SAP End-of-Support
for Legacy Software

Ensure your business is ready.​

As SAP phases out support for its legacy software, here are key dates to keep in mind:

  • December 31, 2025 – Mainstream support ends for SAP ECC 6 (EHP 0–5).
  • December 31, 2027 – Mainstream support ends for SAP ECC 6 (EHP 6–8) and Business Suite 7. Extended maintenance will be available at a premium cost until 2030.
  • Until 2040 – SAP S/4HANA will remain supported, with SAP committing to at least one maintenance release.

How End-of-Support Affects Your Business

With mainstream support ending as early as 2025, Business Suite 7 and ECC 6 legacy softwares may expose your business to security vulnerabilities, compliance risks, and rising costs. 

Key risks include: 

  • Falling behind the competition – lack of access to new features, functions, and innovations.
  • No security or compliance updates – Your system will be vulnerable 
to threats. 
  • Higher costs – Extended maintenance through 2030 comes at a premium. 
  • ERP talent shortages – Fewer experts will be available to support legacy SAP systems. 
  • Limited interoperability with new technology – Outdated technology makes integration with modern tools harder.

How Pemeco Can Help

Assess Your ERP Needs
Get an unbiased evaluation of SAP S/4HANA vs. other ERP solutions, ensuring your strategy aligns with your business goals.
Select the Right-Fit ERP
Our 8 Dimensions of Vendor Fit framework ensures an objective ERP selection process, helping you choose the right system without wasting time or money.
Implement ERP Successfully
With our proven methodology, we ensure seamless ERP implementation, driving key deliverables and outcomes at every stage.

The entire company was astounded that such a complicated project could be so successful and delivered on time. The Pemeco implementation methodology, ‘Milestone Deliverables’, provided a comprehensible roadmap to follow with clearly-marked, tangible deliverables serving as signposts along the way. We moved to our new ERP systems on the final weekend and balanced our $51M of inventory to the penny!

Russ Finney

Former CIO of Tokyo Electron Americas

Why Trust Pemeco

100% ERP Success Rate

We have an unmatched track record in the industry, with over 800 major projects successfully delivered.

Vendor Neutrality

Pemeco is an independent consulting firm, ensuring an objective selection process without vendor influence.

Proven Methodologies

We ensure client success by cultivating a culture of ownership and following a rigorous, outcome-driven approach. Our frameworks and methodologies are industry gold standards, used in 40+ countries.

Deep Cross-Industry Expertise

Our consultants bring decades of first-hand industry knowledge and experience, guiding your business to its optimal future state.

Trusted by Global Enterprises

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We’ve been helping businesses successfully deliver digital transformations since 1978. 

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Resources

Resources

Get the insights you need to reshape your EOS strategy.
thumbnail image of Pemeco's SAP Business Suite 7 EOS: What Business IT Leaders Need to Know resource

Determine whether upgrading or replacing your ERP is the right move. Identify key signs, compare options, and avoid costly mistakes using our checklist.

thumbnail image of Pemeco's Should you upgrade or replace your SAP Legacy Software resource

Delaying your ERP transition could lead to security, compliance, and cost risks. Learn how to plan a smooth and strategic transition in our blog.

Decide whether to upgrade to S/4HANA or replace SAP ECC, and plan your next ERP move with clarity and confidence through this strategic guide.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

SAP S/4HANA is SAP’s modern ERP that replaces ECC and the Business Suite. 

  • SAP ECC (ERP Central Component): Legacy ERP system running on traditional databases. 
  • SAP Business Suite: A bundle of applications (ECC, CRM, SCM, SRM, PLM). 
  • SAP S/4HANA: Successor to ECC, runs on the HANA in-memory database, with real-time analytics, modern UX (Fiori), and cloud readiness. 

📌 See Pemeco’s SAP Roadmap Guide for platform comparisons. 

Mainstream maintenance ends in 2027, with extended support available until 2030. 

  • ECC 6.0 EHP 1–5: ends in 2025 
  • ECC 6.0 EHP 6–8 and Business Suite 7: ends on Dec 31, 2027 
  • Extended maintenance: available until 2030 at premium cost 
  • After 2030: customer-specific maintenance (no regulatory/legal updates) 

Pemeco helps clients assess SAP extended support, third-party options (e.g., Rimini), and migration timing. 

📌 Read Pemeco’s SAP End-of-Support Advisory. 

Upgrading preserves existing systems, while replacement enables a clean, future-ready core. Technical considerations: 

  • Custom code uplift – many ECC customizations require remediation or rewriting 
  • Standard vs. custom – greenfield encourages best practices; brownfield may retain technical debt 
  • Data model changes – S/4HANA’s simplified tables (e.g., ACDOCA) impact historical data migration 
  • Integrations – existing interfaces must be validated against S/4HANA architecture 

Pemeco builds defensible upgrade vs. replace business cases by modeling cost, risk, and ROI. 

📌 Use Pemeco’s SAP Upgrade vs. Replace Framework. 

Yes, but delaying increases cost and risk. 

  • SAP extended maintenance – available until 2030 
  • Third-party support (e.g., Rimini Street) – cheaper, but no SAP innovation roadmap 
  • Delay risks – rising costs, talent shortages, compressed migration windows 

Pemeco helps companies weigh financial, operational, and strategic trade-offs of delaying. 

📌 See Pemeco’s SAP support and migration guide. 

Most migrations take 12–24 months. Timelines depend on: 

  • Functional scope (modules, sites, geographies) 
  • Migration approach (greenfield, brownfield, bluefield) 
  • Integration and data migration complexity 
  • Organizational change management needs 
  • Availability of skilled resources 

📌 See Pemeco’s Guide on SAP S4HANA migration approaches. 

These terms describe different paths to S/4HANA migration. 

  • Greenfield: Fresh implementation; best for transformation but higher effort 
  • Brownfield: Convert ECC to S/4HANA; preserves past investments but carries inefficiencies 
  • Bluefield / Hybrid: Selectively redesign processes while migrating legacy elements 

Pemeco aligns migration approach to your business goals, risk profile, and ROI expectations. 

📌 See Pemeco’s SAP Guide for Decision Makers here.

Most failures trace back to governance and change management gaps. 

  • Misaligned business vs. IT expectations 
  • Weak governance and unclear decision rights 
  • Inadequate data migration and testing 
  • Underestimating OCM and training needs 
  • Over-customization undermining SAP standardization 

Pemeco mitigates these with its Milestone Deliverables methodology and independent governance. 

📌 Read Pemeco’s guide on avoiding SAP project failure. 

Pemeco acts as an independent program manager accountable only to client success. Our differentiators include: 

  • Milestone Deliverables methodology anchoring projects in tangible checkpoints 
  • Independent governance free from vendor agendas 
  • OCM programs that address the emotional curve of change 
  • Proven experience from 800+ ERP projects, including SAP rollouts worldwide 

📌 See how Pemeco can help. 

Talk to a Business
and Technology Advisor 

With the end of support approaching, you need a clear technology strategy. If you’re looking for expert ERP guidance and a proven implementation approach, submit the form on the right.

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