On-Premises ERP Innovation: A New Path Forward without the Platform Upheaval

David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

The enterprise software landscape witnessed a seismic shift with our announcement of the partnership with ServiceNow, made public during their Q3 2024 financial results.

Rimini Street and ServiceNow’s collaboration introduced a groundbreaking approach for organizations running on-premises ERP systems to access cutting-edge automation, visibility and AI capabilities without the traditional requirement of a complete migration or re-platforming. It’s a watershed moment that challenges the conventional wisdom that innovation necessitates wholesale system replacement.

Don’t just take our word for it, a recent blog from Forrester affirms the deep value and what it means to clients;

“This is welcome news to many on-premises ERP and other large enterprise application customers worldwide who have stalled their move to SaaS or vendor-hosted cloud offerings for ERP, SCM, HCM, CRM, and more, as they tend to be multiyear, multimillion-dollar upgrades or transformation programs.

SAP S/4HANA on-premises and ECC on-premises customers will rejoice knowing that they don’t have to wait to complete (or even start, for that matter) their RISE with SAP S/4HANA cloud programs (often considered very expensive in the industry) to leverage Business AI innovations from SAP.” – Akshara Naik Lopez, Senior Analyst

This analysis highlights that a cloud-first ERP agenda is not the only option, aligning with what we’ve observed in the market. While cloud transformation promises significant benefits, the reality of these large-scale migrations often involves substantial risks, extended timelines, and significant resource investments.

Enterprises have invested millions in customizing their current ERP systems to match their unique business processes. These aren’t just technical investments; they represent years of refined business logic and operational excellence. The notion that these investments must be abandoned to access modern capabilities is being rightfully challenged. We have been discussing and advising that there is a viable option that resonates with organizations seeking to balance innovation with operational stability. The market dynamics are clear: organizations are looking for options and alternatives to the one-size-fits-all approach to digital transformation.

The Value of the Rimini Street and ServiceNow Partnership

The Rimini Street and ServiceNow partnership creates a compelling value proposition where organizations can maintain their stable, well-understood on-premises system, while layering on modern AI capabilities through the features of the ServiceNow’s platform.

It’s an approach that combines the best of both worlds – the reliability of existing systems with the innovation potential of modern AI and automation tools. This hybrid model allows organizations to evolve at their own pace, focusing on areas where innovation delivers the most immediate value.

What makes this particularly significant is the growing recognition that digital transformation isn’t a destination but a continuous journey.

Choosing the Right Partner to Expertly “Get You There.”

Today’s business leaders are increasingly sophisticated in their technology decisions. They seek partners who can deliver significant cost savings while ensuring business continuity. Most importantly, they need advisors who can provide unbiased, experience-based guidance on how to navigate the complex landscape of enterprise technology.

The key to success in this new paradigm lies in finding partners who understand both the technical and business dimensions of innovation. This is where the value of independent support providers becomes evident. Our ability to maintain existing systems while facilitating access to new capabilities creates a bridge between stability and innovation.

It’s an approach that recognizes that serving customers and suppliers effectively doesn’t always require platform replacement – sometimes, it requires utilization of existing investments combined with strategic adoption of new capabilities.

As we move forward, the focus is on delivering practical solutions that solve current challenges while building a foundation for future innovation – all without the disruption and risk of complete platform replacement.

The ServiceNow-Rimini Street partnership represents more than just a new offering. It’s a reminder that in technology, as in business, the best solutions are often those that respect both the need for progress and the value of stability.

We’ll Get You There.™

We take the time to understand what you want to achieve from a business perspective, introduce you to new solutions and approaches outside of the traditional vendor-dictated roadmap, and as your trusted partner, as we’ve done for thousands of clients-to-date.

David Rowe

Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation

Mr. Rowe serves as Chief Marketing and Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation. In this role, he is responsible for Rimini Street’s global product and marketing strategy and execution. He also leads initiatives to reinvent, transform and scale Rimini Street’s business for billion-dollar revenue operations.

