SAP S/4HANA Transformation
Insight into what RISE with SAP really means for your organisation – commercially, technically and strategically.
Making the move to S/4HANA Cloud
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.
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. But it also shifts control, limits customisation, and moves ownership to a subscription model.
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.
What’s included in a RISE contract
S/4HANA Cloud
SAP’s core cloud ERP.
Business Technology Platform (BTP)
Analytics, integration, and extensions.
Signavio
Analytics, integration, and extensions.
Managed Cloud Infrastructure
Hosted by SAP or major hyperscalers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).
Key Services
Our step-by-step approach ensures your business makes the transition on solid ground technically, commercially, and strategically.
Define goals & scope
We start by defining your business goals and understanding what RISE with SAP means for your organization.
Landscape & licensing assessment
A detailed assessment of your current SAP landscape and licensing position provides a solid foundation for planning.
Review RISE components & deployment options
We review the RISE solution components, deployment options, and service inclusions to ensure they align with your needs. RISE isn’t the only route to S/4HANA Cloud, we’ll help you compare all available deployment models objectively.
Scenario modelling
Optimize your Microsoft licensing through intelligent provisioning — ensuring the right licenses are assigned to the right users at the right time.
Negotiation support
We prepare you for negotiations with SAP, supporting your commercial strategy to secure the best possible agreement. We 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.
SAP S/4HANA deployment models
RISE is the most talked-about route to S/4HANA Cloud, but it isn’t the only choice. Each model offers different levels of control, cost structure, and responsibility.
Model | Control | Commercial model | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
Rise with SAP | Moderate | Subscription | Speed, standardized operations, single vendor accountability. |
S/4HANA Cloud (non-RISE) | High | Subscription or BYOL | Existing hyperscaler agreements and mature SAP governance. |
S/4HANA On-Premise (Private Cloud) | Full | Perpetual license | Maximum control, deep customization, strict regulatory compliance. |
S/4HANA On-Premise (Public Cloud / IaaS) | Full | Perpetual license | Full SAP control with public cloud scalability and flexibility. |
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:
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.
The Commercial and Licensing Impact
Moving to RISE reshapes more than your technology. 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.
Expert SAP support
If you’re considering RISE with SAP or want an independent view of your S/4HANA options, book a call with one of our experts today. Fill out the form and we’ll be in touch within 24 hours.