24
10 min
Don’t wait: the window for a savvy SAP cloud migration is closing soon
Ksenia Razumovskaya
Business Development Manager, TeamIdea Group
SAP ECC has proved its reputation as one of the most reliable cores for ERP systems on the market. However, its era is drawing to a close. Right now, companies must decide whether to continue using outdated SAP ECC with very limited support and increased risks or keep pace with technology advance by migrating to SAP S/4HANA.
TeamIdea’s experts are here to assist in making informed decisions and ensure successful migration to SAP S/4HANA. And first let us clarify the situation by sharing the actual deadlines and details about continued support for ECC 6.
In 2020, SAP has announced updated maintenance strategy for SAP Business Suite, including SAP ECC, SAP BW, SAP NetWeaver. The mainstream maintenance for the SAP Business Suite portfolio will end on 31st of December, 2027, followed by optional extended maintenance available to customers at additional fee until 31st of December, 2030.
To ensure sustainability of their ERP system companies are encouraged to move to SAP S/4HANA, the next-generation ERP suite.
Mainstream maintenance of SAP Business Suite 7, including ECC 6.0 EHP 7 and 8 and SAP BW 7.5 will end by December 31, 2027. Extended maintenance is available for latest versions of SAP Business Suite 7. The scope of support for the extended maintenance period is similar to the scope of support provided during mainstream maintenance, however, there will be an additional charge on top of current maintenance fees imposed on customer who will pursue this option.
Already now SAP provides no major enhancements of functionality or innovations for SAP Business Suite 7 portfolio, including SAP ECC. As the maintenance ends, companies staying on SAP ECC and BW will face increased expenses, cyber threats, and lagging behind rivals.
Starting 2028, customers will have two options for maintaining their SAP Business Suite 7 core applications:
Here is some more information on different ECC versions and their deadlines for those who decide to stay with on-premise solution:
Operation problems: No delivery of new support packages, Technology updates are limited, Problem resolution is customer specific, which means customers are charged for solving problems not yet known to SAP. Also, security holes won't be patched after December 31st, 2030, leaving your company vulnerable.
Legal issues: No updates to cover legal changes. Keeping updated with regulations gets harder since you'll miss vital updates needed for passing inspections.
Missing innovations: if you're still running old software, you'll lose out on exciting new SAP embedded AI features which are used by other companies and your peers.
Falling behind competitors: other companies are already moving forward, gaining advantages like better service quality, lower costs, and smoother operations thanks to S/4HANA.
SAP provides three deployment options for S/4HANA: on premise, private cloud and public cloud. The promise is here to support on premise edition until at least December, 31st, 2040.
At TeamIdea we believe the world has entered Cloud Era. We advise you to consider one of the cloud deployment options for your S/4HANA system, and here is why:
Switching to the SAP S/4HANA cloud solution offers much more than just safety — it opens doors to advanced tools powered by artificial intelligence, instant insights, and industry best practices. Making the transition early gives companies time to adjust gradually, prepare properly, and get ahead of competition before things become urgent. Last but not least: you will continue using SAP’s Proactive Support Strategy. It aims to detect and resolve issues before they impact daily operations. With real-time support, potential problems are identified automatically, allowing quick diagnosis and fixing. This proactive approach minimizes downtime and prevents costly disruptions.
Its key features include:
Expert chat: Live connections to SAP specialists for immediate troubleshooting.
Scheduled experts: book calls for complex issues, ensuring timely resolutions.
AI-Powered tools: predictive analytics monitor system performance, providing alerts before failures occur.
Self-service resources: access to knowledge bases, guided solutions, and incident matching via machine learning. And many other features.
These SAP services ensure businesses receive comprehensive support, reducing reliance on manual intervention and enabling smooth operation. The support isn't just about reacting to issues but actively preventing them, making it easier for IT teams to focus on innovation rather than crisis management.