More from David Rowe

Rimini Street + ServiceNow
Blog
Rimini Street + ServiceNow
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

Titans of Transformation Partnerships that combine deep expertise with cutting-edge innovation are rare and invaluable. The recently announced collaboration between Rimini Street and ServiceNow represents just such a union – a powerful alliance poised to tackle some of the IT industry’s most formidable challenges. This partnership brings together two companies with parallel 20-year histories of […]

Three Ways CIOs Must Rethink Cloud ROI
Blog
Three Ways CIOs Must Rethink Cloud ROI
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
4 min read

While cloud workloads will continue to grow, savvy tech leaders must take a step back and evaluate the true ROI of moving to the cloud. Here’s three ways to get started. If there’s one habit CIOs should consider adopting, it’s a commitment to take a critical look at their cloud Return On Investment (ROI). Over […]

Delivering More Value by Supporting More Software
Blog
Delivering More Value by Supporting More Software
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
2 min read

Need to focus your limited IT resources on innovation while ensuring your complex software portfolio continues to support mission-critical operations? A new service offering called Rimini Custom™ can help. Here’s how. As an IT leader, your purview is growing more—not less—complex every day. In fact, an eye-opening report from Salesforce indicated that, on average, organizations […]

Feeling the Pressure of Moving ERP to the Cloud? It’s Not as Urgent as Vendors Would Have You Think.
Blog
Feeling the Pressure of Moving ERP to the Cloud? It’s Not as Urgent as Vendors Would Have You Think.
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
4 min read

Implement hybrid IT instead and invest the savings in transformation.   An October 2020 Diginomica article, “Don’t be a sheep – challenge the call to re-platform ERP” from author Brian Sommer, contains some pragmatic advice for CIOs feeling the pressure of moving ERP to the cloud.   It’s not necessary to replace or re-platform important […]

yellow paper airplane
Blog
On-Going IT Response to the Global Pandemic: The View from a Front-Row Seat
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
5 min read

In January’s “2020 State of the CIO Executive Summary,” the news was good for CIOs… They were getting increased recognition from CEOs and colleagues for their growing and essential leadership role in business strategy, innovation, and revenue generation — while decreasing time spent on important yet “back-office” activities such as optimizing the enterprise IT infrastructure […]

How to Join the Digital Vanguard
Blog
How to Join the Digital Vanguard
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

Is your organization a digital laggard or a member of the digital vanguard? I’ve been reading Deloitte’s 2018 CIO Survey, which makes a point of distinguishing between “vanguard” organizations where IT actively contributes to creating new businesses and business opportunities and everyone else. The traditional role of the CIO has been to be an operational […]

Strategies for Supporting SAP S/4HANA From “Wait And See” To “Full Speed Ahead”
Blog
Strategies for Supporting SAP S/4HANA From “Wait And See” To “Full Speed Ahead”
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
5 min read

Clients of Rimini Street’s support for SAP have the freedom to make independent decisions about S/4HANA – but that doesn’t necessarily mean they reject SAP’s reinvention of its ERP software. Some are moving forward with S/4HANA, while continuing to rely on Rimini Street for high quality and cost effective support of their existing SAP Business […]

Biggest Obstacle to Innovation, IT Leaders Say: “Keeping the Lights On”
Blog
Biggest Obstacle to Innovation, IT Leaders Say: “Keeping the Lights On”
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

Businesses want to innovate faster because they know successful innovators tend to be the most successful businesses. Yet if you survey IT and finance leaders, as we did recently in conjunction with Vanson Bourne, a technology market research firm, you will find many are dissatisfied with the pace of innovation happening in their organizations. The […]

Why a Stable, Available Business Platform is Key — Today and Tomorrow
Blog
Why a Stable, Available Business Platform is Key — Today and Tomorrow
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

As the role of IT evolves from keeping the lights on to helping shape business strategy, technology leaders are challenged to find room for those strategic projects in their schedules and in their budgets. In a recent poll by CIO, 72 percent of those surveyed admitted they are struggling to balance business innovation and operational […]

Video: SAP Expert Vinnie Mirchandani Sees No Rush to S/4HANA
Blog
Video: SAP Expert Vinnie Mirchandani Sees No Rush to S/4HANA
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
4 min read

