With the 2027 deadline looming, organisations need to start thinking about upgrading to SAP S/4HANA.
However, despite this deadline, 66 percent of SAP customers have no plans to move within the next three years.
But don't fear. We're here to ease the process by offering a handful of migration strategy options.
Go Brown, Green or Blue
If you're in the 34 percent of businesses that do plan on moving soon, it's likely you'll follow one of three routes:
- Brownfield. This involves migrating your existing SAP systems as they are. Almost half of businesses opt for this approach.
- Greenfield. This entails building a brand new implementation. It offers more innovation and control but requires a lot of time and resources.
- Bluefield. With the right experience and forethought, you can choose this 'in between' option that blends quality, cost and time with IT efficiencies. You pick and choose what aspects of your environment you move based on your business needs.
Of course, it's never appropriate to throw yourself into S/4HANA without the right preparation. You need to take the time to plan your route. And if that feels like too much, don’t be afraid to get help from the experts.
If you're still 'umming' and 'ahhing', don't fret. This isn't a dead-end; there's another fork in the road.
Or... Migrate to Azure first
If the requirement for S/4 isn’t a priority for your business, but the need for a modernised SAP environment without the delivery of a new application set is, we advise making the move to Azure cloud first
ECC in Azure will offer you all the advantages of the cloud, including:
- Increased agility and flexibility.
- Simplified management and world-class security.
- Reduced total cost of ownership.
- A SAP-optimised environment that encourages data-driven innovation.
On top of these benefits, Azure acts as a better launchpad for S/4HANA.
This is because you can run a proof of concept that analyses the S/4HANA migration process. In turn, allowing you to see what your existing estate will look like on the platform.
So, when you finally migrate to S/4HANA, you can choose Brown, Blue or Green with more confidence.
What route should you choose?
Whether you're looking to migrate your environment to S/4HANA now, within two years, or at a later date, there are options available. But, don’t let the deadline sneak up on you. You should plan your roadmap sooner rather than later.
However, if a full S/4HANA migration isn’t feasible right now, why not move to the cloud? When you make the jump to ECC in Azure first, you can enhance your SAP environment, increase your agility, and better determine your route ahead.
If you'd like to find out how Centiq can help you build your migration roadmap, please get in touch. We offer free, no-obligation Transformation Roadmap reports that can offer much-needed clarity.
