German software giant unlikely to repeat 2020’s concession to users pressure
SAP is likely to hold firm on the 2027 support deadline for ECC, its earlier-generation ERP solution used by thousands of businesses worldwide, making a repeat of 2020’s concession unlikely, according to one user group leader.
The number of users already starting or planning their migration to the latest S/4HANA ERP platform, together with intransigence from the German software giant, means that legacy ECC and Business Suite 7 users need to find a way forward before support is cut off, said Paul Cooper, chairman, UK & Ireland SAP User Group.
„At the moment, SAP are being very strong in holding that line that [the 2027 deadline] will be the end or the beginning of the end if you purchase extended maintenance which runs until 2030,“ he said.
In February 2020, SAP caved into customer pressure by agreeing to extend standard support for Business Suite 7 (BS7) applications — which includes the ERP Central Component or ECC — beyond 2025. At the time the ERP stalwart confirmed „mainstream maintenance for core applications of SAP BS7 software until the end of 2027.“
Last week, Gartner revealed that despite its seven years on the market, SAP S/4HANA has not been licensed by two-thirds (69 percent) of ERP Central Component (ECC) clients, according to data from calendar Q3.
