As a technology leader, you’re likely feeling the pressure. The clock is ticking on SAP ECC’s end-of-support date in 2027, and the big question requiring your attention is: What’s your plan to get to SAP S/4HANA? We understand it’s a huge decision, and you are not alone. With the impending end-of-support deadline for SAP ECC in 2027, many existing SAP customers find themselves urgently needing to move to SAP S/4HANA Cloud. Whether it’s private edition or public edition, many questions loom large that must be addressed to navigate your best path forward.
When it comes to transitioning from ECC, you have more than one route. The right choice depends on your org’s complexity, budget, and risk appetite. The options SAP ECC customers are facing are:
Migrate to SAP S/4HANA. This is SAP’s recommended path and is considered the future of its ERP system. The migration can be done via a brownfield approach (technical conversion of your existing system), a greenfield approach (a fresh implementation), or a bluefield approach (a selective data transition). You can choose to run S/4HANA on-premises, in a private cloud (often through RISE with SAP), or in the public cloud.
Opt for extended maintenance. SAP offers extended maintenance for SAP Business Suite 7 (including ECC) until the end of 2030. This option comes with an additional cost on top of the standard maintenance fee. It provides a temporary solution for companies that need more time to plan and execute a migration.
Switch to third-party support. Some companies, such as Rimini Street, offer third-party support for SAP ECC beyond 2030. This can be a cost-saving alternative to SAP’s extended maintenance and allows you to continue using your existing system for many years without migrating.
Transition to SAP ERP, private edition. This is a new transition option under RISE with SAP for very large and complex customers. It allows you to stay on a version of ECC on SAP HANA in a private cloud environment until 2033, providing a longer runway for your S/4HANA migration. The details of this plan and which customers are eligible for this plan is yet to be provided by SAP.
Navigating Changes To RISE With SAP Post-June 2025
Effective July 2025, SAP has introduced significant changes to the RISE with SAP offering to streamline its packages. The three-tiered structure (Base, Premium, and Premium Plus) has been replaced by a new model. If you are negotiating new contracts, dig deeper with SAP on understanding the packages and entitlements.
Unpacking RISE With SAP SLAs
RISE with SAP provides service-level agreements (SLAs) that are often a key point of discussion for customers. It’s crucial to evaluate if these SLAs align with your business needs and risk tolerance. With RISE, it’s not just about the underlying infrastructure; it’s about application resiliency.
Standard availability: The standard SLA for RISE with SAP is 99.7% availability for production systems and 99.5% for nonproduction systems.
Uptime guarantees: These SLAs cover the application layer, meaning SAP guarantees the availability of your S/4HANA application itself, not just the underlying infrastructure. This is a significant distinction from a pure infrastructure-as-a-service provider, as it consolidates accountability with SAP.
Negotiating higher tiers: A 99.9% SLA may be available for an additional cost, which is important for companies with mission-critical systems that require near-perfect uptime. It’s essential to discuss and negotiate these higher-tier SLAs with your SAP sales team.
Disaster recovery: Standard subscriptions do not include a disaster recovery service. This must be purchased as an additional SKU to ensure business continuity.
When assessing the SLAs, consider your organization’s required uptime for critical business processes and whether the standard offering is sufficient or if a higher tier is necessary to meet your operational requirements.
Take The Next Step
All of these are crucial decisions that technology leaders face, and more often than not, these decisions have a lasting impact on not only your organization’s business operations and strategic initiatives but also long-term technology and architecture roadmap.
To hear what others think, Forrester clients have the opportunity to join me and Linda Ivy-Rosser, Forrester VP and research director, for a peer discussion on this very topic. Leave the conversation with new ideas for how to tackle challenges on your journey to SAP Cloud ERP. Conversely, if you are a Forrester customer who recently completed the migration, your industry peers would appreciate hearing your insights.
