Thousands of companies still run their finance, procurement, inventory and production on SAP ECC 6.0. SAP’s mainstream maintenance for ECC 6.0 on the most recent enhancement packages (6 to 8) ends at the end of 2027; older enhancement packages reached that point earlier. Optional extended maintenance is available until the end of 2030 at an additional cost, after which customer-specific maintenance offers only limited support. Check your contract and SAP’s current maintenance documentation for the exact terms that apply to you.
With 2027 approaching, ERP migration is now a board-level topic for many mid-sized and large businesses.
What are the options?
- Move to SAP S/4HANA: either a system conversion that brings your existing processes and data across, a fresh implementation that redesigns processes around the standard, or a selective approach in between. SAP offers it on-premise and as cloud subscriptions such as RISE with SAP.
- Extend: buy extended maintenance to 2030 and use the time to plan properly. This is a legitimate choice, but it postpones rather than avoids the decision.
- Switch platform: move to another ERP, such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle NetSuite, or open-source systems such as Odoo and ERPNext, which can suit mid-sized businesses well.
- Combine: keep a smaller ERP core and move specialised functions to dedicated systems connected through integrations.
Questions to answer before choosing
- Which of your customisations still reflect how the business works, and which exist only because of old limitations?
- How clean is your data? Migration exposes every duplicate supplier, obsolete material and inconsistent record.
- What systems connect to ERP today, such as e-commerce, warehouse, payroll, banking and reporting, and how will each be reconnected?
- What is the total cost over five to ten years, including licences, hosting, implementation, internal staff time and support?
- Who in the business will own processes and decisions during the project?
Integration is where projects slip
An ERP never runs alone. The migration plan should list every interface, decide whether each is replaced, rebuilt or retired, and test them with real data well before go-live. Using a clear integration layer, rather than point-to-point connections into the ERP, makes this migration easier and the next one easier still.
Start with the data and the processes
Whatever route you choose, the work that pays off most starts now: cleaning master data, archiving what you no longer need, documenting the processes that actually run, and retiring customisations nobody uses. That work shortens any migration and lowers its risk, and it is valuable even before the platform decision is final.
