Patient response line at Medtronic is “always on” thanks to SNP

Medtronic

The Challenge

Medtronic faced a major business hurdle when they required an update to their SAP Kernel for the CRM and Oracle database during the next planned maintenance window, which called for 12 hours of downtime. This presented a significant financial challenge to the company. If the company were to adhere to this timeline, it would jeopardize its ability to provide continuous availability of its mission-critical “always on" patient help call center CRM, which records incoming time-sensitive calls for  medical equipment and their appropriate utilization during medical operations. Medtronic is obligated to adhere to stringent customer service level agreements, and live system downtime cannot exceed 15 minutes.

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The Project

Project Type

SAP Maintenance with Near-Zero Downtime

Highlights

During the system update, Medtronic's SAP CRM was able to stay “always on” with little to no downtime during planned and unexpected outages, along with automatic data capture and complaint generation once the system was restored.

Scope

Oracle's database was upgraded from version 11.2 to version 12.2. The SAP Kernel version was upgraded, and the SGEN step was performed. SNP identified and developed software solutions to decrease system downtime that may be employed in the event of future system failures.

SNP Products

  • CrystalBridge® – The Data Transformation Platform
  • Transformation Cockpit
  • Downtime Optimization

Our collaboration with Medtronic & resulting the Benefits

With the implementation of SNP's CrystalBridge® Near-Zero Downtime (NZD) technology in Medtronic's CRM landscape, it is now possible to replicate production CRM data to the standby CRM system, which can then serve as the live system during production system maintenance downtime. Once the maintenance is completed, the production system is activated, and the standby CRM system's new data is copied into production.

  • For the production CRM system, SNP was able to meet the 15-minute downtime timeframe.
  • The implementation of SNP's NZD solution, including analysis, design, installation, testing, and go-live, took less than four months.
  • Medtronic may now utilize SNP's NZD solution for its SAP CRM maintenance cycles, allowing them to achieve their downtime requirements while reducing costs.

Key Facts

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    Duration

    4 months

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    Dowtime

    under 15 minutes

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    Project type

    SAP Maintenance with Near-Zero Downtime

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    Users

    600

Thanks to SNP‘s CrystalBridge suite, our SAP maintenance downtime windows have been reduced to minutes. I can rest easy knowing that we can utilize this solution for future updates, saving time and money.

Leela Bijili

Program Manager, Medtronic

About Medtronic

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Medtronic is an American-Irish medical device company, among the largest in the world. With operations in 150 countries, their products treat 70 health conditions  and include cardiac devices, cranial and spine robotics, insulin pumps, surgical  tools,  patient monitoring  systems, and more. Their therapies help 75 million people a year and support the company’s mission to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life.

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Headquarters

Minnesota, USA

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Employees

90,000

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Industry

Healthcare

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Revenue

USD 30.6 billion