The Business Case for SAP Cloud Migration: Why RISE with SAP and Professional Consulting Matter

Your organization runs on SAP. The applications and databases that power your operations represent years of investment, customization, and fine-tuning. Now you face a decision about their future that will impact your business for the next decade.

Corporate technology leaders find themselves at this inflection point as the 2027 deadline for SAP cloud migration approaches. A comprehensive analysis cross-referencing SAP, Gartner, and industry customer data reveals nearly three-quarters of SAP customers have yet to start or complete their migration to S/4HANA. More specifically, only 57% of enterprises using SAP’s on-premise ERP Central Component solutions are on track to meet the 2027 deadline. 

This disconnect between current progress and future requirements takes on added weight when you consider what migration truly entails — transforming the systems that manage your finance, supply chain, manufacturing, and customer operations.

The decision to migrate brings multiple challenges that demand careful consideration:

• Evaluating standardization benefits against the value of your existing custom processes
• Understanding the complete cost picture beyond initial implementation
• Maintaining operational excellence throughout the transformation
• Securing qualified technical talent in a market where thousands of companies compete for resources
• Managing the risks of business disruption during the transition

The Real Scope of SAP Cloud Migration

Cloud migration delivers measurable financial benefits. Analysis from Accenture demonstrates potential total cost of ownership savings between 30-40% through improved workload flexibility and infrastructure efficiency. These savings stem from three key factors: server utilization rates, workload flexibility, and energy-efficient infrastructure. The actual financial return varies based on your chosen cloud provider, level of cloud optimization, and implementation of cloud-enabled innovations.

Converting capital expenditure to operational expenditure changes your financial model. This shift affects everything from budgeting cycles to how you scale resources for growth. These benefits also require careful orchestration — organizations must plan for the operational and technical demands of the transition.

The RISE Framework and its Boundaries

RISE with SAP represents SAP’s answer to simplified cloud transformation. The program combines infrastructure, licensing, and support into a unified offering — a single contract designed to streamline your journey to the cloud. This consolidation aims to reduce complexity in vendor management and support.

But — and this is important to know — 40% of SAP operational needs fall outside the RISE contract scope based on our experience with hundreds of clients. This substantial gap affects various aspects of your SAP operations, from daily system management to strategic initiatives. Organizations must plan for these out-of-scope requirements, particularly when SAP systems support mission-critical business functions.

The implications of this support gap become more significant as the 2027 deadline approaches. The convergence of timeline pressure and support requirements amplifies the importance of comprehensive planning for all operational needs — both within and outside the RISE framework.

Operational Stakes and Business Impact

Migration scale varies dramatically with organization size. Smaller companies can complete the process in approximately 12 months with a team of roughly 10 staff members. However, this represents the least complex scenario. For larger enterprises running multiple SAP instances or heavily customized systems, the complexity, timeline, and resource requirements multiply significantly.

The timeline pressures add another layer of consideration. With only 57% of enterprises currently on track to meet the 2027 deadline, competition for qualified implementation partners and technical resources will intensify.

This resource scarcity has direct implications for:

• Project timelines and costs
• Access to experienced implementation teams
• Quality of execution
• Risk management capabilities
• Business continuity planning

Organizations that delay their migration face compounded challenges. The technical talent shortage predicted to peak in 2027 will affect both the availability and cost of resources. This scarcity particularly impacts:

• Implementation costs
• Project duration
• Access to specialized expertise
• Quality of support during and after migration

Professional Support: Closing Critical Migration Gaps

Standard ticketing systems suffice for routine technical issues. But consider your core business functions — manufacturing, finance, supply chain — where system delays directly impact revenue. These operations demand rapid, contextual response from experts who understand both your technical landscape and business requirements.

This need for expert support becomes more pressing when we again revisit a critical statistic: 40% of SAP operational needs fall outside the RISE contract scope. We highlight this figure again because it directly impacts your support model. Each customization, integration, and business-specific process within this large percentage requires specialized attention during and after migration.

Support Requirements Across Migration Phases

A successful migration demands different types of support at each stage. Understanding these varying requirements helps organizations build comprehensive support strategies that evolve with their migration journey. Each phase presents unique challenges that require specific expertise and resources:

Pre-Migration:

• Technical landscape assessment
• Custom code evaluation
• Integration mapping
• Resource planning and timeline development
• Risk mitigation strategy

During Migration:

• Real-time problem resolution
• Business continuity management
• Performance optimization
• Security maintenance
• User support

Post-Migration:

• System optimization
• Integration management
• Performance monitoring
• Ongoing maintenance
• Innovation implementation

Building a Comprehensive Support Strategy for SAP Cloud Migration

A robust support strategy includes three core areas that extend beyond standard platform support:

1. Technical Mastery

• Specialized expertise in SAP architecture and infrastructure
• Deep understanding of industry-specific modules and functionality
• Advanced performance tuning and optimization capabilities
• Custom development and integration expertise
• Proactive monitoring and issue prevention
• Database management and optimization

2. Business Process Excellence

• Translation of technical issues into business impact
• Process mining and optimization
• Change management and user adoption strategies
• Industry-specific best practices implementation
• Regulatory compliance management
• Documentation and knowledge transfer

3. Operational Leadership

• Strategic roadmap development
• Risk assessment and mitigation
• Cost optimization strategies
• Innovation planning and implementation
• Vendor relationship management
• Governance and compliance oversight

These areas call for experienced professionals who understand both SAP’s technical complexities and your business objectives. The fusion of technical expertise and business acumen transforms your migration from a system update into a driver of measurable business value.

Strategic Migration: From Planning to Execution

The path to S/4HANA requires careful coordination of resources, support, and expertise. Organizations that succeed in this transition share common approaches:

Strategic Timing 

They recognize that migration timing affects both cost and quality. Earlier action enables thoughtful implementation rather than rushed deployment, with space to optimize processes rather than simply moving them to the cloud.

Comprehensive Support 

They build support models that address the full spectrum of operational needs – both within and beyond the RISE with SAP framework. This approach ensures business continuity while enabling innovation.

Clear Measurement 

They establish concrete metrics for success, tracking both technical performance and business outcomes throughout the migration journey and beyond.

Taking Action

As you plan your migration strategy, consider partnering with oXya. We bring decades of SAP expertise, comprehensive support capabilities, and a proven track record of successful migrations. Our approach combines technical excellence with deep business understanding, ensuring your organization captures the full value of cloud transformation while maintaining operational excellence.

Contact us to discuss how we can support your SAP cloud migration journey.

Read More:

• Modernizing Your Data Platform: The Benefit of Expert-Led SAP and Data Lake Integration
• The Roadblocks of SAP Integration: What’s the Best Path?
• Choosing the Right ERP Consultant: What to Look For