However, even though it's crucial to act fast, many companies are hesitant because they're uncertain what steps to follow first or which approach suits them best. But just imagine: It’s 1 a.m., you need to finally finish your working day, and your dashboard flashes red. A key business process is slowing down; you have some big issue, and every minute counts. Before you even open a ticket, SAP’s Real-Time Support might already be on the case — diagnosing, learning, and suggesting fixes behind the scenes. And that’s not sci-fi. With the best of SAP support, your plane is always co-piloted: you run SAP S/4HANA or a mix of cloud and on-premise systems; support is a built-in product — always learning and always improving.
Why do all these advantages matter for IT teams
For IT admins, it means fewer “1 a.m. incidents.”
For developers, faster feedback loops and smarter automation.
For architects, cleaner system landscapes with fewer unknowns.
And for everyone, more time spent innovating instead of firefighting.
And if you have already moved to S/4HANA, here is one more reminder about deadlines for maintenance timelines:
End of Mainstream Maintenance for Version 2020 is December 31st, 2025, extended maintenance is available for customers moving to Private Cloud until December 31st, 2028.
End of Mainstream Maintenance for Version 2021, is December 31st, 2026, extended maintenance is available for customers moving to Private Cloud until December 31st, 2029.
End of Mainstream Maintenance for the Version 2022, is December 31st, 2027, extended maintenance is available for customers moving to Private Cloud until December 31st, 2030.
For Version 2023, Mainstream Maintenance will be available until December 31st, 2030.
The newest version, 2025 will be supported in mainstream maintenance until December 31st, 2032.
TeamIdea’s experts are here to assist in making informed decisions and ensure successful migration to SAP S/4HANA. And first let us clarify the situation by sharing the actual deadlines and details about continued support for ECC 6.
In 2020, SAP has announced updated maintenance strategy for SAP Business Suite, including SAP ECC, SAP BW, SAP NetWeaver. The mainstream maintenance for the SAP Business Suite portfolio will end on 31st of December, 2027, followed by optional extended maintenance available to customers at additional fee until 31st of December, 2030.
To ensure sustainability of their ERP system companies are encouraged to move to SAP S/4HANA, the next-generation ERP suite.
What exactly is to happen in two months and until 2030?
Mainstream maintenance of SAP Business Suite 7, including ECC 6.0 EHP 7 and 8 and SAP BW 7.5 will end by December 31, 2027. Extended maintenance is available for latest versions of SAP Business Suite 7. The scope of support for the extended maintenance period is similar to the scope of support provided during mainstream maintenance, however, there will be an additional charge on top of current maintenance fees imposed on customer who will pursue this option.
Already now SAP provides no major enhancements of functionality or innovations for SAP Business Suite 7 portfolio, including SAP ECC. As the maintenance ends, companies staying on SAP ECC and BW will face increased expenses, cyber threats, and lagging behind rivals.
What does it mean in practical terms
Starting 2028, customers will have two options for maintaining their SAP Business Suite 7 core applications:
- Extended maintenance — for those who need more time to move to SAP S/4HANA. It includes a 2% premium on the regular maintenance fee. And it will be available for three years, from January 1st, 2028 to December 31st , 2030.
- Costly customer-specific maintenance — for customers who don’t choose extended maintenance or after it simply ends.
Here is some more information on different ECC versions and their deadlines for those who decide to stay with on-premise solution:
- ECC 6 versions 0-5: their maintenance ends on December 31, 2025. There is no option for extended maintenance.
- ECC 6 versions 6-8: regular maintenance concludes on December 31, 2027. However, extended maintenance is available until December 31, 2030, at the added cost mentioned above.
Here are how the deadlines can affect you
Operation problems: No delivery of new support packages, Technology updates are limited, Problem resolution is customer specific, which means customers are charged for solving problems not yet known to SAP. Also, security holes won't be patched after December 31st, 2030, leaving your company vulnerable.
Legal issues: No updates to cover legal changes. Keeping updated with regulations gets harder since you'll miss vital updates needed for passing inspections.
