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In 2027, SAP ECC 6.0 will become end of life and exit mainstream SAP support which will present SAP ECC users with the ...
In 2027, SAP ECC 6.0 will become end of life and exit mainstream SAP support which will present SAP ECC users with the predicament of what to do with their legacy ERP system.
In this article, we explore the real meaning of SAPs end of life announcement and the options available to current SAP ERP users.
SAP's ECC6 End of Life Announcement Explored
To put it simply, SAP ECC6 users will have mainstream, as usual support for ECC until 2027. They will then have a further three years of 'extended support' until 2030.
Mainstream support will not interrupt the current level of service for SAP ECC 6.0 users, but what exactly is 'extended maintenance' and what does this mean for current SAP ECC customers?
Options for SAP ECC6 Users
1. Third Party SAP ECC 6.0 Support
Various companies are likely to continue to offer third party support for SAP ECC 6.0 after 2027 and also 2030. In fact many users of SAP ECC 6.0 & R/3 already use third party support as a way to decrease their SAP support costs.
But is this a sustainable long term option?
No, probably not.
In today's economy, companies are increasingly being undercut and disrupted by new, digital first competitors and to remain competitive, you need to invest in your digital and ERP strategy or risk being left behind. Although third party support can be cheaper, it won't roll out new updates and product enhancements like mainstream SAP support will.
We therefore recommend only using third party support in certain circumstances, such as when you need a stop gap solution.
2. SAP S/4 HANA
The reason why SAP is ending support for ECC6 is because of it's next generation ERP system, SAP S/4 HANA. S/4 HANA is the ERP solution which SAP wants its customers to adopt and has been pushing them to adopt since its release in 2015.
For most organizations, migrating to S/4 HANA will certainly be the easiest step following the end of mainstream support for ECC6 and SAP as well as it's ecosystem of partners have developed toolkits and migration strategies to make this easier than ever. Despite that, the transition is not risk or cost free at all and should be done carefully.
Download our full guide to SAP S/4 HANA
3. SAP Business ByDesign
If you want to stay within the SAP family, but can't quite stomach an SAP S/4 HANA implementation, then SAP Business ByDesign could well be your best bet. SAP Business ByDesign is SAP's midmarket Cloud ERP solution which has been positioned to customers as a 'business suite in a box'.
Considering SAP ECC6 still runs some of the largest organizations in the world today, not many of them will be a fit for this configurable SaaS Cloud ERP solution, however it could indeed be an option for some smaller organizations of those with Two Tier ERP strategies.
Download our full guide to SAP Business ByDesign
4. SAP Business One
Similar to SAP Business ByDesign, SAP Business One is a small and medium sized business ERP system, which is available both On-Premise or as a Cloud ERP solution. Much like ByDesign, this means that SAP Business One is unlikely to be a great and future-proof fit for SAPs biggest customers, but coSauld prove a great ERP solution for those organizations looking to downsize their ERP system.
Download our full guide to SAP Business One
5. Third Party ERP Solutions: SAP ECC6 Alternatives
If you'd like to consider moving away from SAP altogether after the end of mainstream maintenance or extended maintenance for SAP ECC6, then we review some of the top options below.
Alternatively download our Top 10 ERP report and see which ERP software made our rankings.
Oracle ERP Cloud
Larry Ellison has made quite a few statements now about how Oracle ERP Cloud, also known as Fusion Cloud is already convincing many SAP ECC6 users to move to the boys in red.
Sure, Oracle ERP Cloud is a valid alternative, but we believe Larry is probably taking the oppurtunity to create a nice little marketing campaign for himself more than anything.
Despite that Oracle ERP Cloud is a great enterprise grade ERP solution which delivers end to end functionality across finance, inventory, human resources and much more.
Microsoft Dynamics
Microsoft Dynamics ERP comes in two flavours: Business Central & 365. ECC6 customers will likely find the best fit for their business with 365.
Download the full Microsoft Dynamics Guide
Infor
Download the full IFS Guide
IFS
Download the full IFS Guide
Workday
Workday is tough competition already for SAP in the human resources space and is increasingly taking market share in the ERP space with it's financial management and accounting capabilities too.
Download the full Workday Guide
Sage Intacct
Sage Intacct can be a good fit for SAP ECC 6.0 users who operate services based businesses such as professional services, accountancy firms or even software vendors and SaaS businesses.
Download the full Sage Intacct Guide
Acumatica
Acumatica has become extremely popular in recent years as a Cloud ERP solution for small and medium sized businesses. This makes Acumatica a great alternative for small scale SAP ECC6 & R/3 customers.