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.
