“With SQL Server 2008 R2 data compression, we’ve reduced our database size by 70 percent. We estimate that we can wait three years before upgrading our SAN, which gives us a substantial savings in storage costs.”

Chaitanya Wagle, Associate Vice President, Kirloskar Brothers Limited

As its global business grew, Kirloskar Brothers Limited (KBL) wanted to reduce storage costs and speed performance in its SAP environment. By implementing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 and backup and data compression, the company has decreased its database size by 70 percent while continuing to use its existing storage area network (SAN). The company has cut costs, reduced its backup window by more than 60 percent, and accelerated OLTP reporting. KBL is confident that it has the solution it needs to support business growth.

Business NeedsKirloskar Brothers Limited is a leading manufacturer and exporter of hydraulic systems, including centrifugal pumps, valves, motors, and turnkey solutions. It operates six manufacturing facilities in India and supplies large public infrastructure projects and multiple industries worldwide. KBL supports its global operations with SAP software, including enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship (CRM) systems.

As the company expanded, it wanted to support business growth with better scalability and performance. KBL maintained 1.3 terabytes in its product database, and the volume was growing by approximately 15 gigabytes each month. The expanding volume of data slowed performance and was increasingly difficult to maintain. The company struggled with a lengthy backup window and rising storage costs. “With the growth in the volume of production data, we needed to allocate similar storage on our backup media and disaster-recovery servers,” says Chaitanya Wagle, Associate Vice President of Kirloskar Brothers Limited. “We would also require more capacity for other non-

production systems. So overall, we were looking at higher storage costs.”

KBL wanted to avoid purchasing a more costly, high-end SAN and hoped to speed its daily backup and restore processes.

SolutionKBL decided to enhance its SAP infrastructure by upgrading from Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition data management software to SQL Server 2008 R2 Enterprise. The company was already using Microsoft products throughout its organization and was confident it had made the right choice. “We like the high level of support and reliability we gain with Microsoft products,” says Chaitanya. “Everyone appreciates the simplicity of the user interface, and it’s easy to find the expertise we need to implement virtually any solution.”

The company knew that SQL Server 2008 R2 would provide the scalability it needed, and it was eager to take advantage of new data and backup compression features. In May 2011, KBL deployed the solution with Microsoft Premier Services, which had provided extensive assistance with other upgrades. The Microsoft team helped with

Customer: Kirloskar Brothers LimitedWebsite: www.kbl.co.inCustomer Size: 3000 employeesCountry or Region: IndiaIndustry: Manufacturing—Industrial equipment and machinery

Customer ProfileHeadquartered in Pune, India, Kirloskar Brothers Limited is a global manufacturer of hydraulic products, including centrifugal pumps, valves, and motors. It supplies large infrastructure projects, including irrigation, building construction, and water resource management.

Solution Spotlight Reduced database size by 70 percent

and cut TCO. Decreased backup-and-restore

window by more than 60 percent. Increased employee productivity by

accelerating SAP performance. Enhanced support for business growth.

For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit:

Microsoft SQL ServerCustomer Solution Case Study

Leading Manufacturer Boosts Performance, Cuts TCO with Data Compression Solution

every step of the project, from proof of concept through the post-production stage.

KBL reports that the upgrade process exceeded expectations, and the company was able to cut deployment time in half—from eight to four hours. “Deployment was very smooth,” says Chaitanya. “Microsoft Premier Services provided a detailed implementation strategy and stayed on-site during the entire upgrade.”

Approximately 375 concurrent users work with the solution, which is deployed on HP ProLiant DL580 G5 and HP ProLiant BL460c G7 server computers running the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system. For disaster recovery, the company uses log shipping with backup compression to copy production data to another location.By using data compression, the company has reduced its database size from 1.3 terabytes to 260 gigabytes. In addition, the solution improved throughput on the SAN and accelerated SAP dialog steps by approximately 10 percent, which speeds online transaction processing (OLTP) reporting.

Employees use Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 with SQL Server 2008 R2 to collaborate both internally and externally with partners, vendors, and customers. The company plans to upgrade to SQL Server 2012 to take advantage of enhanced support for both SAP software and SharePoint Server 2010.

BenefitsWith SQL Server 2008 R2, KBL has increased its storage capacity while cutting costs and saving time on data backup. It has also improved productivity for end users and provided better support for business growth.

Improves Scalability and Lowers TCOBy implementing SQL Server 2008 R2, KBL has increased its storage capacity and reduced its total cost of ownership (TCO). “With SQL Server 2008 R2 data compression, we’ve reduced our database size by 70 percent,” says Chaitanya. “We estimate that we can wait three years before upgrading our SAN, which gives us a substantial savings in storage costs.”KBL also needs fewer DLT-3 tape cartridges for backup, which further decreases TCO. Chaitanya says, “By implementing SQL

Server 2008 R2, we can minimize costs while continuing to provide a high level of service to our business users.”

Speeds Backup and Restore ProcessesIn the past, the company spent about 1.5 hours each day backing up and restoring its mission-critical production data. With backup compression in SQL Server 2008 R2, administrators have reduced the backup window significantly. “It was always a challenge to back up and restore the servers, because it took so long,” says Chaitanya. “But with Windows Server 2008 R2, the whole process takes less than half an hour. Now, I can ensure business continuity by scheduling more daily backups of my production servers.”

Increases Employee Productivity Employees have also improved productivity with faster OLTP reporting. “Our users work with SAP reports on a daily basis,” says Chaitanya. “By improving SAP performance with SQL Server 2008 R2, they spend less time generating reports and more time on production planning and other operations important to the business.”

Supports Business GrowthKBL has better support for its growing business with a Microsoft platform. The company looks forward to working with SQL Server 2012 and other new Microsoft products. “There are multiple benefits in running our business with Microsoft products,” says Chaitanya. “For example, we gain exposure to the most current technology, as well as easy deployment and integration with line-of-business systems such as our SAP environment.”

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published May 2012

Software and Services Microsoft Server Product Portfolio− Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2

Enterprise− Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise− Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010

Services− Microsoft Premier Services

Hardware HP ProLiant DL580 G5 and BL460c G7

server computers