Missing innovations: if you're still running old software, you'll lose out on exciting new SAP embedded AI features which are used by other companies and your peers.
Falling behind competitors: other companies are already moving forward, gaining advantages like better service quality, lower costs, and smoother operations thanks to S/4HANA.
What would be the way forward?
SAP provides three deployment options for S/4HANA: on premise, private cloud and public cloud. The promise is here to support on premise edition until at least December, 31st, 2040.
At TeamIdea we believe the world has entered Cloud Era. We advise you to consider one of the cloud deployment options for your S/4HANA system, and here is why:
- Most AI features are available out of the box with SAP S/4HANA cloud. GenAI features including Joule, SAP’s co-pilot, is available exclusively for cloud applications.
- Embedded support service with semi-annual upgrades embedded in subscription fees
- Advanced cloud operations which help your team focus on functional features and leave technicalities of provisioning to SAP.
Switching to the SAP S/4HANA cloud solution offers much more than just safety — it opens doors to advanced tools powered by artificial intelligence, instant insights, and industry best practices. Making the transition early gives companies time to adjust gradually, prepare properly, and get ahead of competition before things become urgent. Last but not least: you will continue using SAP’s Proactive Support Strategy. It aims to detect and resolve issues before they impact daily operations. With real-time support, potential problems are identified automatically, allowing quick diagnosis and fixing. This proactive approach minimizes downtime and prevents costly disruptions.
Its key features include:
Expert chat: Live connections to SAP specialists for immediate troubleshooting.
Scheduled experts: book calls for complex issues, ensuring timely resolutions.
AI-Powered tools: predictive analytics monitor system performance, providing alerts before failures occur.
Self-service resources: access to knowledge bases, guided solutions, and incident matching via machine learning. And many other features.
These SAP services ensure businesses receive comprehensive support, reducing reliance on manual intervention and enabling smooth operation. The support isn't just about reacting to issues but actively preventing them, making it easier for IT teams to focus on innovation rather than crisis management.
Do not hesitate; act to keep pace with technology!
However, even though it's crucial to act fast, many companies are hesitant because they're uncertain what steps to follow first or which approach suits them best. But just imagine: It’s 1 a.m., you need to finally finish your working day, and your dashboard flashes red. A key business process is slowing down; you have some big issue, and every minute counts. Before you even open a ticket, SAP’s Real-Time Support might already be on the case — diagnosing, learning, and suggesting fixes behind the scenes. And that’s not sci-fi. With the best of SAP support, your plane is always co-piloted: you run SAP S/4HANA or a mix of cloud and on-premise systems; support is a built-in product — always learning and always improving.
Why do all these advantages matter for IT teams
For IT admins, it means fewer “1 a.m. incidents.”
For developers, faster feedback loops and smarter automation.
For architects, cleaner system landscapes with fewer unknowns.
And for everyone, more time spent innovating instead of firefighting.
And if you have already moved to S/4HANA, here is one more reminder about deadlines for maintenance timelines:
End of Mainstream Maintenance for Version 2020 is December 31st, 2025, extended maintenance is available for customers moving to Private Cloud until December 31st, 2028.
End of Mainstream Maintenance for Version 2021, is December 31st, 2026, extended maintenance is available for customers moving to Private Cloud until December 31st, 2029.
End of Mainstream Maintenance for the Version 2022, is December 31st, 2027, extended maintenance is available for customers moving to Private Cloud until December 31st, 2030.
For Version 2023, Mainstream Maintenance will be available until December 31st, 2030.
The newest version, 2025 will be supported in mainstream maintenance until December 31st, 2032.
TeamIdea encourages you to decide with the newest versions faster, and we’ll help you with the transformation. And in coming publications we’ll talk about possible scenarios in a given situation and compare benefits and weaknesses of several migration strategies. Getting started early gives you time to avoid deadlines that you can hardly meet, work out the strategy, clean up your data, train your staff, and test new features on a small scale first.
