The discussion around SAP S/4HANA has moved well beyond early adoption and long term roadmaps. For organisations still running SAP ECC, the question is no longer whether to migrate, but how quickly and how well it can be done.
With SAP ending mainstream maintenance for ECC in 2027, many businesses are discovering that time is their most limited resource. What once felt distant is now uncomfortably close, and the market is already showing signs of strain. Program capacity is tightening, experienced resources are in high demand, and late movers are finding that flexibility diminishes the longer decisions are postponed.
2027 Is Not a Soft Deadline
SAP has been clear and consistent in its messaging. ECC support ends in 2027, with extended maintenance offered only at a premium and with reduced innovation and long term viability. Remaining on ECC beyond this point introduces increasing exposure across security, compliance, and operational stability.
This is not simply a licensing issue. Unsupported systems carry real business risk, particularly in regulated industries or environments that depend on integration with modern cloud services. The assumption that deadlines will shift has become increasingly risky. Organisations still waiting for clarity are, in effect, gambling on an outcome they cannot control.
Migration Is a Business Decision, Not an IT Upgrade
One of the most common causes of failed or underperforming S/4HANA programs is treating migration as a purely technical exercise. S/4HANA is not ECC on a faster database. Its simplified data model, real time processing, and embedded analytics fundamentally change how processes are designed and executed.
Organisations that approach migration with a narrow focus on system conversion often carry years of customisations and workarounds into the new environment. This results in higher costs, limited innovation, and systems that are difficult to maintain or extend.
By contrast, successful migrations use the transition as a reset point. They question long standing assumptions, rationalise custom code, and align processes more closely with standard SAP capabilities where it makes business sense. This approach requires stronger governance and change management, but the long term payoff is significant.
Selecting the Right Migration Strategy Matters
There is no single correct path to S/4HANA. Greenfield, brownfield, and selective transformation approaches each have merits and risks. The mistake is not choosing one over another, but choosing without a clear understanding of the consequences.
Greenfield programs enable deep process redesign and a true clean core, but they demand organisational readiness and executive sponsorship. Brownfield conversions can deliver speed and continuity, yet often preserve complexity that limits future agility. Selective approaches attempt to balance these extremes, though they introduce architectural complexity that must be carefully managed.
The right strategy depends on business priorities, not technical convenience. Organisations that align migration choices to strategic objectives consistently achieve better outcomes.
Cloud Programs Change the Economics and the Architecture
RISE with SAP and GROW with SAP have reshaped how S/4HANA is consumed. By bundling infrastructure, licensing, and services, SAP has lowered the barrier to cloud adoption and accelerated migration timelines for many customers.
However, these programs also shift architectural responsibility and commercial dynamics. Decisions around extensibility, integration, data ownership, and exit strategies become more important, not less. Moving quickly without clarity can lock organisations into models that are difficult to change later. Cloud adoption should be intentional. Speed is valuable, but control and long term flexibility matter just as much.
Skills, Architecture, and Execution Are the Differentiators
Modern S/4HANA landscapes demand new ways of working. Clean core principles, SAP Business Technology Platform, modern integration patterns, and disciplined extension strategies are no longer optional. Legacy development and integration approaches do not scale in cloud centric environments.
Organisations that invest early in capability building, both internally and with trusted partners, reduce delivery risk and improve system quality. Those that postpone these investments often find themselves constrained by skills shortages and architectural limitations at the worst possible time.
Waiting Is the Most Expensive Option
Delaying S/4HANA migration does not preserve the status quo. It increases cost, reduces choice, and amplifies risk. As the 2027 deadline approaches, migration programs will become more expensive and harder to execute due to market saturation and resource scarcity.
Early movers benefit from a calmer delivery environment, greater access to expertise, and the ability to leverage innovation sooner. They also gain time to stabilise, optimise, and extract value from their S/4HANA investments rather than racing to meet a deadline.
Final Perspective
S/4HANA migration is not an event. It is a strategic transition that shapes the future of the SAP landscape for the next decade.
The organisations that succeed are those that act early, make deliberate choices, and treat migration as an opportunity rather than an obligation. The window for controlled, value driven transformation is still open, but it is closing.
ETZ Global supports organisations through every stage of the S/4HANA journey, from strategy and architecture to execution and optimisation. The time to move is now.