For many companies in Brazil and across Latin America, SAP ECC still runs billing, purchasing, inventory and the financial close reliably. That reliability is exactly what keeps pushing the SAP S/4HANA decision down the road. But SAP's calendar does not bend to any one company's comfort: ECC mainstream maintenance has an end date, and a well-run migration takes time to plan and deliver.
This guide covers what IT, finance and operations leaders need to make the call with confidence: the dates that matter, what changes in day-to-day work, the three migration approaches, a seven-step roadmap and the role of RISE with SAP and GROW with SAP.
SAP ECC deadlines and why an extension is not a strategy
Mainstream maintenance for SAP ECC 6.0 on enhancement packages (EHP) 6 through 8 ends on December 31, 2027. Nothing shuts down that day, but staying on ECC with support then requires extended maintenance, which is optional, runs through the end of 2030 and comes at an additional cost.
An extension is a cushion for projects already under way, not a plan. It raises the cost of running the current system, does nothing about the technical debt built up over years of custom code and simply moves the same decision into a shorter window. There is a market effect, too: the more companies leave the project until close to the deadline, the harder it gets to secure experienced migration teams. Companies that start now choose their approach, their pace and their go-live date. Companies that wait tend to decide under pressure.
What SAP S/4HANA changes in practice
SAP S/4HANA is not ECC with a new screen. It is an ERP built on SAP HANA, an in-memory database that handles transactions and analytics on the same data in real time. For the business, that means trading overnight reports for information that is available when the decision is being made.
- Real-time processing: inventory, margins and financial position read straight from transactional data, with no wait for batch jobs.
- Simplified data model: fewer redundant tables and aggregates, which cuts reconciliation work and makes the financial close run more smoothly.
- SAP Fiori: a role-based experience in the browser and on mobile devices, instead of transaction screens designed only for specialists.
- Embedded analytics and AI: KPIs inside the processes themselves and access to SAP AI capabilities such as Joule, SAP's generative AI copilot, depending on edition and contract.
The real payoff, though, does not come from the technology alone. It comes from using the migration to rethink processes, retire custom code that no longer earns its keep and keep a clean core, with business-specific logic outside the ERP core. See how we approach that journey on our SAP S/4HANA page.
Greenfield, brownfield or hybrid: choosing your approach
There is no right approach in the abstract. The choice depends on the age and customization level of your current system, the quality of your data, your appetite for process change and your business priorities.
Greenfield: a new implementation
You start from a new system designed around SAP best practices and bring over only the data you need. It makes sense when ECC is far behind, carries custom code nobody fully understands anymore or has poor master data. It gives you the most room to redesign processes, and it also demands the most time, resources and change management.
Brownfield: a system conversion
You convert the existing system to SAP S/4HANA, keeping configuration, relevant custom code and history. It fits companies with a reasonably current ECC and processes that work well. It disrupts operations the least, but without a cleanup first it tends to carry old inefficiencies into the new system.
Selective or hybrid (bluefield)
It blends both: you redesign high-impact areas such as finance or supply chain and convert what is already stable. It is often the choice in complex landscapes with multiple companies, countries or business units, and it calls for careful data migration planning.
A seven-step roadmap for a migration without surprises
Whatever the approach, successful projects follow a similar sequence, aligned with the phases of the SAP Activate methodology: Discover, Prepare, Explore, Realize, Deploy and Run.
- Assessment: map the current system, critical processes, custom code in use, integrations and master data quality.
- Strategy and approach: choose greenfield, brownfield or hybrid, and define scope, waves and the business case.
- Data, integrations and change plan: clean up master data, design interfaces with satellite systems and map the impact on each area.
- Technical execution: convert or implement, adapt custom code and configure each country's tax and legal requirements.
- End-to-end testing by process and role: order to cash and procure to pay, with key users validating real daily work.
- Training and adoption: role-based training, champions in each area and ongoing communication.
- Go-live and stabilization: a planned cutover, reinforced support in the first weeks and close tracking of business KPIs.
Of the seven, the most underestimated step is the assessment. Without knowing the real volume of custom code and the quality of master data, the schedule starts out optimistic and the adjustments show up late, when they cost more. This is typically where teams find custom programs nobody has used in years and duplicate records that would stall the conversion.
RISE with SAP and GROW with SAP: where the contracts fit
RISE with SAP is a subscription that bundles SAP S/4HANA Cloud, infrastructure, technical managed services and process transformation tools into a single contract. For companies that want to spend less effort running servers, databases and upgrades, it concentrates accountability and adds predictability. GROW with SAP is the offer for SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, designed for companies ready to adopt standardized processes in the cloud.
One point often causes confusion: the contract does not replace project decisions. With RISE or GROW, you still have to choose an approach, prepare the data, redesign processes and get people ready. The commercial model defines how the system is purchased and operated; the success of the migration still depends on the roadmap.
Why the partner shapes the outcome in Latin America
Migrations rarely fail for purely technical reasons. The usual culprits are weak planning, change management treated as an afterthought and partners who know neither the business nor the country. In Latin America this matters even more: every operation has its own tax and regulatory obligations, such as electronic invoicing and SPED digital bookkeeping in Brazil, and they belong in the design from day one, not the week before go-live.
When you evaluate a partner, look for SAP depth combined with local knowledge, a clear methodology and a team that stays with you after cutover. Grupo Intelsis is an SAP Gold Partner with offices in Santiago, São Paulo, Montevideo, Mexico City, Bogotá and Miami, and brings SAP, cloud, data and artificial intelligence together in one integrated view.
Let's talk about your migration
If your company is still on SAP ECC, the most useful next step is to understand, with data from your own system, which approach makes sense and how long the project will take. Our team starts every SAP S/4HANA migration project with a technical and business assessment. If you would like to talk through your scenario, reach out to a specialist.