SAP’s end-of-maintenance clock is ticking, and the pressure isn’t limited to ECC and S/4HANA customers. A broad portfolio of SAP products — including Global Trade Services (GTS), Commerce (Hybris) On-premise, BusinessObjects (BOBJ), Business Warehouse (BW) and Business Planning and Consolidation (BPC) — are approaching critical deadlines. Mainstream maintenance for many of these products ends as early as December 31, 2025, with some stretching to 2027, and only limited (and costly) extended maintenance options through 2030.
But here’s the kicker: SAP’s so-called “customer-specific maintenance” isn’t a safety net — it’s more like a trap. No new legal updates. No support packages. No guaranteed technological updates. And no SLAs for response times or fixes. In short, you’re paying full price and receiving a fraction of the value.
This is déjà vu for IT leaders who are also facing SAP’s ECC and S/4HANA upgrade pressure. The pattern is familiar: SAP sets a deadline, limits support and nudges clients toward newer, often subscription-only products. The result? IT leaders lose control over roadmaps, budgets and flexibility, which are exactly the levers they need to steer their business.
Most IT leaders believe the software they’re running has a longer viable and valuable lifespan than SAP is willing to support. And they’re right. These systems are stable, customized and deeply embedded in business-critical processes. Forcing replacement isn’t just expensive — it’s disruptive and unnecessary.
SAP’s end of mainstream maintenance and extended maintenance timelines
Here are some of the most urgent end of maintenance dates to watch for SAP GTS, SAP Commerce (Hybris) On-premise, BOBJ, BW and BPC:
- SAP GTS 11.0: Mainstream maintenance ends December 31st, 2025. Tax, legal and regulatory updates will no longer be provided after that date.
- SAP Simple Finance 1503 and 1605: Mainstream maintenance ends December 31st, 2025.
- SAP BPC 10.1 for Microsoft: Mainstream Maintenance ends June 30th, 2026.
- SAP Commerce (Hybris) On-premise 2205: Mainstream Maintenance ends July 31st, 2026.
- SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.3: Mainstream Maintenance ends on December 31st, 2026. Security fixes for CVSS >= 7.0 will be available through 2027.
- SAP BusinessObjects BI 2025: Mainstream Maintenance ends on December 31st, 2027. Security fixes will be available through 2028.
- SAP BW/4HANA 2021: Mainstream maintenance ends December 31st, 2027. Extended maintenance will be offered through 2030.
- SAP BW 7.5: Mainstream maintenance ends December 31st, 2027. Extended maintenance will be offered through 2030.
- SAP BPC 10.1 for SAP NetWeaver: Mainstream Maintenance ends December 31st, 2027. Extended maintenance will be offered through 2030.
- SAP BPC 2021 for SAP BW/4HANA 2021: Mainstream Maintenance ends December 31st, 2027. Extended Maintenance will be offered through 2030.
Don’t let SAP GTS disrupt your global trade
International trade is experiencing unprecedented volatility due to fluctuating tariff rates, shifting regulations and rising compliance risks spanning the globe. Yet SAP is pulling the rug out from its customers by ending SAP GTS 11.0 maintenance on December 31, 2025. SAP’s only “supported” path forward for its licensees? Migrating to SAP GTS, edition for SAP HANA, which requires a HANA database and a reimplementation and reintegration of GTS to ECC[i]. Customers are scrambling for an alternative path forward.
What you can do instead
You don’t have to accept SAP’s deadlines, forced cloud migrations or watered-down support.
With Rimini Support™, you can continue running your existing SAP products and versions — including ECC, S/4HANA, BOBJ, BW, BPC, GTS and Commerce (Hybris) — for up to 15 years or more from the time you switch. That means no forced upgrades, no loss of customizations and no disruption to your business operations.
Even better, you can save up to 50–90% on your total software maintenance costs. Those savings can be strategically reallocated to fund innovation, transformation and growth initiatives that give your business a competitive edge and move your business forward.
Rimini Support includes:
- Full support for custom code and integrations at no additional cost
- A dedicated Primary Support Engineer with decades of deep SAP expertise, backed by Rimini Street’s bench of highly experienced SAP engineers and professionals around the globe
- Guaranteed 10-minute SLA for critical issues, with a less than 2-minute on average response time
- No required upgrades to stay fully supported and secured
- For GTS clients, Rimini Street offers industry-leading, fastest Legislature to Live™ tax, legal and regulatory updates to help keep your international trade records current and compliant.
Instead of scrambling to meet SAP’s deadlines, you can gain clarity, control and breathing room to plan your future on your terms.
Take back control
If you’re facing a 2025 or 2027 deadline — or are already in customer-specific maintenance limbo — you have better, smarter options. Let SAP’s roadmap be theirs. Yours should serve your business.
[i] Establish Connection Between The SAP Feeder System And SAP GTS – SAPBoost.Com
