SAP migration services in Saudi Arabia — delivered by a team already in the Kingdom
Moving off ECC is a dated decision, not an open one. SAP mainstream maintenance for Business Suite 7 runs to the end of 2027, and the work that has to happen first — remediating custom code, cleaning data, freeing the business for testing — is exactly the work that suffers when a programme starts late.
Altivate is an SAP Gold Partner with offices in Riyadh and Jeddah. We assess the estate you actually have, model the migration paths that genuinely apply to it, and run the conversion — with the people doing the work in the same time zone as the people signing it off.
An S/4HANA core that is current, supportable and ready for what comes next.
From where you are to S/4HANA, without a stalled programme
Four phases. The first one produces a number, so the decision to commit is made against evidence rather than a vendor timeline.
Assess the estate
Custom code volume, data footprint, interfaces and licence position — measured against your system, not estimated from a questionnaire.
Choose the path
Brownfield conversion, greenfield build or a selective transition that carries across only what earns its place. We size all three honestly.
Deliver the migration
Code remediation, data migration, integration testing, and a cutover rehearsed end to end before the weekend it is run.
Stabilise and hand over
Hypercare, then a managed service if you want one — so the programme does not end by handing a new system to a stretched internal team.
2027, and what the 2030 extension does not buy you
SAP provides mainstream maintenance for Business Suite 7 core applications — ECC included — until the end of 2027. Optional extended maintenance then runs to the end of 2030, at a two-percentage-point premium on the maintenance base, and only for customers on one of the last three enhancement packages. It is worth being precise about that, because the extension is often read as three more years of doing nothing. It buys time; it does not reduce the work. A brownfield conversion is not a lift-and-shift: custom code written over fifteen years has to be assessed and remediated, data has to be cleaned before it is carried, and the business has to be available to test. Programmes that start late compress precisely the phases that should never be compressed, and the compression shows up as defects after go-live rather than delays before it. The useful move now is an assessment that tells you the real size of your conversion.
RISE, GROW, or your own cloud tenancy
The destination is the same. The commercial and operating model is not, and the right answer depends on what you are carrying forward.
RISE with SAP
Suits an existing estate carrying process debt worth keeping. One subscription, SAP-managed infrastructure, conversion-led.
GROW with SAP
Suits a clean start on public cloud with standard processes and a faster path to live. Less to carry, less to remediate.
Your own hyperscaler
Where you would rather hold the cloud relationship yourself, we deliver and run SAP on AWS or Google Cloud instead of a bundled subscription.
Signals it is time to talk
Delivered in the Kingdom
Altivate accelerated an SAP S/4HANA 2022 migration for a leading oil and gas company in Saudi Arabia. Almarai, Jamjoom and Northern Region Cement Company are among the Saudi enterprises running SAP with us.
What usually comes next
A current core is the precondition for the rest of it. Each of these is a separate engagement, and each has its own page.
SAP application managed services keep the estate supported after hypercare. ZATCA e-invoicing belongs inside the SAP core rather than bolted alongside it. Enterprise AI and SAP Business Data Cloud only earn their keep once the data underneath them is current.
What an SAP S/4HANA migration programme must cover
The database conversion is one workstream. A dependable go-live also requires decisions about processes, data, integrations, security, custom code, people and the operating model that follows.
Landscape and readiness baseline
We inventory systems, add-ons, interfaces, data volumes, custom code and operational constraints. The assessment identifies simplification items, incompatible components and dependencies before they become delivery surprises.
Process design and migration path
Fit-to-standard workshops separate the processes that create advantage from the customisations that simply accumulated. That evidence determines whether greenfield, brownfield or selective transition is the right route.
Data migration and reconciliation
Data is profiled, cleansed, mapped and rehearsed. The plan defines what moves, what is archived, who signs off balances and master data, and how reconciliation will be proven at cutover.
Custom code and clean-core design
Every custom object is assessed: retire, replace with standard, remediate, or move to an upgrade-safe extension. The goal is not zero customisation; it is a core that can be updated without another major programme.
Integration, security and localisation
Interfaces, roles, segregation of duties, identity flows and external platforms are tested as one landscape. For Saudi organisations, the design also covers the localisation, tax and e-invoicing processes the operating model depends on.
Testing, cutover and adoption
System, integration, user-acceptance, performance and cutover rehearsals are planned against business-critical scenarios. Training, communications, hypercare and support ownership begin before go-live, not after it.
What you receive before implementation starts
The first deliverable is a decision your steering committee can act on, with the assumptions and risks visible.
Current-state baseline: landscape, code, data, integrations, process pain points, constraints and readiness findings in one agreed view.
Recommended transition path: greenfield, brownfield or selective transition, with the alternatives considered and the reasons for the recommendation.
Target architecture and release plan: deployment model, integration approach, clean-core boundaries, workstreams, waves and decision gates.
Cost, risk and value model: programme estimate, internal effort, licences and infrastructure, contingency, expected benefits and the assumptions behind each figure.
Cutover and operating-model outline: business continuity, data reconciliation, hypercare, application management and the ownership model after go-live.
For the financial case behind these choices, see our SAP S/4HANA business case and ROI assessment →
SAP migration questions we answer early
Do we need greenfield, brownfield or selective transition?
There is no universal answer. Brownfield can preserve a sound operating model and shorten change; greenfield can remove years of process and technical debt; selective transition can retain what matters while redesigning targeted areas. We recommend a route only after measuring the estate and agreeing the business outcomes.
Must we buy RISE with SAP to move to S/4HANA?
No. RISE is one commercial and operating model, not the definition of S/4HANA. The decision should compare public cloud, private cloud and other eligible deployment options against control, pace, customisation, commercial and operating requirements.
How do we reduce disruption at go-live?
By treating cutover as a rehearsed business event. Data loads, reconciliation, interface switching, user access, contingency, communications and support are tested together, with named owners and go/no-go criteria.
Can migration and process improvement happen together?
Yes, but scope must be governed. We use fit-to-standard decisions and release waves to distinguish changes required for the move from improvements that can follow safely after the core is stable.
Tell us what you are running today and what is forcing the change. We will come back with the migration paths that genuinely apply to your estate, what each would take, and where the risk sits — before anyone talks about a statement of work.
Book a free SAP assessment →
