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SAP Multi Cloud Evaluation: AWS, Azure or Google Cloud for SAP
An SAP multi cloud evaluation compares AWS, Azure and Google Cloud as the platform for a specific SAP landscape, scoring certified HANA capacity in Indian regions, zone and DR options, SAP tooling, commercial terms, skills and fit with analytics and other workloads. NTSPL runs a weighted, evidence-based evaluation and recommends one primary cloud for SAP, with a clear role for any second cloud.
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Why the Best Cloud for SAP Depends on Your Landscape, Not the Vendor
All three hyperscalers run SAP well, so the choice rarely comes down to whether a platform is capable. It comes down to details that are specific to your landscape: whether the certified HANA shape you need is offered in the zone and region you want, how DR would work between Indian regions, which commercial agreement you already hold, whether your analytics team is committed to a different cloud, and which partners can actually staff Basis in your city. Decisions made on a vendor presentation often miss two or three of these.
NTSPL runs the evaluation as a scored decision with your sizing data as input. We map each production and DR system to certified shapes on each cloud in Indian regions, price three-year scenarios with commitments, check SAP-specific tooling for deployment, monitoring and backup, and test assumptions with short proofs where scores are close. The output is a recommendation with weightings the steering committee agreed before scores were seen.
When an SAP Cloud Choice Needs a Formal Evaluation
Signals you need SAP Multi Cloud Evaluation
- Two or three hyperscalers have each proposed an SAP move with different sizing and commercial offers.
- The group already uses one cloud for analytics or digital apps and another is being proposed for SAP.
- RISE with SAP is being considered and the hyperscaler under it must be chosen.
- The SAP landscape needs HANA memory above 6 TB, where certified shape availability by region matters.
- The board wants a documented, defensible selection rather than a procurement-led price comparison.
When to choose something else
- The question is whether SAP should move to cloud at all, or the business case against on-prem refresh; that is a strategic SAP cloud assessment first.
- The organization is already committed to one cloud by group policy or an enterprise agreement; skip evaluation and go to readiness and design.
- The goal is running one SAP system actively across two clouds; NTSPL advises against this for HANA and evaluates a primary-plus-secondary role split instead.
Evaluation Criteria NTSPL Scores for SAP
Certified capacity and region fit
Certified HANA and NetWeaver shapes for each system on each cloud, availability by zone in Indian regions and headroom for three-year growth.
Resilience options
Zone counts, Indian DR region pairing, HA reference designs and backup tooling for HANA on each provider.
SAP tooling and operations
Deployment, monitoring, backup and configuration-check services specific to SAP, plus their maturity and support model.
Commercial model
Three-year cost with commitments, existing enterprise agreements, migration credits, OS licensing and egress for integration traffic.
Ecosystem and adjacency
Fit with analytics, AI, identity and collaboration platforms already in use, and availability of SAP-skilled partners and staff in India.
How SAP Multi Cloud Evaluation Works, Step by Step
Weighted SAP Platform Scoring Pipeline
Weights are agreed first, then landscape sizing is mapped to each cloud's certified capacity, priced and scored across resilience, tooling, ecosystem and commercials. Close scores trigger short proofs before a recommendation and role split are issued.
Select any component
Weighted SAP Platform Scoring Pipeline: 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.
What Each Hyperscaler Brings to an SAP Landscape
AWS is evaluated on breadth of certified shapes, Mumbai and Hyderabad zone coverage, SAP-integrated backup and the ABAP SDK for calling AWS services directly from SAP code.
Azure is evaluated on integrated SAP management services, fit with Microsoft 365 and Entra ID estates, existing enterprise agreements and Central India zone capacity.
Google Cloud is evaluated on large scale-up shapes, configuration checking through Workload Manager and the strength of the SAP-to-BigQuery analytics path for groups prioritizing data platforms.
Evaluation Rules That Keep the SAP Cloud Choice Honest
Weighting before scoring
Agree weights with the steering committee before any vendor scores are seen. A typical SAP weighting is certified capacity and resilience 30 percent, commercial 25 percent, SAP tooling and operations 15 percent, ecosystem and adjacency 15 percent, and skills and partners 15 percent. Adjust for context, but record the reasoning.
One primary cloud for SAP
Place all tightly coupled SAP systems, such as S/4HANA, BW, PI/PO and GRC, on one cloud. Splitting them across providers adds latency to RFC and data loads and doubles operational skills. A second cloud can host analytics, AI or digital apps, with SAP data extracted through supported replication.
