A large share of the organisations still on SAP ECC are not global enterprises — they are midsize manufacturers, distributors and service companies that put the decision off. With mainstream maintenance ending on 31 December 2027, many now ask whether they can still make it. The honest answer: often yes, but not by following the same playbook large enterprises used five years ago. This article is part of our complete SAP ECC to S/4HANA migration guide.
Why the mid-market is different
Midsize organisations usually have smaller IT teams, fewer specialist SAP staff and less appetite for multi-year programmes — but also simpler landscapes and more willingness to adopt standard processes. SAP has recognised this, making the mid-market a growth priority through partner-led delivery and GROW with SAP.
Three realistic options
- Standardise and go cloud: a new implementation on S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition with GROW with SAP, adopting preconfigured processes. Often the fastest route. See RISE vs GROW.
- Focused conversion: a brownfield conversion with aggressive retirement of unused custom code and data, for organisations with processes worth keeping.
- Planned bridge: start the programme now and use extended maintenance to 2030 to cover the gap, without letting the deadline slip again.
Late starters can’t afford a big-bang programme. They need a narrow scope, standard processes and a delivery team that uses every efficiency available.
ESS ENN Associates Enterprise Solutions Team
How AI changes the maths for late starters
AI-assisted assessment, custom-code remediation, data cleansing and test generation compress the slowest phases of a migration. That matters most for organisations with limited budgets and small teams: it makes timelines that once looked impossible achievable. SAP itself is investing heavily in agentic migration tooling. See how AI is accelerating S/4HANA migration.
A 90-day plan to get moving
- Weeks 1–4: AI-assisted assessment of custom code, data and processes.
- Weeks 5–8: choose the approach, licensing route and target date; decide whether extended maintenance is needed.
- Weeks 9–12: secure delivery capacity, start data cleansing and custom-code retirement, and agree the programme governance.
Budget and capacity
Specialist SAP capacity is tight in 2026, so securing it early is part of the plan. For what drives cost, read S/4HANA migration cost and timeline; for the deadline itself, the SAP 2027 deadline.
ESS ENN Associates supports SAP S/4HANA programmes with AI-assisted assessment, custom-code and data remediation, and testing, through our AI agent development, data engineering and legacy modernisation teams. To build a realistic plan for your organisation, Contact us.