No Extension to SAP ECC 6 and Business Suite 7 Mainstream Support End Date in 2027

Back in 2020, SAP announced it would extend the end of mainstream ECC 6.0 support from 2025 to 2027. At the time, that ⁠wasn’t a big surprise. There was speculation among the SAP community that SAP would extend the deadline again.

As they say, “Sorry to burst your bubble, but ….” Hey, it’s not me, it’s SAP CEO Christian Klein. When asked if SAP would extend the ECC support deadline beyond 2027, he clearly said no.

“No, we will not extend [the deadline],” he said, as reported by The Register.

The clock is ticking – you need a plan

(Just so you know, the 2027 deadline is for ECC 6.0 EHPs 6, 7, and 8. ECC without any enhancement packages or with EHPs 1 through 5 still have an end of mainstream support deadline of December 31, 2025^[1]. There are still some clients running those older versions. Not to be an alarmist, but I hear a clock ticking.)

Now, we just have to deal with it. That means you need a five-year plan. You can develop that by knowing your business goals, exploring your options, making a business case (do the math), and getting started now. By the way, we can help with that. Estimate the benefits that you could be getting with our maintenance savings calculator.

You might be considering the RISE with SAP program. But that’s also a costly, resource-intensive commitment that locks you into an SAP-driven roadmap.

The good news – you have options for ECC support

Let’s take the pressure off. While SAP is ending mainstream support for Business Suite 7 and ECC 6.0 support in 2027, Rimini Street will continue to support those products for at least 15 years.

Not only that, but we’ll also deliver timely tax, legal, and regulatory compliance updates, support your customizations, secure your data, provide performance support, and resolve interoperability issues.

And we’ll do it 24/7/365 – around the clock and around the globe. And, oh, we’ll charge 50% less than what you’re paying SAP.

Organizations can take advantage of the following benefits:

1. Continued support: Rimini Street provides ongoing support, maintenance, and product enhancements for SAP ECC beyond the official SAP support end date. This helps companies avoid the costs and disruptions of a full-scale upgrade.
2. Cost savings: Rimini Street offers a more cost-effective alternative to SAP’s standard support, with savings of 50% compared to SAP’s annual support fees.
3. Flexibility: Rimini Street provides a flexible and customizable support model that fits each company’s unique requirements and budget constraints.
4. Expertise: Rimini Street’s support team includes certified SAP experts with decades of experience working with SAP ECC. This ensures our clients receive the highest quality support and expertise for their systems.

By leveraging Rimini Street’s services, companies can continue to receive support and access to new product enhancements and bug fixes, while also saving on support costs and avoiding the disruption of a full-scale upgrade.

Bottom line

You have options! You can stay on a supported version of ECC for many years past 2027 without paying extra (in fact, you’ll pay less). You can move to S/4HANA (or not) on your timetable, not SAP’s.

The deadline is the deadline, and it’s now on the horizon. Let Rimini Street help you assess your SAP ECC support options and start planning for 2027. Contact us and we’ll build out a customized ROI comparison for you.

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_{[1] SAP – Maintenance Timelines for SAP ERP 6.0
[2] CNBC – CEOs are the most pessimistic they’ve been in more than a decade as world faces a slowdown}