RISE with SAP is a comprehensive business-transformation-as-a-service offering designed to simplify the migration of on-premise ERP environments to the cloud. By consolidating infrastructure, technical managed services, and software licensing into a single subscription, it allows organizations to offload complex IT operational burdens like database management and server maintenance to SAP. This shift enables businesses to focus on digital innovation rather than the traditional, fragmented complexities of managing legacy enterprise infrastructure.
Understanding the Shift: Why SAP Rise Introduced RISE
The traditional SAP model placed the burden of technical operations squarely on the customer. Whether you hosted your ERP in your own server room or used a third-party managed service provider, you were responsible for the “plumbing.” You had to manage the operating system, the database, and the application layer separately. This fragmented approach often led to slow upgrade cycles and high maintenance costs.RISE with SAP was born out of a need to simplify this. SAP realized that if they wanted to move their massive customer base toward the cloud—specifically S/4HANA—they needed to offer more than just a software license. They needed to offer a business transformation package. The primary goal of RISE is to consolidate the various contracts, service-level agreements (SLAs), and technical responsibilities into one unified structure, managed directly or orchestrated by SAP.
What Exactly is Included in the RISE with SAP Package?
Think of RISE as a bundle rather than a single product. When a company signs up for RISE, they are essentially outsourcing the complexity of their ERP environment to SAP’s ecosystem. The package typically includes several core components:
- Cloud Infrastructure: You get a choice of hyperscalers (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, or Alibaba Cloud). SAP manages the underlying infrastructure, meaning you no longer deal with hardware provisioning.
- Technical Managed Services: This is the “operations” part of the deal. SAP or their designated partners handle technical tasks like system monitoring, database administration, and patching.
- SAP S/4HANA Cloud: The core of the offering is the modern S/4HANA ERP, which provides real-time data processing and a simplified data model.
- Business Process Intelligence (BPI): Using tools like Signavio, RISE includes software to help you map your current business processes, identify bottlenecks, and figure out how to optimize them before you migrate.
- SAP Business Network: Access to the Ariba Network, Asset Intelligence Network, and Logistics Business Network is often bundled in, allowing for better collaboration with suppliers and logistics partners.
Key Differences: RISE vs. Traditional On-Premise Hosting
The most significant change for IT managers is the shift in accountability. In a traditional on-premise setup, if a server goes down, your internal team or your local hosting provider is on the hook. With RISE, you have a single contract with SAP for the software, the infrastructure, and the managed services.Another major difference is the upgrade path. Traditional SAP systems often became “frozen” in time because upgrading was a multi-month project that required significant downtime and testing. RISE is designed to promote a more consistent update cadence. By moving to the cloud, you gain access to quarterly updates, which helps keep your system secure and allows you to adopt new features much faster than you could in a static on-premise environment.
Is RISE the Right Move for Your Business?
Not every organization needs to jump into RISE immediately. For companies that have highly customized legacy SAP environments, the move can be daunting. If your current ERP is heavily modified, you first need to undergo a “clean core” strategy—stripping away those custom modifications and moving them into the Business Technology Platform (BTP). This ensures that your system remains agile and easier to update in the future.However, if you are a company looking to reduce your data center footprint or you are struggling to find the specialized talent required to manage an on-premise SAP environment, RISE offers a clear path forward. It shifts the focus from “keeping the lights on” to actually improving business processes.
Navigating the Migration Process
Migrating to RISE is rarely a “lift and shift” operation. Most companies use this as an opportunity to clean up their master data and rethink their processes. The migration process generally follows three phases:
- Discovery: Use process mining tools to see how your business actually functions today versus how you think it functions.
- Preparation: Clean your data. Old, redundant data is the biggest enemy of a successful cloud migration.
- Execution: The technical move to the cloud, followed by a transition to the new support model where SAP manages your infrastructure.
It is important to remember that while SAP handles the technical operations, you are still responsible for the functional configuration of your ERP. You still need a team that understands your finance, supply chain, and HR requirements.
Conclusion
RISE with SAP represents the future direction of the SAP ecosystem. By bundling infrastructure, services, and software into a single commercial agreement, it aims to lower the barrier to entry for cloud-based ERP. While it requires a change in mindset—moving from ownership to subscription—it provides a robust framework for companies that want to focus on growth rather than hardware maintenance. If you are currently evaluating your ERP strategy, look at your existing technical debt and ask whether your internal team is better off managing servers or focusing on higher-value business outcomes.
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