RISE with SAP: Making the Move to S/4HANA Cloud
Insight into what RISE with SAP really means for your organisation – commercially, technically and strategically.
Guidance on RISE with SAP
Licensing shifts from ownership to subscription, responsibilities move between parties, and flexibility depends on how your contract is structured. Understanding these factors early prevents hidden cost, compliance risk, and complexity later. ITAA helps organizations assess whether RISE with SAP aligns with their business goals and contractual position. Our role is to give you a clear, unbiased view of your options, identifying risks, opportunities and the best way forward for your unique environment.
Our expertise spans all key dimensions of a successful RISE transition:
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Business Process Alignment | Assess how your existing processes map to RISE capabilities, identifying where transformation drives measurable value, not disruption. |
| Security & Compliance | Ensure that critical controls, segregation of duties, and data protections are maintained or strengthened under RISE, reducing audit and regulatory risk. |
| Extensibility & Innovation | Help you balance the flexibility to innovate with the guardrails needed for long-term maintainability and cost control. |
| Data & Governance | Validate your data strategy and governance framework to protect integrity, accessibility and accountability in a RISE environment. |
| Benchmarking & Commercial Negotiation | Benchmark your proposed RISE commercial terms against market norms, identify negotiation levers and help you secure transparent, defensible value in line with your business objectives. |
| Free from Vendor Influence | ITAA ensures your SAP investment and any RISE proposal is validated, transparent and value-driven. |
What is RISE With SAP?
RISE with SAP is SAP’s “business transformation as a service” model, combining software, infrastructure, and services in one subscription.
Instead of buying licences and hosting separately, RISE bundles everything into a single contract that includes:
- S/4HANA Cloud – SAP’s core cloud ERP.
- Business Technology Platform (BTP) – Analytics, integration, and extensions.
- Signavio – Process insight and optimisation.
- Managed Cloud Infrastructure – Hosted by SAP or major hyperscalers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).
RISE isn’t a new version of S/4HANA – it’s a new way to deploy and run it, simplifying transformation and reducing operational complexity.
How SAP Cloud ERP Changes the Move to S/4HANA
Traditionally, organisations licensed software, selected infrastructure and managed environments. With RISE, SAP delivers the full stack as a managed service, simplifying operations and providing a single point of accountability.
This accelerates innovation and reduces maintenance but also shifts control. Customisation is limited, and ownership becomes subscription-based. Understanding this trade-off early helps avoid long-term cost or flexibility issues.
RISE with SAP: Guiding Your Journey
Transforming your SAP landscape through RISE with SAP requires clarity, structure, and informed decision-making. Our step-by-step approach ensures your business makes the transition on solid ground, technically, commercially, and strategically.
We start by defining your business goals and understanding what RISE with SAP means for your organization. A detailed assessment of your current SAP landscape and licensing position follows, providing a solid foundation for planning.
We then review the RISE solution components, deployment options, and service inclusions to ensure they align with your needs. Scenario modelling allows you to compare commercial and technical pathways, helping you make informed decisions.
Finally, we prepare you for negotiations with SAP, supporting your commercial strategy to secure the best possible agreement.
How SAP Cloud ERP Changes the Move to S/4HANA
SAP offers several routes to S/4HANA Cloud and while RISE is the most talked-about, it isn’t the only choice. Each deployment model offers different levels of control, cost structure and responsibility and each carries its own risks and advantages.
| Model | How It Works | Level of Control | Commercial Model | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RISE with SAP | SAP manages software, infrastructure and operations | Moderate | Subscription | Speed and simplicity with fewer vendor relationships |
| S/4HANA Cloud (non-RISE) | You manage hosting and operations with your chosen cloud provider | High | Subscription or BYOL | Businesses with existing cloud contracts or strong internal IT governance. |
| S/4HANA On-Premise | You host and manage everything in your own data center or through a managed service. | Full | Perpetual license | Enterprises requiring complete control or facing strict regulatory requirements. |
Choosing an S/4HANA model impacts cost, control, and risk. ITAA helps organisations assess each option objectively through deep expertise in SAP licensing, cloud contracts, and transformation strategy.
The Commercial and Licensing Impact
Moving to RISE reshapes more than your technology – it redefines your commercial landscape. Licensing shifts from ownership to subscription, responsibilities move between parties and flexibility depends on contract structure.
Understanding these factors early prevents hidden cost and complexity later.
License Conversion
Perpetual licenses are exchanged for subscriptions. Understanding how value is calculated prevents cost surprises.
Contract Term & Renewal
Multi-year contracts can lock in spend. Renewal terms define future cost and leverage.
Roles & Responsibilities
RISE shifts some accountability to SAP, but not all. Knowing where your responsibility starts avoids risk gaps.
Exit & Portability
Plan flexibility from day one. Know how data, systems, and terms transition when the contract ends.
