The SAP Customer Journey – Part 1: Staying on ECC
Still on SAP ECC? You're not standing still, but it's time to understand your options.
There's no shortage of messages telling SAP ECC customers that it's time to upgrade.
With mainstream maintenance for relevant SAP Business Suite 7 applications ending in December 2027, the pressure to make decisions is increasing. SAP's direction is clear: its innovation strategy centres on S/4HANA, cloud and increasingly, Business AI.
But for many organisations, the decision isn't straightforward.
Your existing SAP systems may still be successfully supporting critical business operations. You might have considerable investment in custom developments, complex integrations or processes that have evolved over many years.
Perhaps you're working in a highly-regulated industry where change introduces significant risks. Or perhaps the organisation simply cannot justify a major transformation programme right now.
Whatever your circumstances, staying on ECC doesn't mean doing nothing.
What should you be thinking about?
The first priority is understanding your options and their implications.
SAP offers optional extended maintenance for eligible Business Suite 7 applications until December 2030, subject to additional costs and conditions. Beyond that, other maintenance options may be suitable, although the level of support and associated risks need careful consideration.
This makes it important to understand not just when you might move, but what delaying that move means for your organisation.
Consider the condition of your existing SAP landscape.
How much custom code is still necessary? How reliable is your data? Which processes could be simplified now? Are there opportunities to reduce costs or improve efficiency without undertaking a complete transformation?
These are valuable questions regardless of your eventual migration timetable.
And don't assume innovation has to wait until S/4HANA.
SAP's newest AI capabilities are increasingly focused on its modern cloud architecture. However, that doesn't mean organisations running ECC cannot benefit from AI, automation or improved data management.
The important thing is understanding which opportunities are genuinely available within your existing environment and what they might cost.
How can UKISUG Connect help?
This year's Connect programme includes sessions specifically relevant to organisations navigating these decisions.
Bringing AI to Your Core: A Practical Guide to Hybrid AI for ECC & S/4HANA explores how customers running ECC or on-premise S/4HANA can consider AI opportunities without immediately moving their core ERP system to the cloud.
In Innovate Now, Migrate Later: SHS Group’s No-Code Approach to Master Data, you'll hear how SHS Group is improving master data processes today, rather than waiting for a future transformation.
If migration costs and disruption are holding you back, MVP Implementations - Cost and Time effective explores alternative implementation approaches designed to make the move to S/4HANA more manageable.
Meanwhile, 70% Smaller, 100% Ready: How RS Components reduced their data footprint demonstrates how addressing data volumes can simplify future transformation and deliver other benefits.
But the value of Connect extends well beyond the conference sessions.
Imagine being able to discuss your options directly with SAP experts, compare experiences with customers who've already made the move and speak to specialist partners who understand the complexity of existing SAP environments.
The exhibition brings together expertise in areas such as migration planning, data management, archiving, licensing, infrastructure and system modernisation.
You can explore different approaches, ask challenging questions and discover potential solutions to problems you've been living with for years.
Whether you want to understand the practicalities of remaining on ECC, reduce the cost of a future migration or identify improvements you can make today, having so much specialist expertise available in one place is incredibly valuable.
You're not the only one facing these decisions
Sometimes the most useful insight doesn't come from a presentation or product demonstration.
It comes from talking to another SAP customer who faced the same difficult decision.
What made them move? What held them back? What would they do differently? And what do they wish they'd known before committing?
At Connect, you can bring together these customer experiences, specialist partner knowledge and direct conversations with SAP to build a clearer picture of your options.
And through UKISUG, those conversations don't end when the conference finishes.
Our independent community provides ongoing opportunities to share experiences, ask questions and collectively influence SAP on the issues that matter to customers.
Your next step
You don't need to leave Connect with a decision to migrate.
You might simply leave with a clearer understanding of your options, a more realistic assessment of the risks and some practical improvements you can make today.
That's valuable progress.
Wherever you are on your SAP journey, you don't have to work everything out alone.
Join us at UKISUG Connect 2026, 29 November – 1 December at The ICC, Birmingham, and discover how our customers, partners and SAP experts can help you make more informed decisions about your future.
Built to Grow. Together.
Explore what's waiting for you at Connect:
📅 Explore the conference programme Discover sessions, customer experiences and practical workshops relevant to your journey.
🤝 Meet our exhibiting partners Explore the expertise and solutions available from our exhibiting partners and identify specialists you'd like to meet.
🎟️ Register for UKISUG Connect 2026 Join us from 29 November to 1 December at The ICC, Birmingham.
