For CIOs and CFOs running SAP, the most pressing question today isn’t whether to modernize but whether modernization truly requires another forced migration.
SAP often presents its customer base as if everyone is on a single, linear journey, moving toward the same destination. In reality, the landscape is far more varied. Organizations have different operating models, risk tolerances and business priorities, and major ERP decisions are being made accordingly — not uniformly.
Today’s SAP ERP perpetual license owners broadly fall into two groups:
- SAP ECC customers operating under the 2027 maintenance deadline
- SAP S/4HANA (perpetual) customers who have already upgraded but are facing pressure to convert to cloud subscription
Though these groups face different pressures, they share something important: leverage.
Across analyst research, user group findings and adoption surveys, a consistent theme is displayed. Customers in both groups are exercising choice and choosing more deliberately. They’re decoupling modernization from vendor-prescribed roadmaps and retaining control over when — and if — to migrate to the cloud.
DSAG research reinforces this shift. While overall IT budgets continue to grow, SAP investments are becoming more selective, more scrutinized and increasingly resistant to vendor-dictated cloud models.[1]
Rather than rushing toward mandated outcomes, enterprises are prioritizing cost predictability, deployment autonomy and measurable business value. Against this backdrop, SAP’s roadmap tells only part of the story. What customers are actually doing right now reveals far more about the future of ERP modernization.
SAP ECC customers: Under a deadline, but still in control
Across SAP’s install base, ECC customers face the most visible pressure. Mainstream maintenance for SAP ECC ends in 2027, and that deadline matters. But the data shows that it’s shaping strategy, not triggering panic.
As of late 2024, only ~39% of SAP ECC customers had completed a move to SAP S/4HANA across all deployment models, leaving the majority of SAP’s customer base still running ECC globally.[2] Analyst projections suggest that this won’t change materially by 2027, with an estimated 40–45% of customers expected to remain on ECC when the deadline arrives[3] — whether by choice, delay or necessity.
What’s more telling than the outcome is the pace. Migration progress has remained steady and linear, increasing only a few percentage points per year,[4] even after sustained deadline messaging and incentive programs.
Rather than acting quickly and collectively, ECC customers are taking a more measured approach. Many are extending the life of stable, well-running systems, switching to third-party support for SAP to guarantee coverage well beyond 2027 and redirecting resources toward innovation layered on top of existing platforms.
DSAG research shows that this behavior reflects investment discipline, not stagnation. Under continued economic pressure, organizations are scrutinizing SAP spend more closely and favoring composable, outcome-driven strategies that deliver faster returns without forcing wholesale replatforming.
In short, ECC customers are under a deadline, but they’re far from trapped. They’re using time strategically, preserving leverage and maintaining control over their next move.
SAP S/4HANA perpetual customers: Steady amid cloud pressure
SAP S/4HANA perpetual customers find themselves in a different — but related — position.
These organizations invested early, upgrading to S/4HANA without surrendering their perpetual license. That decision now defines the leverage they hold today.
Like ECC customers, S/4HANA perpetual customers retain:
- Full usage rights
- Control over deployment and upgrade timing
- The ability to separate infrastructure decisions from ERP licensing decisions
Unlike ECC customers, however, the pressure they face isn’t tied to a single deadline. Instead, they must navigate version-based maintenance cycles, with mainstream support ending at different times depending on the release they’re running.
Complicating matters further, SAP’s innovation strategy has shifted. Many new capabilities, including AI-driven functionality, are increasingly delivered only through SAP Cloud ERP offerings. As a result, early S/4HANA on-premises adopters are now being told they need to move again if they want continued access to innovation.
This message has not landed comfortably.
DSAG highlights growing concern over lock-in and restricted choice
SAP’s innovation strategy has become increasingly concentrated on new functionalities only available with SAP Cloud ERP, including S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition and, selectively, S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition.
DSAG findings underscore growing unease within the SAP customer community. Subscription-based cloud models raise concerns around long-term lock-in, particularly given the lack of a standardized, viable exit strategy.