SAP is in a hurry to get customers to move to its next generation S/4HANA platform. Yet most SAP customers are in no hurry to move — nor should they be, according to SAP watcher Vinnie Mirchandani. You can hear from Vinnie directly by watching the video clips embedded in this post (or watch them […]

Smart Strategies That Will Boost IT Cost Optimization
Blog
Smart Strategies That Will Boost IT Cost Optimization
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

Digital transformation is picking up speed. It’s driving businesses to rethink their traditional imperatives and bringing a new focus on customer engagement and disruptive business models. As companies emphasize new priorities, they need to optimize inefficient processes and reduce burdensome costs that are a drag on their business. For IT, that requires some tough choices. […]

What You Need to Know About Bimodal IT
Blog
What You Need to Know About Bimodal IT
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

The digital economy is all about fast innovation and getting new products to market more quickly than competitors. IT needs to step up its game to help drive innovation, without sacrificing top priorities such as compliance, cost control and maintaining availability. The stakes are high even for massive, successful businesses. Today, 50 percent of the […]

Overcoming the #1 Barrier to Digital Transformation
Blog
Overcoming the #1 Barrier to Digital Transformation
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

For years, IT has had clearly defined responsibilities: Keep critical business systems up and running, control costs and meet security and compliance requirements. Even today, most of your IT budget is likely spent keeping the lights on. But this traditional focus is holding organizations back in an era of accelerating focus on customer experience enabled […]

Three Ways CIOs Can Successfully Support Business Objectives
Blog
Three Ways CIOs Can Successfully Support Business Objectives
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
4 min read

It’s no secret that we’re doing business in a fast-paced, disruptive environment. To keep pace with rapid change, IT is becoming more strategic, and expectations are growing. According to CIO, “boards of directors, CEOs and business colleagues are turning to the CIO to lead digital transformations, win customers and drive revenue.” CIOs are feeling the […]

David Rowe

Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation

Mr. Rowe serves as Chief Marketing and Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation. In this role, he is responsible for Rimini Street’s global product and marketing strategy and execution. He also leads initiatives to reinvent, transform and scale Rimini Street’s business for billion-dollar revenue operations.

More from David Rowe

Rimini Street + ServiceNow
Blog
Rimini Street + ServiceNow
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

Titans of Transformation Partnerships that combine deep expertise with cutting-edge innovation are rare and invaluable. The recently announced collaboration between Rimini Street and ServiceNow represents just such a union – a powerful alliance poised to tackle some of the IT industry’s most formidable challenges. This partnership brings together two companies with parallel 20-year histories of […]

Three Ways CIOs Must Rethink Cloud ROI
Blog
Three Ways CIOs Must Rethink Cloud ROI
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
4 min read

While cloud workloads will continue to grow, savvy tech leaders must take a step back and evaluate the true ROI of moving to the cloud. Here’s three ways to get started. If there’s one habit CIOs should consider adopting, it’s a commitment to take a critical look at their cloud Return On Investment (ROI). Over […]

Delivering More Value by Supporting More Software
Blog
Delivering More Value by Supporting More Software
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
2 min read

Need to focus your limited IT resources on innovation while ensuring your complex software portfolio continues to support mission-critical operations? A new service offering called Rimini Custom™ can help. Here’s how. As an IT leader, your purview is growing more—not less—complex every day. In fact, an eye-opening report from Salesforce indicated that, on average, organizations […]

Feeling the Pressure of Moving ERP to the Cloud? It’s Not as Urgent as Vendors Would Have You Think.
Blog
Feeling the Pressure of Moving ERP to the Cloud? It’s Not as Urgent as Vendors Would Have You Think.
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
4 min read

Implement hybrid IT instead and invest the savings in transformation.   An October 2020 Diginomica article, “Don’t be a sheep – challenge the call to re-platform ERP” from author Brian Sommer, contains some pragmatic advice for CIOs feeling the pressure of moving ERP to the cloud.   It’s not necessary to replace or re-platform important […]

yellow paper airplane
Blog
On-Going IT Response to the Global Pandemic: The View from a Front-Row Seat
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
5 min read

