SAP Migration · 6 min read · April 2026
Third-party maintenance for SAP ECC: a delay, not a way out of the data work
By Thinklytics Partners, SAP S/4HANA Practice
Up to half of ECC customers may intentionally miss 2027, moving to third-party maintenance to keep legacy systems running. It buys time. It does not retire the data debt.
Topics covered
- Third-Party Maintenance
- Rimini Street
- SAP ECC
- Migration Strategy
Frequently asked questions
What is third-party maintenance for SAP?
It is support for your existing ECC system from a provider other than SAP, such as Rimini Street. They keep the legacy system patched and running past the 2027 mainstream maintenance end, without requiring you to upgrade to S/4HANA.
Why do companies choose to hold on ECC?
Budget limits, resource constraints, and competing priorities. Industry analysis suggests up to half of ECC customers may intentionally miss the 2027 deadline, using third-party support to keep running while they decide on or fund a migration.
Is staying on ECC a safe long-term plan?
It is a deferral, not a destination. Third-party support keeps the lights on, but the system stops getting SAP innovation, integrations age, and the eventual migration still has to happen. The decision buys time and trades it for accumulating risk.
What does third-party maintenance not solve?
It does nothing for the condition of your data. Duplicates, dark data, and ungoverned master records keep accumulating while you wait, which makes the eventual migration harder and more expensive than if you had cleaned as you went.
What is the smart way to use the extra time?
Clean the data while you hold. The cheapest time to fix duplicates, dark data, and broken master records is before a migration, not during one. Using the deferral to get the data ready turns waiting into preparation.
Can you help if we are not migrating yet?
Yes. The data foundation, quality, and governance work stands on its own and pays back even before a migration, in cleaner reporting and lower operational friction. It also makes the move far easier when you are ready.