How In-memory Technology Can Create Business Value: Insights from the Hilti Case

Abstract

With in-memory technology, all data and applications are kept in the computer’s main memory to avoid expensive mechanical hard-drive I/O access, reduce latency times, and increase the ability to process large volumes of data or complex data. In this “innovation and novel concepts” article, we discuss how in-memory technology may create business value. Based on our experiences in collaborating with the Hilti Corporation, one of the first adopters of SAP’s in-memory technology appliance (SAP HANA), we describe and discuss illustrative application scenarios that are made possible through the increased computing power offered by in-memory technology. Based on these scenarios, we identify principles of value creation through in-memory technology: the first-order effects of reduced latency times and increased ability to process large volumes of complex data (big data processing) that lead to the second-order effects of advanced business analytics and the convergence of OLTP and OLAP that themselves lead to business value through improved organizational performance.