Normalizing commercial offers
Price every provider on the same sizing, DR pattern, backup retention and commitment term, then layer each provider's credits and agreement discounts separately. Credits that expire in year one should not decide a three-year platform choice. Include egress for SAP data moving to analytics on another cloud.
When to run proofs
Run proofs only when weighted scores differ by less than 10 percent or a critical assumption is unverified, such as certified shape availability in a specific zone or HSR lag between Indian regions. Keep each proof under two weeks and define pass criteria before starting.
Four-to-Six Week SAP Cloud Evaluation
Weights and assumptions
Agree evaluation weights, sizing inputs, resilience pattern and commercial assumptions with the steering committee.
Capacity and tooling mapping
Map each SID to certified shapes per cloud in Indian regions and review SAP-specific services.
Commercial modelling
Build three-year cost scenarios and normalize vendor offers and credits.
Scoring and proofs
Score criteria with evidence and run targeted proofs where scores are close.
Recommendation
Present the scored recommendation, role split and conditions to the steering committee.
What you receive
Quality Measures for an SAP Platform Decision
| KPI | Typical target |
|---|---|
| Scores backed by documented evidence | 100 percent of criteria |
| Cost model variance against first-year actual bill | Within plus or minus 12 percent |
| Steering committee sign-off on weights before scoring | Yes, recorded |
| Evaluation duration | Six weeks or less |
Biases and Gaps in SAP Cloud Selections
| Risk | How NTSPL prevents it |
|---|---|
| Short-term credits and discounts dominate a long-term platform decision | Credits are shown separately from normalized three-year cost and given limited weight. |
| A certified shape is assumed available but not offered in the needed Indian zone | Availability is confirmed in writing by each provider for the exact region and zone, or proven in a short test. |
| Existing team preference drives scores silently | Weights are agreed before scoring, and each score cites evidence that another reviewer can check. |
Should SAP run on one cloud or be spread across two for resilience?
Run SAP on one cloud and get resilience from zones and a second Indian region on that same cloud. HANA system replication, Pacemaker fencing, virtual IP handling and backup integration are all provider-specific, so spreading one SAP system across two clouds multiplies complexity without improving recovery in practice. A second cloud makes sense for different workloads, such as analytics on BigQuery or AI services, fed with SAP data through supported replication. NTSPL recommends cross-cloud SAP DR only where regulation or group policy explicitly requires provider diversity, and then plans it as backup-based recovery with a longer RTO.
Key facts: SAP Multi Cloud Evaluation
SAP Multi Cloud Evaluation in Practice
2 SAP Multi Cloud Evaluation scenarios, from Dairy major and Seeds & agri-biotech, plus related platform case studies.
Dairy major places S/4HANA on Azure and keeps milk analytics on Google Cloud
Seeds and agri-biotech firm picks its RISE hyperscaler on trial-data and AI needs
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 Multi Cloud Evaluation: Frequently Asked Questions
What does an SAP multi cloud evaluation cost?
Typically 20 to 35 consultant-days over four to six weeks, depending on the number of SAP systems and whether proofs are needed. Proof capacity is often funded by providers' evaluation programmes, which NTSPL arranges without letting that influence scores.
Is NTSPL neutral between AWS, Azure and Google Cloud?
NTSPL delivers SAP on all three and discloses partner relationships at the start. Weights are agreed before scoring and every score cites evidence, so the steering committee can check the reasoning independently.
Which Indian regions are compared?
AWS Mumbai and Hyderabad, Azure Central India, South India, West India and India South Central (Hyderabad), and Google Cloud Mumbai and Delhi. We check zone support, certified shape availability and DR pairing for each, which matters for DPDP Act 2023 data mapping and regulated group entities.
Does this help if we are choosing RISE with SAP?
Yes. Under RISE, SAP runs the infrastructure but you still choose the hyperscaler. The evaluation then focuses on ecosystem fit, adjacent workloads, data paths to analytics and your existing agreements rather than infrastructure tooling.
Can we change cloud later if the decision proves wrong?
Yes, SAP can be moved between clouds with HANA backup restore or replication, but it is a full migration project with downtime. That is why the decision record includes review triggers, such as a major acquisition or contract renewal.
How do existing Microsoft or Google agreements affect the result?
They change the commercial score, sometimes significantly, and are shown transparently. But they should not override capacity, resilience or skills gaps. The evaluation separates agreement discounts from the underlying normalized cost.