The tensions are most visible in Europe, where user group data highlights increasing discomfort with reduced deployment choice as cloud offerings take center stage.[5]
DSAG findings confirm that on-premises and hybrid S/4HANA deployments remain preferred operating models for many enterprises, while pure cloud ERP adoption continues to progress more slowly than vendor narratives suggest.
For S/4HANA perpetual customers, the strategic risk isn’t staying where they are. It’s relinquishing perpetual rights in exchange for an SAP Cloud ERP subscription without a clear, outcome-based justification. Organizations that have maintained control over their ERP landscape hold a unique advantage and are understandably focused on protecting it.
What this tells us: Modernization is happening differently
Step back, and a clear pattern emerges. SAP customers are modernizing, just not in the way traditional roadmaps suggest.
SAP customers are separating:
- Infrastructure choices from ERP licensing
- Modernization goals from SAP Cloud ERP subscriptions
- Business outcomes from vendor-defined roadmaps
ECC customers are extending the useful life of viable systems and using time strategically. S/4HANA perpetual customers are protecting the control and rights they’ve earned. In both cases, customers are exercising leverage, not resisting change.
This explains why cloud adoption data can appear contradictory at first glance. While cloud usage is increasing, SAP Cloud ERP adoption is moving far more selectively.
In other words, cloud adoption doesn’t equal SAP Cloud ERP adoption — and customers are making that distinction intentionally.
The same dynamic appears in migration timelines. Despite years of deadline messaging, migration progress has remained steady rather than accelerating. A large portion of the SAP install base is choosing when, where and whether to move based on readiness, economics and business priorities, not simply on SAP’s preferred timelines.
From the customer’s point of view, this is rational behavior. Organizations are optimizing for:
- Cost control and predictable TCO
- Operational stability
- Retained autonomy
- The ability to fund innovation on their own terms
What SAP customers are actually doing right now isn’t delaying transformation — it’s reshaping it.
SAP customers: You’ve got options
For many SAP customers, the ability to modernize on their own timeline hinges on one thing: preserving operational stability while keeping options open.
That’s where Rimini Street’s industry-leading third-party support for SAP, flexible ERP strategies and decoupled innovation models play a critical role. By extending the life of existing SAP environments, reducing run-rate costs and supporting innovation outside siloed systems, organizations can deliver innovation outcomes faster, better and, cheaper — without surrendering control.
Modernization doesn’t have to mean replacement. For SAP customers leveraging their options wisely, it means choice, flexibility and forward momentum — on their own terms.
Organizations running SAP ECC or S/4HANA perpetual are modernizing around their ERP, not necessarily through SAP Cloud ERP. They’re keeping perpetual rights where they have them. And they’re refusing to trade leverage for urgency without a clear, outcome-based justification.
Learn how SAP customers are using their leverage to their advantage, extending ERP life, cutting run-rate costs and funding innovation — all without migrating to SAP Cloud ERP via RISE.
[1] Peter M. Färbinger, “Trends and investment in the SAP community 2026,” E3, retrieved 6 April 2026 from https://e3mag.com/en/trends-and-investment-of-the-sap-community-2026/
[2] Grant Gross, “Nearly Half of SAP ECC customers may stick with legacy ERP beyond 2027,” CIO, retrieved 6 April 2026 from https://www.cio.com/article/4000543/nearly-half-of-sap-ecc-customers-may-stick-with-legacy-erp-beyond-2027.html
[4] Lindsay Clark, “SAP legacy ERP customers still in no rush to adopt latest platform,” The Register, retrieved 6 April 2026 from https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/20/sap_sees_little_progress_in/
[5] Lauren Dixon, “ASUG Research: SAP S/4HANA Adoption Trends, Insights, and Advice,” ASUG, retrieved 6 April 2026 from https://www.asug.com/insights/sap-s-4hana-adoption-trends-insights-and-advice
