Presented by Barbara McElnea, Veronika Reger, and Greg Simons, this Microsoft Ignite session details how Microsoft Federal modernized SAP ERP with RISE on Azure, focusing on robust infrastructure, AI-driven monitoring, and enhanced security and compliance in regulated government settings.

Migration Lessons from Microsoft Federal’s RISE with SAP Deployment

Session Speakers: Barbara McElnea, Veronika Reger, Greg Simons
Event: Microsoft Ignite 2025
Session Code: BRK165

Overview

Learn how the Microsoft Federal team undertook the modernization of SAP ERP systems for regulated industries, deploying RISE with SAP on Microsoft Cloud, specifically leveraging Azure Government. The deployment prioritized high infrastructure SLA, sovereignty, compliance, and security using integrated Microsoft solutions.

Key Topics Covered

  • High SLA Infrastructure on Azure Government:
    • Detailed discussion on hosting SAP workloads on Azure Government to meet high availability and sovereignty requirements, including the involvement of National Security Services (NS2).
  • SAP BTP Integration:
    • Insights into integrating SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) with Microsoft services for enhanced flexibility and functionality.
  • AI-powered Monitoring:
    • Using AI-driven tools for proactive monitoring, anomaly detection, and system health to support mission-critical applications.
  • Security Operations with Defender and Sentinel:
    • Deployment of Microsoft Defender and Sentinel to provide advanced threat detection, defense-in-depth, and meet compliance needs for government workloads.
  • Sovereignty and Compliance Features:
    • How sovereignty solutions and compliance frameworks are implemented using Microsoft platforms to support regulated environments.

Practical Insights and Lessons Learned

  • Deployment Models:
    • Discussion of migration approaches, including one-step versus two-step strategies, and their impact on project complexity and timeline.
  • Cross-tenant Authentication and Latency:
    • Lessons learned regarding the impact of authentication architectures on system latency.
  • High Availability and Business Continuity:
    • Co-innovation with NS2 around BCDR (Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery) to ensure resilience.

Q&A and Technical Deep Dive

The session concludes with questions and answers addressing technical details in security controls, integration best practices, and lessons from real-world deployment.

Further Resources

Session Chapters

  • Introduction and Welcome
  • Overview of SAP Systems & Agenda
  • SAP Managed Tenant and Infrastructure Services
  • Azure Government & NS2
  • Sentinel Deployment for Threat Detection
  • Co-innovation for High Availability and BCDR
  • Migration Strategy Decisions
  • Q&A / Technical Integrations