NTT DATA’s PhaseCONVERT eases SAP S/4HANA Cloud migration

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is part of the DNA of well-run organizations, and the ERP system of choice for many organizations is SAP ERP Central Component (ECC).

SAP ECC is the core component of SAP Business Suite. It integrates diverse systems and business applications to enable a smooth flow of information across departments to make business process management simpler and faster and support effective and strategic decision-making.

With the news that updates and support for SAP ECC will end in 2027, many of our clients are working with us to migrate to SAP S/4HANA Cloud, the cloud-based version of SAP S/4HANA and successor to SAP ECC.

While SAP S/4HANA is the successor to SAP ECC, it’s more than just a new version: it’s the SAP platform of the future, designed around a clean core and at the center of SAP’s ongoing innovation.

However, it’s not only the sunsetting of SAP ECC that is driving this migration. Some organizations are finding that their current systems can no longer keep up with business demands. Others need more advanced analytics or better integration capabilities to support their digital transformation.

If your organization is still using SAP ECC and you’re considering a migration, we have the solution to make it happen.

Start planning your SAP S/4HANA Cloud migration now

SAP S/4HANA Cloud offers faster processing speeds, simpler data models and an improved user experience. It can also support innovations like IoT, AI and robotic process automation that help organizations to stay competitive in their industries. Generative AI is now part of the SAP S/4HANA suite.

The sooner you plan your move, the sooner you’ll be able to realize these benefits.

Because the migration is complex and time-consuming, and will require customization and training, it’s wise to start planning your strategy well ahead of the 2027 deadline. You’ll need time to choose the right transition path (new implementation, like-for-like conversion or selective data transformation?) and understand how to minimize risk and business disruption during the process.

You are also likely to need deep expertise to bridge legacy infrastructures, apply cloud ERP at scale and use data insights to support innovation.

Take a phased approach with expert guidance and methodologies

In our Middle East, Turkey and Africa region, these migrations from SAP ECC6 are the single biggest SAP trend at the moment.

We’ve put together a highly skilled team to power up SAP S/4HANA Cloud migrations through our PhaseCONVERT for SAP S/4HANA Cloud product: a reliable, low-risk way of converting your SAP ECC investment to this intelligent ERP system.

As the name suggests, we take a phased, brownfield-conversion approach to migrations. This means we transform and upgrade existing systems while preserving data and configurations. To minimize risk and align with your business needs, our PhaseCONVERT methodology comprises:

• A discovery phase, to understand your current environment and business strategy so we can plan your new environment and the business processes that will be involved
• An optional trial conversion, where we move a copy of your current production environment to a trial environment so we can flag potential issues
• The full conversion to SAP S/4HANA Cloud, with an emphasis on business continuity and risk mitigation
• A run and transform stage, during which we help you adopt new functionality and start innovating while running the new system

The work is done at a pace that suits your organization, with minimal custom code and easy integration of your business processes with the new SAP S/4HANA Cloud functionality.

Take the next step

NTT DATA’s clients get access to the best local and global SAP talent and best-in-class methodologies, including accelerators we’ve built to make PhaseCONVERT even faster and easier. In fact, we’ve made such progress with PhaseCONVERT that SAP Africa recognized us in 2023 for the most successful go-live activities.

With nearly 20 years’ SAP experience in our Middle East, Turkey and Africa region, we provide technical services, cybersecurity, data center infrastructure, consulting and managed services to help you innovate with SAP S/4HANA Cloud after your migration.

As an SAP Gold Partner, we’re experts in realizing your organization’s business strategy in a digital economy. You won’t find a more comprehensive and strategic approach to ERP transformation anywhere else.