In January’s “2020 State of the CIO Executive Summary,” the news was good for CIOs… They were getting increased recognition from CEOs and colleagues for their growing and essential leadership role in business strategy, innovation, and revenue generation — while decreasing time spent on important yet “back-office” activities such as optimizing the enterprise IT infrastructure […]

How to Join the Digital Vanguard
Blog
How to Join the Digital Vanguard
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

Is your organization a digital laggard or a member of the digital vanguard? I’ve been reading Deloitte’s 2018 CIO Survey, which makes a point of distinguishing between “vanguard” organizations where IT actively contributes to creating new businesses and business opportunities and everyone else. The traditional role of the CIO has been to be an operational […]

Strategies for Supporting SAP S/4HANA From “Wait And See” To “Full Speed Ahead”
Blog
Strategies for Supporting SAP S/4HANA From “Wait And See” To “Full Speed Ahead”
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
5 min read

Clients of Rimini Street’s support for SAP have the freedom to make independent decisions about S/4HANA – but that doesn’t necessarily mean they reject SAP’s reinvention of its ERP software. Some are moving forward with S/4HANA, while continuing to rely on Rimini Street for high quality and cost effective support of their existing SAP Business […]

Biggest Obstacle to Innovation, IT Leaders Say: “Keeping the Lights On”
Blog
Biggest Obstacle to Innovation, IT Leaders Say: “Keeping the Lights On”
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

Businesses want to innovate faster because they know successful innovators tend to be the most successful businesses. Yet if you survey IT and finance leaders, as we did recently in conjunction with Vanson Bourne, a technology market research firm, you will find many are dissatisfied with the pace of innovation happening in their organizations. The […]

Why a Stable, Available Business Platform is Key — Today and Tomorrow
Blog
Why a Stable, Available Business Platform is Key — Today and Tomorrow
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

As the role of IT evolves from keeping the lights on to helping shape business strategy, technology leaders are challenged to find room for those strategic projects in their schedules and in their budgets. In a recent poll by CIO, 72 percent of those surveyed admitted they are struggling to balance business innovation and operational […]

Video: SAP Expert Vinnie Mirchandani Sees No Rush to S/4HANA
Blog
Video: SAP Expert Vinnie Mirchandani Sees No Rush to S/4HANA
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
4 min read

SAP is in a hurry to get customers to move to its next generation S/4HANA platform. Yet most SAP customers are in no hurry to move — nor should they be, according to SAP watcher Vinnie Mirchandani. You can hear from Vinnie directly by watching the video clips embedded in this post (or watch them […]

Smart Strategies That Will Boost IT Cost Optimization
Blog
Smart Strategies That Will Boost IT Cost Optimization
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

Digital transformation is picking up speed. It’s driving businesses to rethink their traditional imperatives and bringing a new focus on customer engagement and disruptive business models. As companies emphasize new priorities, they need to optimize inefficient processes and reduce burdensome costs that are a drag on their business. For IT, that requires some tough choices. […]

What You Need to Know About Bimodal IT
Blog
What You Need to Know About Bimodal IT
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

The digital economy is all about fast innovation and getting new products to market more quickly than competitors. IT needs to step up its game to help drive innovation, without sacrificing top priorities such as compliance, cost control and maintaining availability. The stakes are high even for massive, successful businesses. Today, 50 percent of the […]

Overcoming the #1 Barrier to Digital Transformation
Blog
Overcoming the #1 Barrier to Digital Transformation
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
3 min read

For years, IT has had clearly defined responsibilities: Keep critical business systems up and running, control costs and meet security and compliance requirements. Even today, most of your IT budget is likely spent keeping the lights on. But this traditional focus is holding organizations back in an era of accelerating focus on customer experience enabled […]

Three Ways CIOs Can Successfully Support Business Objectives
Blog
Three Ways CIOs Can Successfully Support Business Objectives
David Rowe
David Rowe
Chief Product Officer & EVP, Global Transformation
4 min read

It’s no secret that we’re doing business in a fast-paced, disruptive environment. To keep pace with rapid change, IT is becoming more strategic, and expectations are growing. According to CIO, “boards of directors, CEOs and business colleagues are turning to the CIO to lead digital transformations, win customers and drive revenue.” CIOs are feeling the […]