This blog was originally published in February 2023 and was updated in August 2025
The end of mainstream maintenance for SAP ECC 6 and Business Suite 7 is coming soon. Organizations are being pressured by SAP to migrate to S/4HANA, while many are considering sticking with ECC 6, as noted by several SAP analysts.
Allow me to reduce the noise and share the facts, starting with the end of support dates for ECC 6 and Business Suite 7. I’ll also help demystify what SAP has shared about extended ECC 6 maintenance offerings and who it applies to, and provide various options for ongoing support for ECC 6 and Business Suite 7.
What are the SAP ECC 6 end of support dates?
Here are the SAP ECC 6 end of mainstream maintenance dates:
- ECC 6, EHP 0-5: Dec 31st 2025, with no extended maintenance offered.
- ECC 6, EHP 6-8: Dec 31st 2027, with extended maintenance offered at an estimated additional cost of two percentage points (approximately 9% cost increase) through Dec 31st 2030.
Will SAP change the ECC 6 end of support dates?
SAP leadership has reiterated multiple times that the 2025 and 2027 end of mainstream maintenance deadlines for ECC 6 are not changing.
What about SAP customer-specific maintenance after mainstream maintenance or extended maintenance ends?
That’s an option, but it costs the same as mainstream maintenance, and it has significantly reduced scope. Read all about it in this blog post: What to Do Before SAP Says “NO”
What is “SAP ERP, private edition, transition option”?
In Q1 2025, SAP announced that they will now offer a RISE with SAP package that extends support for SAP ECC beyond the 2030 extended maintenance deadline, but only for select, complex customers that sign a RISE agreement. The new package is called, “SAP ERP, private edition, transition option.”
This option is intended mostly for SAP’s customers with very large ECC systems who need more time to migrate to S/4HANA cloud. The new service claims to help companies with complex ERP systems make the transition to S/4HANA cloud ERP. It includes support for transitioning to S/4HANA cloud as well as ongoing support for existing ECC 6 systems that includes security, legal and software updates.
The program doesn’t come without strings attached. To take part in this program, participants must sign a RISE with SAP cloud subscription contract centered on SAP ECC. Additionally, participants must move to HANA database before the end of 2030 and adjust the usage of their third-party tools that will no longer be supported, such as Java. This offering is only centered on ECC 6 and does not include the full scope of Business Suite 7. If you, like many others, are not planning to transition to S/4HANA cloud, this program does not apply.
We believe that SAP is unlikely to provide any additional extensions for ECC 6 maintenance, and any concessions they do provide will likely come with strings attached. No matter what SAP does, you still need a plan to support your ECC 6 or Business Suite 7 systems.
So, what are your options?
The SAP ECC maintenance end date is coming – now is the time to make your plan
To get ahead and stay ahead on your SAP strategy, think about a 5-year plan that takes into consideration your unique business goals. Explore your options, make a business case (do the math), and get started now. But you don’t have to go it alone. As the global leader of third-party support for SAP, we’re here to help. Start by estimating how much you can save and the benefits you can gain with Rimini Street’s SAP maintenance savings calculator.
The good news – you have options for ECC 6 Support
Let’s take the pressure off. While SAP is ending mainstream maintenance for Business Suite 7 and ECC 6 in 2025 and 2027, Rimini Street will continue to support those products through 2040 – including all customizations at no additional charge.
We’ll also deliver timely tax, legal and regulatory compliance updates specifically for your combination of products, versions and operational jurisdictions.
Rimini Support™ works around the clock and around the globe, 24/7/365. And, oh, we’ll charge up to 50% less than what you’re paying SAP.
Beyond support, we can optimize your operations with additional Rimini Street solutions to manage your systems, secure your data, monitor your operations and future-proof interoperability issues. These are proven, proprietary solutions that deliver powerful outcomes for your operations.
Organizations can take advantage of the following benefits:
- SAP ECC Expertise: Rimini Street’s support team includes certified SAP experts with decades of experience working with SAP ECC. This ensures that our clients receive the highest quality support and expertise for their systems.
- Dedicated Primary Support Engineer (PSE): Your account will have a dedicated PSE — from a team averaging 20 years of experience — who is available in your time zone and stays familiar with your account. We have among the broadest language capabilities of third-party support providers, offering support in 8 languages.
- Industry-leading SLAs: When you put in a priority ticket, you’re guaranteed to receive a call back from your dedicated PSE in less than 10 minutes. On average, our response time for P1 and P2 cases is less than 2 minutes, resulting in faster time to resolution and increased uptime.
- Flexibility: Rimini Street provides a flexible and customizable support model that fits each company’s unique requirements and budget constraints.
By partnering with Rimini Street, organizations can continue to receive support and access to new product enhancements and bug fixes, while also saving on support costs and avoiding the disruption of a full-scale upgrade.
Key Takeaways
You have options! You can stay on a supported version of ECC for many years past 2027 without paying extra (in fact, you’ll pay less) or losing capabilities. You can self-fund innovation around the edges of your existing SAP system and accelerate innovation with no delay. Whether or not you choose to move to S/4HANA at some point in the future is your decision, not SAP’s.
The deadline is the deadline, and it’s now on the horizon. Let Rimini Street help you assess your SAP ECC support options and start planning for 2027. Contact us and we’ll build out a customized ROI comparison for you.
