Global Study Finds Most SAP Customers Favor Multi-Vendor Composable ERP for Faster Innovation, Including AI
Rimini Street, Inc. (Nasdaq: RMNI), a global provider of end-to-end enterprise software support, managed services and innovation solutions, and the leading third-party support provider for Oracle, SAP and VMware software, today announced research findings around the SAP roadmap. In an in-depth study and interactive interview of 455 IT and business leaders, SAP customers voiced concerns over the push toward subscription-based S/4HANA and shared strategies business leaders are adopting to drive innovation and growth.
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Data revealed that while nearly all SAP customers surveyed are finding it difficult to make a positive ROI case for S/4HANA, many are instead choosing a multi-vendor composable ERP strategy to integrate best-in-class solutions and emerging technologies more rapidly, preserving flexibility, cost and roadmap control and enabling faster business outcomes.
SAP Policy Volatility and Cost Concerns Fuel Customer Demand for Alternative Paths to Control and Agility
SAP’s push to convert all perpetual licensees to subscription is causing alarm for its customers. 83% say they do not fully understand SAP’s latest migration policies and deadlines. 84% express some level of concern about current messaging and how it will impact their operations.
The constant shifts in deadlines, packaging options, transition programs and even renaming of products is adding to the uncertainty felt by its customers, making strategic planning more difficult but also encouraging them to explore alternative paths forward.
83% of respondents say they see clear value in composable approaches for faster access to emerging technologies such as AI, while 94% highlight the freedom to choose best‑fit solutions for each business need.
“It’s good to see so many SAP customers now fully embracing the idea of open composable architecture and the use of loosely coupled third-party solutions to meet ERP needs. This business-led, rather than supplier-led approach has been commonplace in other areas of IT for a while as it pays dividends in terms of flexibility, control and access to new innovations,” says Dale Vile, distinguished analyst at Freeform Dynamics.
Multi-Vendor Strategy and Third-Party Support Helps SAP Customers Achieve Above Average Performance
While 77% of respondents say they are okay with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) in principle, they express reservations about SAP’s approach, with a total of 92% citing escalating and unpredictable subscription costs as significant concern to their operations. 95% of respondents say building a positive ROI case for S/4HANA requires significant effort or is genuinely challenging.
SAP customers are increasingly adopting a multi‑vendor, composable ERP strategy, with 78% expecting to leverage advances from multiple vendors to innovate in and around ERP. The open, composable model offers freedom to choose the right solutions for each business need, avoid vendor lock‑in, accelerate adoption of emerging technologies like AI and strengthen competitive advantage while maintaining the agility to switch providers as better options arise. Notably, organizations combining open composable architectures with third‑party support report above‑average performance 83% of the time, compared to just 27% for traditional approaches.
“As SAP customers navigate costly forced migration decisions and the loss of valuable perpetual licenses, we’re seeing a decisive shift toward composable ERP strategies that deliver faster innovation and real business value,” said David Rowe, chief product and marketing officer, Rimini Street. “Rimini Street clients are leveraging our third-party support and optimization solutions to effectively extend the life and value of proven existing SAP releases, free up critical funds to accelerate adoption of emerging technologies such as AI, maintain control over their roadmaps and achieve above-average performance 83% of the time compared to just 27% for traditional approaches. Rimini Street is proud to empower clients to innovate faster and realize measurable ROI in a rapidly evolving enterprise landscape.”
Access the full report, “Plotting Your Course to Future Success with SAP,” to advance your SAP roadmap strategy here.
