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SAP Cloud Assessment: RISE, Hyperscaler IaaS or Stay Before 2027
An SAP cloud assessment is a strategic decision study on whether, when and how an SAP landscape should move to cloud: RISE with SAP, S/4HANA on hyperscaler IaaS under your own licences, or staying on-premises for now, timed against ECC 6.0 mainstream maintenance ending in 2027. NTSPL compares cost, risk, control and timing for CIOs and CFOs facing that decision.
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Three Clocks Every ECC Customer Is Running Against
Indian SAP customers on ECC face three overlapping clocks: mainstream maintenance ending in December 2027, a hardware refresh, and SAP's commercial push toward RISE. Decisions are often made on whichever proposal arrives first. A RISE quote compares a subscription against hardware only; an IaaS quote ignores Basis effort and conversion risk; staying on ECC ignores extended maintenance premiums and a thinning partner pool.
NTSPL frames the decision with four options: stay on ECC on-premises, move ECC to IaaS now and convert later, convert to S/4HANA on IaaS, or adopt RISE with SAP. Each is scored on five-year cost, conversion risk, operational control, contract flexibility and timing against 2027. The output is a recommendation with a business case, not a technical sizing, which follows once the direction is chosen.
When SAP Leadership Needs a Strategic Decision Study
Signals you need SAP Cloud Assessment
- ECC 6.0 in production with no approved plan for the end of mainstream maintenance in 2027
- A RISE with SAP proposal is on the table and finance cannot compare it with alternatives
- SAP hardware or HANA appliances reach end of support within 18 months
- Group companies run separate SAP instances and leadership is weighing consolidation
When to choose something else
- The move and target are already decided and you need SAPS and HANA memory sizing, OS/DB checks and interface analysis: that is a technical readiness assessment.
- SAP is already on S/4HANA in cloud and the concern is cost: that is SAP FinOps.
Questions the SAP Decision Study Answers
Landscape baseline
Systems, versions, database, size, custom code volume, add-ons, interfaces and current hosting and support contracts.
Option definition
Four options defined with what SAP, the hyperscaler, NTSPL or your team owns in each.
Five-year cost comparison
Licences, subscription, infrastructure, Basis and AMS, conversion project and extended maintenance premiums.
Risk and control
Conversion complexity from SAP Readiness Check, custom code, contract lock-in and operational control per option.
Timing and roadmap
Sequence against 2027, fiscal year-end, audits and business peaks, with go/no-go points.
Four-Option SAP Decision Model
Four-Option SAP Strategic Decision Model
A landscape baseline and SAP Readiness Check results define conversion complexity. Four options are costed and scored on risk, control and timing, producing a recommended path and a board business case.
Select any component
Four-Option SAP Strategic Decision Model: click any of its 7 components to see its role and the design choice NTSPL makes for it, or trace the 7-step primary path.
SAP Hosting Options on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud
IaaS options on AWS are costed on SAP-certified instances in Mumbai with Hyderabad DR; RISE on AWS is compared on the same scope.
Azure options are costed in Central India with South India DR, and Azure Center for SAP solutions reduces Basis deployment effort in the IaaS scenarios.
Google Cloud options use certified memory-optimised machines in Mumbai with Delhi DR; the Agent for SAP is factored into the operations model.
Strategic Choices With Clear Criteria
RISE with SAP or IaaS
RISE suits organisations that want one contract and SAP-managed technical operations, have limited Basis skills and accept subscription lock-in. IaaS suits those that value control of infrastructure, sizing, timing and partners, and have Basis capability in-house or through a partner. Compare on identical scope; RISE includes services that IaaS quotes often leave out.
Move ECC first or convert in one step
Move ECC to IaaS first when hardware fails before conversion can be planned, or when custom code exceeds what can be remediated before 2027. Convert in one step when the Readiness Check shows manageable simplification items and the business can absorb one major change. Two steps add one extra cutover but separate infrastructure risk from functional risk.
Timing against 2027
A brownfield S/4HANA conversion typically takes 9-18 months for mid-sized landscapes. Back-calculate from December 2027, avoid fiscal year-end in March, and leave a buffer. Extended maintenance to 2030 is available at a premium, which buys time but should be priced into the stay option, not treated as free.
