Differences between an SAP and a standard migration

Companies often decide to migrate their systems for several strategic reasons, including the need to modernize their IT infrastructure. Over time, older systems can become obsolete, making them harder to maintain, integrate, and scale. Migration to new platforms often enables businesses to leverage advanced features, such as AI and improved user interfaces, that boost productivity and support better decision-making. 

Other common reasons for system migration include the need for: 

• Data Centralization: Unifying data from different systems for better analytics and reporting.

• Scalability: Adapting to growing business needs more efficiently.

• Regulatory Compliance and Security: Meeting industry standards and protecting against cyber threats. 

However, not all migrations are the same. Each migration type has its own specific challenges, risks, and requirements. Understanding these factors is crucial to anticipating their impact on business operations.  

• Standard Migration Example: Moving from a legacy CRM system to a modern cloud-based CRM. This type of migration focuses primarily on transferring customer data and adjusting user practices, with relatively limited impact on overall business processes.
• SAP Migration Example: Migrating from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA. This involves not just moving data but also re-engineering business processes to fully utilize new features and optimize workflows across the organization, impacting multiple departments.  

Comparisons around challenges and considerations 

Let's compare these two types of migrations to highlight the unique challenges and considerations of an SAP migration. 

Complexity and Integration Requirements 

• SAP Migration: SAP systems are highly complex and often integrate with multiple other systems like ERP modules, databases, and third-party applications. A deep understanding of the SAP landscape is essential to manage these interdependencies. 

• Standard Migration: Standard migrations typically involve simpler systems with fewer dependencies. The focus is more on transferring data efficiently without needing to understand how data interacts deeply with multiple systems or business processes. 

Project Approach 

The approach taken for an SAP migration can vary greatly, from building new systems (Greenfield approach) to upgrading existing ones (Brownfield approach). These choices significantly affect the project's complexity and development effort. In contrast, standard migrations often follow a more straightforward path, focusing primarily on data transfer. 

Customization and Standards 

• SAP Migration: A significant factor in SAP projects is how closely the business processes align with SAP's built-in functionalities. If processes are standard, minimal customization is needed. However, unique business needs often require specific adjustments using SAP’s tools to reduce the need for complex development. 

• Standard Migration: Standard migrations usually have limited customization needs, as the aim is often to fit data into a relatively generic target system with straightforward configuration. 

Collaboration 

• SAP Migration: Success in SAP projects relies on strong collaboration between your company and your implementation partner. You provide business insights, while your partner brings SAP expertise. This relationship is typically long-term, with a focus on knowledge transfer and change management to ensure that your team can independently manage the SAP environment post-migration. 

• Standard Migration: In standard migrations, collaboration is usually short-term, focusing on data extraction, transformation, etc. The partner's role can reduce significantly once the migration is complete. 

Business Process Impact and Downtime Management 

• SAP Migration: SAP systems are usually central to business operations, making downtime a critical concern. Techniques like a comprehensive user acceptance testing (UAT) is crucial to minimize disruptions. 

• Standard Migration: While downtime is also a concern in standard migrations, the impact on business processes is usually less severe. The focus is more on ensuring data consistency. 

Global Considerations and Project Duration

SAP projects can have a significant global reach, requiring coordination across different regions and teams, which adds to the complexity. Factors like regional regulations, time zones, and cultural differences must be managed carefully. The duration of an SAP migration project can also be lengthy, sometimes extending over multiple years, depending on its scope and the level of customization required. 

The development effort in an SAP migration project is influenced by multiple factors, including complexity, customization needs, resource allocation, and the collaborative relationship between the customer and the implementation partner. Standard migrations, by contrast, generally involve a more straightforward data transfer with less impact on business processes. 

 
Summary 

Standard migrations, such as moving from a legacy CRM to a cloud-based system, are typically simpler, focusing on data transfer with limited impact on business processes. These migrations involve fewer dependencies and require less customization or long-term collaboration. 

In contrast, SAP migrations, like the shift from SAP ECC to S/4HANA, are far more complex. They not only move data but also re-engineer business processes, impacting multiple departments. SAP migrations require careful planning, integration with other systems, and extensive collaboration due to their global reach and extended project timelines.