Nattura Labs switched from an HP environment to two IBM Power servers and IBM System x and upgraded its SAP Business All-in-One software to provide a highly available, reliable and robust infrastructure. The IBM Power and System x servers have reduced workload for the IT department by 35-40 percent, reduced software license fees by around 30 percent, and cut the total cost of ownership by 30 percent.

1. Nattura Labs reduces costs by Overview
migrating SAP Business All-in-One to
Challenge
IBM Power and IBM System x Working across an increasingly
Nattura Laboratorios (Nattura Labs) requirements of Nattura Labs. We complex operational environment,
has set out to become a global brand faced reliability and backup issues, Nattura Labs needed a more reliable
leader in the worldwide hair care and which sometimes meant that work and robust solution to run its IT
styling marketplace. With more than would be lost and had to be re-done. infrastructure and ensure sound
2,000 employees in 63 countries and This was clearly a waste of resources business practices.
an annual turnover of US$ 45 million, and completely unacceptable.”
the Mexican-based company is rapidly Solution
gaining ground in the hair care industry. “We needed to modernize our IT Nattura Labs switched from an
infrastructure to ensure a solid, robust HP environment to two IBM Power
Over the last thirty years since its and reliable system that would allow servers and IBM System x and
formation, the company has expanded us to optimize our processes, handle upgraded its SAP Business All-in-
from its Mexican base in Zapopan our present needs, and take care of One software to provide a highly
Guadalajara, Jalisco, to sites across the our future requirements. This includes, available, reliable and robust
world, extending both its geographic for example, our expansion into new infrastructure.
reach and range of products. This markets, the creation of new and
has created an increasingly complex diverse product lines and securing a Key benefits
IT environment. Nattura Labs needed stronger international presence.” The IBM Power and System x
to ensure that the backbone of all servers have reduced workload for
its operations remained reliable and High availability and ease the IT department by 35-40 percent,
robust in order to sustain its aggressive of use reduced software license fees by
growth targets. Nattura Labs previously ran its around 30 percent, and cut the total
SAP software environment on five cost of ownership by 30 percent.
Miguel Agustin Chaves Herrera, IT centralized HP DL 350 servers, The IBM Power and System x
Director for Nattura Labs says, “Our running the Microsoft Windows Server solution offers high availability
previous IT infrastructure required a operating system. The increasingly and has eliminated unplanned
major overhaul, as it was not up to the complex environment and the growth downtime.
challenge of the current and future of the company meant that the
Case study

2. solution was no longer reliable, and
costly downtime was placing Nattura
Lab’s business at risk. The company
“We are very happy
decided on a complete overhaul of its
with the SAP Business
IT infrastructure, designed to create All-in-One upgrade
Business Challenge a flexible, cost-effective platform that and the IBM Power
would allow the company to grow and System x servers,
Nattura Labs is seeking to position rapidly with the least possible IT as we are confident
itself on the world market as a major complexity. that the solution will
brand competitor in the hair styling sustain our business’s
sector. The first step for the Nattura Labs operations well into
team was to choose to move from the future.”
The hair and skin care company the Windows operating environment
has secured a presence in over to a UNIX-based platform, taking Miguel Agustin Chaves Herrera
63 countries with a growing list of advantage of its stability and scalability. IT Director, Nattura Labs
products and customers. This implied migrating the core SAP
Business All-in-One environment
Working across an increasingly and potentially the database, and Windows-based systems. An IBM
complex operational environment, establishing new skills within Nattura System Storage DS5020 disk system
Nattura Labs needed a more reliable Labs. Some additional SAP NetWeaver was also implemented to provide
and robust solution to run its IT applications would remain on the high-performance storage and offline
infrastructure and ensure sound Windows platform, and Nattura Labs backup capabilities.
business practices. wanted to create a mixed infrastructure
capable of supporting each system Says Miguel Herrera, “We migrated
with the most appropriate technology. our core SAP Business All-in-One
instance and Oracle databases to IBM
Nattura Labs worked with IBM Global Power 520 Express Edition servers
Financing and IBM Business Partner running the IBM AIX operating system.
Consultores Informaticos GRC, S.A. de We decided to switch to IBM because
C.V. to finance a solution to replace its of the reliability and performance that
existing HP IT infrastructure. the IBM servers offer — something we
were simply not receiving with the five
The company selected IBM Power HP servers we previously used.”
servers for its UNIX environment
and IBM System x servers for its
2

