Navigating Your Cloud ERP Future: The Essential 2025 RISE with SAP Buyer's Guide
The Critical Juncture: Why Your SAP ERP Future Demands Action
As SAP’s core maintenance deadlines loom, organizations face an urgent imperative to modernize their ERP landscapes. Charting a confident course for your SAP future begins with understanding these critical timelines and the strategic necessity of transitioning to a more agile environment. For a smoother and more secure transition, leveraging specialized expertise can prove invaluable, with solutions from Onapsis offering a clear path forward.
The Urgency of SAP ECC End-of-Maintenance
The clock is ticking for many SAP customers. The overall 2027 deadline for mainstream maintenance of core SAP Business Suite applications, including SAP ECC 6.0, presents an unavoidable challenge. Even sooner, for organizations running SAP ECC 6.0 enhancement packages 1-5, the deadline is as soon as the end of 2025, with no extended maintenance option available. This isn’t just about your ERP system; it impacts the very databases and operating systems it runs on, making future planning vital.
The Inevitable Shift: Why S/4HANA is Now ‘When,’ Not ‘If’
This critical juncture means a strategic shift to SAP S/4HANA is no longer a matter of if, but when. But how do you embark on such a transformative journey without being overwhelmed?
Understanding the Path: RISE with SAP Explained
In the face of ever-increasing demands for agility and innovation, modernizing SAP environments presents a significant challenge for enterprises. RISE with SAP stands out as a strategic and truly comprehensive answer to these complexities, offering a meticulously designed, streamlined pathway to the cloud. It is specifically crafted to simplify what can often be a daunting and intricate journey to S/4HANA, thereby enabling businesses to accelerate their digital transformation with greater confidence and reduced operational friction.
RISE with SAP: Your Strategic Path to S/4HANA Cloud
For a growing number of organizations, RISE with SAP has emerged as the comprehensive offering to accelerate and simplify this critical transformation. It’s designed to modernize ERP systems and streamline business processes. While 64% of SAPinsiders report being familiar or very familiar with RISE with SAP, and its adoption has notably increased since mid-2023, many are still evaluating their options.
At its core, RISE with SAP provides SAP S/4HANA Cloud as your cloud ERP, complemented by SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) for seamless extension and innovation. This powerful combination allows you to establish a digital foundation for process transformation, develop new capabilities with SAP Build, and unify data using SAP Datasphere. It even integrates generative AI like Joule, offering advanced capabilities to those on RISE contracts.
Addressing Concerns: Unpacking Challenges with RISE with SAP
While RISE with SAP presents numerous advantages, organizations often encounter significant concerns during migration. These common challenges range from the intricacies of financial considerations like Total Cost of Ownership to the practical hurdles of re-engineering decades of established business processes and managing extensive customizations. Effective planning hinges on understanding these potential roadblocks.
Unpacking the Challenges: Beyond the Hype
Despite its clear benefits, migrating to a cloud ERP like RISE with SAP comes with its share of concerns. The cost or Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) remains the single biggest concern, impacting 73% of organizations in 2024. This includes not only the complexities of moving to S/4HANA for heavily customized systems but also potential costs like data ingress/egress fees and additional licenses for tools like SAP BTP.
Other factors like perceived limitations in solution choices and concerns about a lack of control also weigh on decision-makers. The sheer complexity of re-engineering business processes and dealing with decades of custom applications, often exceeding millions of lines of code, adds to the challenge.
Your Essential Roadmap: 2025 RISE with SAP Buyer’s Guide
Navigating these challenges and opportunities effectively requires a clear roadmap. The 2025 RISE with SAP Buyer’s Guide is specifically designed to help SAP users in their decisions around this offering.
This essential guide provides:
- Deep dives into market trends, challenges, and opportunities surrounding RISE with SAP.
- Insights into optimizing your future ERP planning given upcoming deadlines.
- Guidance on understanding the complex cost model for RISE with SAP.
- Assessments of key vendors and partners, including technology providers like Onapsis, who offer critical support in areas from advisory and implementation to cloud conversion and extension development.
- Tips on connecting with experienced partners who can provide crucial guidance throughout your S/4HANA and cloud ERP journey.
Don’t let the complexities of cloud ERP adoption delay your digital transformation. Understanding the intricacies of RISE with SAP, its benefits, and how to mitigate potential risks is paramount.
Ready to Make Informed Decisions for Your SAP Future?
Having explored the urgency of migration, the strategic advantages of RISE with SAP, and the challenges that must be addressed, empowering yourself with actionable intelligence is the final, crucial step. Accessing comprehensive resources is key to confidently planning and executing your SAP transformation.
Download the 2025 RISE with SAP Buyer’s Guide today and equip yourself with the knowledge needed to confidently plan your next steps.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the urgency of migrating from SAP ECC?
The urgency stems from key maintenance deadlines. Mainstream maintenance for core SAP Business Suite applications, including SAP ECC 6.0, ends in 2027. Even sooner, SAP ECC 6.0 enhancement packages 1-5 face a hard deadline at the end of 2025 with no extended maintenance option, impacting databases and operating systems.
What is RISE with SAP, and how does it simplify the S/4HANA journey?
RISE with SAP is a comprehensive offering designed to accelerate and simplify the transformation to SAP S/4HANA Cloud. It bundles the cloud ERP, SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) for extensions, tools like SAP Build and Datasphere, and even integrates generative AI like Joule, providing a streamlined path to modernization.
What are the biggest challenges organizations face when adopting RISE with SAP?
The primary concern for organizations migrating to RISE with SAP is the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), impacting 73% of organizations in 2024. Other significant challenges include perceived limitations in solution choices, concerns about a lack of control, and the complexity of re-engineering business processes and managing extensive custom applications.
Does RISE with SAP include SAP S/4HANA Cloud?
Yes, at its core, RISE with SAP provides SAP S/4HANA Cloud as your cloud ERP. It’s the central component of the offering, complemented by other SAP technologies to support a complete digital transformation.
How can the 2025 RISE with SAP Buyer’s Guide help with my migration?
The 2025 RISE with SAP Buyer’s Guide provides a clear roadmap by offering deep dives into market trends, insights into optimizing ERP planning, guidance on understanding the complex cost model, assessments of key vendors and partners (like Onapsis), and tips for connecting with experienced partners to navigate your S/4HANA and cloud ERP journey.
Is there an option for extended maintenance for all SAP ECC 6.0 versions after 2025/2027?
No, while mainstream maintenance for SAP ECC 6.0 (EHP 6-8) extends to 2027 with optional extended maintenance until 2030, organizations running SAP ECC 6.0 enhancement packages 1-5 face a hard deadline at the end of 2025 with no extended maintenance option available. This makes planning for these versions particularly critical.