How can APAC channel partners capitalize on the upcoming SAP ECC deadline?

Partners can redirect customers to extend existing ERP while offering solutions to build AI and transformation capabilities.

Channel partners in the Asia Pacific region can help ease the burden of enterprises deciding between putting extra funds into managing the upcoming SAP ECC end-of-maintenance deadline and investing in artificial intelligence (AI) goals by offering an alternative route to migration.

As we edge closer to the 2027 deadline, Michael Perica, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Rimini Street, believes partners have the opportunity to help customers free up “trapped” enterprise resource planning (ERP) cash to pay for AI and transformation projects — something firms are under pressure to execute.

“These partners, even large systems integrators, are listening to their clients saying, how do I capitalize on agentic UI (user interface) in the enterprise?” Perica told CRN Asia. “Where do I do this, because I don’t have enough capital.”

This may be why half of enterprises globally remain on a legacy SAP ECC or Business Suite system as of November 2025. About 43% of those firms cited high costs, with another 43% unsure of the value of migration.

Even the promise of access to generative AI capabilities only available via the SAP Cloud ERP Private or RISE with SAP was not enough to persuade customers to consider the migration: 31% of leaders stated an outright ‘no’, and 26% of leaders said they needed more information.

Perica suggested that enterprises in a similar dilemma take an alternative route to a costly migration, such as extending support for SAP ECC 6.0, to stretch flat IT budgets and adopt transformation strategies on their own terms.

In pursuit of ROI

He went on to share examples of customers in the region that have chosen to take the alternative route. Sunway Group, a Malaysian conglomerate with core interests in real estate, education, healthcare, hospitality, and retail, had partnered with Rimini Street to optimize ERP support and managed services. The group then redirected both budget and people into AI and customer experience projects.

Another example is Pacific Textiles in Hong Kong. The global textile manufacturer declined SAP’s cloud roadmap in favor of taking control of their own IT strategy — they improved support, reduced costs, and funded strategic data initiatives with Rimini Street.

And the pressure to prioritize adoption of transformation tactics and prove returns on investment (ROI) will on increase, which is why Perica sees channel partners potentially repositioning to help customers extend existing ERP and build innovation capabilities around it.

For instance, one report found that over 96% of enterprises across APAC have plans to increase AI investments over the next 12 months. The Lenovo study, with insights from IDC, found that on average, organizations expect AI spending to grow by 15%, spanning GenAI and Agentic AI, public cloud AI services, on-prem AI infrastructure, and AI security tools.

A majority 88% of those firms expect a positive ROI from AI in 2026.

“I do believe it really is a game changer for enterprises in using [AI] appropriately,” said Perica. “In a measured approach of getting the quick wins, letting it evolve, and then using it deeper as a primary innovation engine around my existing systems and my business data that I have control [of].

“That’s where it’s not only about the ability to innovate on your data, [but also to] not hand the data over to a particular vendor, held hostage potentially.”