3. “It was of the utmost importance that
we migrate to a robust and reliable
“We have made system that was fast, scalable and
savings estimated provided better backup. We are very
at 30 percent on happy with the SAP Business All-
our annual IT costs. in-One upgrade and the IBM Power Solution
Our total cost of and System x servers, as we are
ownership has been confident that the solution will sustain Nattura Labs switched from an
reduced by almost our business’s operations well into the HP environment to two IBM Power
one-third, generating future.” servers and IBM System x and
major savings for our upgraded its SAP Business All-in-
business.” Miguel Herrera continues, “Replacing One software to provide a highly
our HP environment with the IBM available, reliable and robust
Miguel Agustin Chaves Herrera Power and System x servers meant infrastructure.
IT Director, Nattura Labs that we were entitled to reduced license
fees for our Oracle database software The IBM solution enables Nattura
because we require fewer processors. Labs to create a solid IT backbone
“Simultaneously, we upgraded and Our new leasing plan with IBM also and optimize its business
extended our SAP Business All-in- offers us significant tax benefits.” processes.
One applications to take advantage
of new functionality. Even with the “Altogether we have made savings
increased workload, the infrastructure estimated at 30 percent on our annual
upgrade delivers faster response times IT costs. Our total cost of ownership
and allows for further scalability. It is has been reduced by almost one-
100 percent integrated with our IBM third, generating major savings for our
infrastructure and is a vital part of our business.”
ongoing business operations.”
“We also estimate a 35 to 40
A key factor in the business case for the percent workload reduction for the
migration has been the consolidation IT department. This translates to
from five servers to two, which has serious resource efficiencies for our
resulted in reduced database software department, allowing us to concentrate
license fees. on other, more pressing matters for
projects and strategies focused on
the business goals, rather than daily
3

4. operations, as well as creating further implementation was achieved at the
efficiencies for our business. These first attempt without any glitches along
kinds of results ultimately speak for the way, and the project was completed
themselves.” within budget.”
Key Solution Components Easy migration to Power Working with IBM Global Financing also
Systems yielded numerous benefits, allowing
Industry Consultores Informaticos GRC Nattura Labs to manage its cash flow
Consumer Packaged Goods managed the SAP software and Oracle more effectively. The IBM financing
database migration project and the IBM solution enabled the company to pay
Applications Power and System x implementation for all the hardware, software and
SAP® Business All-in-One® process. The speed of the migration services it needed using periodic, fixed
including financial accounting, and the fact that the project met all and predictable payments. This helped
warehouse management, materials of its targets, including timelines and align project costs with anticipated
management, quality management, budgets, meant that the project was benefits and minimize asset residual
and SAP NetWeaver® Business completed with great success. value realization and technology
Warehouse obsolescence risks.
Miguel Herrara reports, “The support
Hardware and advice we received from IBM and In the future, the company can take
IBM® Power™ 520 Express, IBM Consultores Informaticos were of the advantage of IBM Global Asset
System x®, IBM System Storage® highest standards. They fulfilled and Recovery Services to recycle its assets
DS5020, IBM System Storage even exceeded our expectations. The and minimize its regulatory exposure
SAN24B-4 Express project was carried out very smoothly risk.
and this is surprising for a complete
Software migration of this size and complexity.” Improved performance and
IBM AIX® 6.1, IBM Tivoli® Storage reliability
Manager, Oracle. “We were very happy with the service Nattura Labs chose to run SAP
as all the goals we set out were NetWeaver Business Warehouse (BW)
Services achieved in a very timely and efficient on IBM System x servers, powered
IBM Business Partner Consultores manner. Implementation of the SAP by Intel Xeon processors. The BW
Informaticos GRC, IBM Global All-in-One solution was very fast: it took workload runs independently of the
Financing. approximately one month, starting on main SAP servers, and users can
11 January and finishing on 15 February. therefore run reports exactly as they
This period also included a ten-day test please without impacting production
stage prior to the go-live. The whole systems.
4

5. “With shared, consistent data
“Replacing our HP throughout Nattura Labs, we are in a
environment with position to understand our business
the IBM Power and from the global perspective and take
System x servers actions designed to help us achieve our Business Benefits
meant that we were corporate ambitions.”
entitled to reduced The IBM Power and System x
license fees for our servers have reduced workload for
Oracle database the IT department by 35-40 percent,
software because reduced software license fees by
we require fewer around 30 percent, and cut the total
processors. Our cost of ownership by 30 percent.
new leasing plan
The upgraded SAP Business All-in-
with IBM also offers
One system ensures faster response
us significant tax
times and simple management of IT
benefits” resources.
Miguel Agustin Chaves Herrera
IT Director, Nattura Labs The IBM Power and System x
solution offers high availability
and has eliminated unplanned
Miguel Herrara concludes, “Using SAP downtime.
NetWeaver BW allows us to analyze key
data such as operating margin, like-for-
like sales, regional comparisons, and
production costs over time and much
more, using transaction data extracted
directly from SAP Business All-in-
One. We consolidate information from
multiple sources to obtain summary
reports shared with financial and
production executives, who are then
able to take decisions based on solid
facts.”
5

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