Consolidation of group SAP instances
Consolidate when group companies share processes and chart of accounts, and integration costs between instances are high. Keep separate when entities have distinct regulators, listed-company reporting or divestment plans. Consolidation is easier during S/4HANA conversion than afterwards.
Six-Week SAP Strategy Assessment
Landscape and contract baseline
Systems, add-ons, contracts and support costs gathered.
SAP Readiness Check
Readiness Check run and simplification items reviewed with functional leads.
Option costing
Four options costed on like-for-like scope with quotes where available.
Risk, control and timing
Options scored and timed against 2027 and business calendar.
Board recommendation
Recommended path and business case presented to the CFO and board.
What you receive
Decision Quality Indicators
| KPI | Typical target |
|---|---|
| Options compared on identical scope | 4 of 4 |
| Cost variance of chosen option at year one | Within 15 percent |
| Decision made before procurement deadline | Yes |
| Months of buffer before 2027 | At least 6 |
Traps in SAP Cloud Decisions
| Risk | How NTSPL prevents it |
|---|---|
| Comparing a RISE subscription with hardware only | Like-for-like scope including Basis, AMS, DR and upgrades in every option. |
| Underestimating custom code remediation | Readiness Check results reviewed with functional leads, not just Basis. |
| Deadline pressure forces a poor contract | Decision gates set early enough to negotiate with more than one provider. |
RISE with SAP or S/4HANA on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud under our own licences?
Choose RISE with SAP when you want a single subscription covering software, infrastructure and SAP technical operations, have limited Basis skills and accept less flexibility in sizing, partners and exit. Choose S/4HANA on hyperscaler IaaS when you want control over infrastructure, timing, DR design and support partners, and have or can contract Basis capability. Cost comparisons must use identical scope: RISE quotes include technical managed services, upgrades and some tooling that IaaS quotes often omit, while IaaS lets you apply existing commitments and right-size more aggressively. For many Indian mid-sized SAP customers, the decision turns on skills and control rather than headline price.
Key facts: SAP Cloud Assessment
SAP Cloud Assessment in Practice
2 SAP Cloud Assessment scenarios, from Automotive components (auto-ancillary) and Specialty chemicals, plus related platform case studies.
Auto-ancillary group picks S/4HANA on IaaS over RISE after a like-for-like comparison
Specialty chemicals firm chooses RISE on Azure after pricing ECC extended maintenance
Auto-ancillary maker converts ECC to S/4HANA on AWS inside a 48-hour downtime window
API manufacturer moves a GxP-validated SAP landscape to Azure without re-validation delays
SAP Cloud Assessment: Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an SAP cloud assessment take?
About six weeks. The Readiness Check and contract gathering take the first two to three weeks; costing, scoring and the board recommendation take the rest. Multi-instance groups may need eight weeks. Running SAP Readiness Check needs a few days of Basis effort to apply notes and collect data.
What does an SAP strategy assessment cost?
Typically 20-30 consultant days, depending on the number of SAP instances and whether a RISE proposal needs detailed comparison. It is a fraction of the cost difference between options, which often runs into crores over five years. Normalising quotes from SAP and hyperscaler partners to the same scope is included in the fee.
What happens to ECC support after 2027?
SAP mainstream maintenance for ECC 6.0 enhancement packages 6-8 ends on 31 December 2027. Optional extended maintenance runs to the end of 2030 at an additional fee, after which customer-specific maintenance applies. Those fees belong in any stay option's five-year cost.
Can SAP data stay in India under each option?
Hyperscaler IaaS options can run entirely in Indian regions. For RISE, data location depends on the hosting region in the contract, so we check it alongside DPDP Act 2023 and any sector requirements before recommending. Contract terms on data location, exit and data return are reviewed with legal.
Is NTSPL independent of SAP and the hyperscalers?
We work with all three hyperscalers and the scoring is designed to be option-neutral. Every assumption is documented so your finance team can verify that the recommendation follows from the numbers. Any option-specific partner incentives are disclosed in the report.
What comes after the strategic decision?
A technical readiness assessment for the chosen option: SAPS and HANA memory sizing, OS and database versions, Unicode, interfaces and add-ons, leading to a migration plan. For RISE, SAP's own onboarding activities start at this point.