performance object storage service:

1. Industry-leading scalability
2. High data availability
3. Robust security measures
4. Exceptional performance

By combining Syntax CxLink for ILM with SAP ILM on AWS, organizations can create a comprehensive, compliant, and efficient data management ecosystem that spans the entire information lifecycle. Please refer to CxLink Product overview page for detailed information on installation and configuration steps.

Benefits of using Syntax CxLink for ILM

• Enabling consistent, rule-based document retention policies: Organizations can be confident that Syntax CxLink for ILM will allow them to deploy SAP ILM’s automated data management rules across all documents and data whether stored in SAP or on Amazon S3.
• Access to innovation: By enabling companies to use Amazon S3, Syntax CxLink for ILM ensures they can build an ecosystem with other AWS services accessing and capitalizing on the latest AWS service innovations and upgrades. These include leveraging AWS Data and Analytics services to build data lakes; harnessing AWS AI and machine learning services to uncover data-based business insights; and capitalizing on AWS generative AI services to power customer service tools and more.
• Improved costs and efficiencies: Syntax CxLink for ILM is cost-effective and an operationally effective tool for harnessing the capabilities of Amazon S3. Storing data on Amazon S3 can be cheaper than storing it in local storage, and Amazon S3’s performance ensures that companies can access the data from SAP applications quickly and efficiently.
• Direct access to AWS services: Syntax CxLink for ILM is an add-on that enables companies to use Amazon S3 as enabled storage for SAP ILM.

Conclusion

In this blog post, you examined how Syntax CxLink for ILM can enable SAP ILM users to leverage SAP on AWS by using Amazon S3 as their secondary storage for SAP ILM. This allows companies to use SAP ILM’s automated rules to manage data archiving and destruction for data residing in either SAP or in Amazon S3—while continuing to meet business needs and regulatory requirements around data retention and destruction.

Using Syntax CxLink for ILM to access Amazon S3 also enables customers to achieve cost efficiency, performance improvements, and unleash innovation through other AWS services and capabilities.

Syntax CxLink for ILM is offered as a subscription service through the AWS Marketplace under the CxLink Suite Syntax product portfolio and includes premium support from Syntax to ensure proper setup, maintenance, and customer installation updates.

If your company wants to use Amazon S3 as secondary storage for SAP ILM—and capitalize on the scalability, reliability, and innovation of SAP on AWS—Syntax CxLink for ILM is essential.
.

.

Syntax – AWS Partner Spotlight

Syntax is an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner and leading managed cloud provider for mission-critical enterprise applications. With over 1,000 ERP customers migrated, Syntax is a pioneer for migrating ERP workloads while layering its unique IP built on AWS.

Syntax is focused on customer needs to develop a cloud-native, SAP-certified solutions to meet application modernization requirements through its CxLink product portfolio.
Contact Syntax | Partner Overview | AWS Marketplace