In 2025, an important announcement shook the ERP world: SAP has decided to extend the maintenance of its systems until 2033, far longer than initially expected. This decision comes at a time when many businesses are still using SAP ECC 6.0, one of the most widely used systems. But beyond this simple extension, it also presents a strategic opportunity for businesses looking to prepare for the future while maintaining their daily operations without risk.
The Impact of SAP’s Announcement: A Critical Extension for Businesses
The extension of maintenance for SAP systems until 2033 means that businesses using SAP ECC 6.0 can continue to benefit from security updates, bug fixes, and technical support for several more years. This allows them to keep their infrastructure in place without the immediate pressure of migrating or upgrading to SAP S/4HANA, SAP’s next-generation ERP.
This extension creates a precious window of time for businesses to plan a smooth transition to newer solutions, without the rush of an imminent migration. In other words, SAP is no longer forcing its clients to upgrade to SAP S/4HANA within a set deadline, reducing the pressure on companies that want to move forward with their transformation at their own pace.
What is RISE with SAP and Why Is It Important?
At the same time, SAP has developed a solution that complements this maintenance extension: RISE with SAP. This offering is much more than just a migration to the cloud. RISE with SAP is an all-in-one digital transformation solution that enables businesses to manage their transformation process in an integrated manner. It combines several services, including cloud infrastructure, analytics tools, and advanced features to optimize business processes.
RISE with SAP allows businesses to take advantage of a flexible cloud platform while continuing to use their existing systems. In other words, with this solution, companies can migrate to the cloud gradually while still running their systems on-site or in a hybrid environment.
What Are the Main Benefits of RISE with SAP?
- Flexibility and Customization:
- RISE with SAP allows businesses to retain a significant portion of their existing infrastructure while modernizing their processes. Companies can migrate to the cloud at their own pace, without rushing. This flexibility enables them to tailor the solution to their specific needs without having to change all their systems immediately.
- Process Simplification:
- RISE with SAP provides integrated tools to simplify and automate business processes. For example, it offers features for managing purchases, sales, inventory, finances, etc. These tools make operations smoother and less time-consuming, leading to efficiency and productivity gains.
- Business Intelligence and Advanced Reporting:
- One of the standout features of RISE with SAP is its deep integration with Business Intelligence (BI) tools. These tools enable businesses to collect and analyze real-time data, providing valuable insights to improve strategic decision-making. Companies can identify growth opportunities, optimization areas, or cost-saving measures more quickly.
- Accelerating Digital Transformation:
- With RISE with SAP, businesses can speed up their transition to a more modern digital environment while reducing the risks associated with large-scale migrations. The goal is to leverage the best cloud technologies available while maintaining the stability and security of existing systems.
- Enhanced Security and Compliance:
- SAP ensures that RISE with SAP meets the highest security standards, guaranteeing the protection of business data. Moreover, the solution simplifies compliance with ever-evolving legal and regulatory requirements, which is crucial for businesses operating in highly regulated sectors.
Why Is This Extension a True Strategic Opportunity for Businesses?
A Valuable Time for Planning Digital Transformation
One of the major benefits of this maintenance extension is that it gives businesses the time to plan their digital transformation without pressure. Rather than rushing into a migration, businesses now have until 2033 to consider a gradual modernization of their processes.
RISE with SAP offers the ability to move to the cloud while maintaining the continuity of operations, which is a key benefit for businesses that don’t have the resources or time to migrate all at once. They can experiment with new technologies while ensuring the stability of their current systems.
Cost Reduction and Efficiency Improvement
Cloud solutions also offer the opportunity to reduce the costs associated with managing physical infrastructure. By migrating to a cloud platform like RISE with SAP, businesses can lower infrastructure and maintenance costs while gaining access to more powerful tools. The expenses related to managing servers, maintaining applications, and ensuring security are reduced, allowing businesses to focus their resources on higher-value projects.
Moreover, process simplification through RISE with SAP helps to reduce manual tasks and automate repetitive operations, improving overall business efficiency. Less time spent on administrative tasks means more time to focus on innovation, customer service, or other strategic areas.
Preparing for the Future While Leveraging Current Potential
With this extension, SAP allows businesses to remain competitive while adapting to new market trends. This is not just about maintaining the status quo; it’s about preparing for the future by gradually integrating new innovations without disrupting daily activities.
Businesses can benefit from better data analytics, greater agility in managing inventory and orders, and a 360-degree view of their internal processes. This enables them to quickly adjust their strategies based on market shifts.
Conclusion: An Opportunity to Seize Without Delay
SAP’s decision to extend maintenance until 2033 offers businesses a privileged transition period to prepare for the future. Whether through RISE with SAP or other tailored solutions, every company can choose to migrate to modern cloud environments at their own pace while benefiting from the extended support for their current systems.
This opportunity is ideal for businesses that want to reduce risks associated with immediate migrations while enhancing competitiveness and efficiency. Now is the time to strategically rethink your digital transformation, using this window of opportunity to invest in the future while ensuring the stability of operations.