The Real Deadline to Consider Third-Party SAP Maintenance is September 30th

Pat Phelan
VP, Market Research
2 min read
The Real Deadline to Consider Third-Party SAP Maintenance is September 30th

In less than three weeks, customers of SAP enterprise software need to act if they wish to keep their options open for assessing better value support choices for the calendar year of 2020 and eliminate the risk of the planned end of full support for SAP ECC 6.

Instead of being bound for yet another year at a typical 18% to 22% of license contract pricing, giving notice right now can actually open different paths, including:

Investigating Third-Party Maintenance

Providing notice allows enterprises the opportunity to evaluate a third-party enterprise software maintenance firm. Addressing tax and regulatory updates, supporting legacy and highly-customized SAP instances, plus receiving highly-skilled, experienced engineer support on the first call are all benefits of the leading third-party SAP support provider.

Increasing Negotiation Leverage for Future Support Contracts and Software Purchases

A discussion around third-party maintenance often equates to leverage in contract negotiations, offering the opportunity for improved terms for maintenance renewal and/or new software purchases, or the much better value of a move to third-party support solution. Be sure to avoid bundling existing contracts and keep them separated: resisting the ‘easy’ path to contract consolidation can allow for renegotiation of licenses in increments. It’s good to have options and flexibility.

Avoiding the ‘Wait Until Next Year’ Deferral

An automatic box-check for continued support from SAP for another year just extends the maintenance value problem into the future with no solution to less comprehensive service at exorbitant prices. Controlling the support window is the customer’s right, not the provider’s. Too often motivated SAP licensees speak up in October, November and December as they finally realize the better value of third-party support but were already locked into another year with SAP.

Act now to give yourself time to better understand how support from Rimini Street, the #1 customer choice in third-party support, can optimize your current SAP releases and unlock resources for the innovation your business demands today.

Recommendation: Give Notice Now, Open Paths to Drive Your Own IT Roadmap