Until 2027: SAP extends maintenance for Business Suite 7

It may still be a little longer: SAP has announced that it will postpone the end of maintenance for the core applications of Business Suite 7 from 2025 to 2027. Optionally, support can even be extended to 2030 in the form of extended maintenance. The core applications of SAP Business Suite 7 include SAP ERP 6.0, SAP Customer Relationship Management 7.0, SAP Supply Chain Management 7.0 and SAP Supplier Relationship Management 7.0, as well as SAP Business Suite powered by SAP HANA.

Make the move to SAP S/4HANA in time

Customer-specific or extended maintenance from 2028

The extension is intended to give companies additional scope to deal with digital transformation in an integrated manner, to learn about the possibilities of SAP S/4HANA and to set the course for a successful future. Until the end of 2027, the established mainstream maintenance is guaranteed without additional fees.

After that, the users have to make a decision: Those who want to do without higher fees for extended maintenance from 2028 onwards will switch to Customer Specific Maintenance. This model includes the solution of known problems at the same fees; however, further development and adaptation to new legal requirements is not planned. Companies that need more time for their S/4HANA migration and want to continue to ensure full support for Business Suite 7 can take advantage of the more expensive Extended Maintenance between 2028 and 2030.

25 years of support for S/4HANA

In addition, SAP has agreed to provide maintenance for S/4HANA until the end of 2040. This announcement provides users with long-term planning and investment security. “Our customers are showing us that they want to take the path to the future with SAP S/4HANA,” says Christian Klein, co-CEO and member of the Executive Board of SAP SE. “They expect a long-term commitment to this platform from SAP.” Taking into account that S/4HANA was launched in 2015, SAP’s intelligent suite is guaranteed to remain in maintenance for 25 years.

“The maintenance commitments for S/4HANA until at least 2040 and for Business Suite 7 until the end of 2030 do not give a carte blanche to companies to continue waiting,” emphasizes Andreas Oczko, member of the Service & Support Executive Board at the German-speaking SAP User Group (DSAG). “On the contrary, they must be the starting signal to cast off their last reticence and begin the digital transformation.” Because the following still applies: If you want to realize a seamless transition to S/4HANA, there is no way around an early and thorough examination of the necessary preparations and the appropriate migration path.