Two years feels like a long time, but for any business facing the end of maintenance to their SAP ECC 6.0, two years may not be long enough.

With support being withdrawn for SAP ECC 6.0 from 31 January 2027, there’s pressure mounting on businesses to migrate to S/4HANA. This isn’t a quick or easy process, but one that requires planning, resourcing and a careful map to integration.

What’s happened to SAP ECC 6.0?

Back in 2014 SAP announced that mainstream support for SAP ECC 6.0 would end in 2025. Thankfully, that deadline was extended to 2027 but come January 2028 customers will be automatically converted to customer-specific maintenance and lose access to any new updates.

That means all existing SAP ECC 6.0 customers will need to transition to S/4HANA or find an alternative ERP solution.

Introducing S/4HANA

S/4HANA is SAP’s latest ERP system replacing the current SAP ECC 6.0. S/4HANA is a cloud based system which enables real-time data processing, advanced analytics and offers a seamless integration with other business functions.

Its main function is to equip organisations to work successfully in a digital economy and it brings a host of key benefits to enable you to do that. 

Key benefits

Performance and agility

S/4HANA runs exclusively on SAP HANA which results in faster processing and reporting speeds. Functions that might have taken minutes on SAP ECC6 will now take seconds, streamlining business operations and performance.

Simplicity

Despite how daunting the migration might seem, once S/4HANA is embedded in the business the focus is on simplicity through centralised and unified hardware and network resources. In essence, it creates a digital hub harnessing the power of its in-memory database.

Improved performance

With the ability to plan, report, analyse and forecast based on live data, organisations are able to provide better service for customer-centric applications.

Migration options

There are a few options for how you migrate to SAP S/4HANA, which one you choose will be determined by the size and state of your data, your future business needs and the extent of transformation your business is willing, and able to make.

‘Greenfield’ approach

This approach starts with a clean slate and requires a complete re-engineering of your SAP processes and workflows. This means that any previous customisation will be erased and you’re starting from scratch.

The ‘Greenfield’ approach typically results in a lower total-cost-of-ownership and can provide an opportunity to standardise and simplify ways of working.

‘Brownfield’ approach

A ‘Brownfield’ approach is more an upgrade to your existing SAP ERP. This approach allows S/4HANA to be set up before migrating your SAP workflows and systems over.

For businesses that want to retain their previous investment in customisations and retain their existing system, this is the best approach. It results in less disruption and is typically most cost-effective.

‘Hybrid’ approach

Large enterprises with complex systems might find that a ‘Hybrid’ approach is best for them. It allows you to pick and choose the parts of ‘Greenfield’ and ‘Brownfield’ implementations while mitigating risks. A ‘Hybrid’ approach can create waves of transformation that are added over time, minimising disruption during the transition period.

This way of working isn’t without its downsides, it’s a complicated way of working and requires a third-party tool to do the job.

Migration considerations

The biggest consideration is timing. SAP made this announcement in 2017 but at the end of Q2 2024 63% of ECC customers hadn’t secured the necessary licences for S/4HANA. With so many firms still needing to begin or complete their migrations the pressure is on to finish before the 2027 deadline.

SAP have stated the average migration to SAP S/4HANA takes between 12-18 months, with many larger more complex organisations taking much longer. With less than 24 months to go, the need to commit to this critical transformation project is growing by the day.

Migrating to S/4HANA isn’t a simple process. It’s an entirely new system built on SAP’s in-memory database HANA. This process requires skills that the vast majority don’t possess in-house, that means finding outsourced support from consultants or agencies, and the longer you leave it to secure that support, the harder, and more expensive, it’ll be to secure it.

With finite resources and experts available to manage the migration for you, and with an expectation that the S/4HANA implementation costs will rise as we approach the 2027 deadline, delaying the process will cost more and become a far higher-risk activity.

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