Author: Thierry JULIEN, CEO of TJC Group
Over the past few years, organisations have been experiencing a drastic transformation. The same is happening with SAP ERP systems. In fact, SAP has been consistently encouraging businesses to shift from its flagship solution, SAP ECC, to the modernised and advanced SAP S/4HANA. Having said that, the company is also ending their support for SAP ECC and all its predecessors from 2027. This is where the table turns 360 degrees, which makes the entire situation a bit tricky for organisations. Want to know why? Read this blog originally published on Enterprise Viewpoint. In this article, our CEO, Thierry Julien, unfolded several valuable insights about legacy system decommissioning, the IT landscape, and some key best practices on how to sunset ERP systems. Keep reading to learn more.
In this article, first published by Enterprise Viewpoint, our CEO Thierry Julien delves into the legacy system landscape after S/4HANA migration and highlights some best practices to sunset ERP systems.
With the end of SAP ECC support looming in 2027, organizations must start planning the move to S/4HANA sooner than later. Some crucial decisions will have to be made such as what migration approach is the best for the organisation as well as how to deal with the SAP ECC legacy system. Is system sunsetting enough for compliance? Are virtual machines a serious option? Or is it a safer bet to decommission the legacy system?
Key pointers from our article
Understand what the prerequisites are for system migration
Explore the requirements for the implementation of different software, the adoption of multiple databases, and various database models needed for a complete migration project.
Learn about your migration options
See why current migration projects are more complex and time-consuming. Understand different approaches for the migration process, such as the brownfield approach.
Why can’t you take it all to S/4HANA?
Discover the high cost and scalability impact of the HANA database on your migration process. Understand why only relevant data matters in the context of the S/4HANA migration.
Get key insights on why you can’t keep your legacy systems
We all understand that legacy systems are difficult and costly to maintain and cannot keep up with the latest technological advancements. But are there any other reasons? This article will help you find out just that.
FAQs
Q1. What is legacy system decommissioning?
Answer:
Legacy system decommissioning involves completely removing and shutting down the IT infrastructure, which has become outdated. In this process, the old data is extracted and saved in flat files as tax archives. This type of data can be easily accessed when required with the help of legacy system applications. The process of system decommissioning helps businesses optimise IT resources, reduce costs on maintenance, and ensure compliance with data privacy laws.
Q2. What is the difference between sunsetting and decommissioning?
Answer:
System sunsetting is a process that comes before decommissioning, where your obsolete system is moved from a productive status to a non-productive status, which is also known as a read-only status. This means that your system is accessible to extract critical information, but you can’t use it for day-to-day business operations. On the other hand, system decommissioning means completely retiring and shutting down your legacy systems.
Q3. Why is decommissioning important for S/4HANA migration?
Answer:
The SAP S/4HANA runs on an in-memory database known as the HANA database. It comes with high-cost storage, which makes it quite difficult to scale. In such situations, businesses can’t migrate with all their legacy data to a newer system. This is where decommissioning helps companies seamlessly retire the old system by extracting historical data and storing it elsewhere to preserve it, eliminating the need to keep legacy systems. Moreover, during S/4HANA migration, by moving all the data from your legacy systems, decommissioning also helps reduce migration times.
Q4. What are legacy system applications?
Answer:
Legacy system applications help businesses manage legacy data and master transactional data with effective accuracy and traceability. Keeping this historical data is important to comply with legal and regulatory requirements. Legacy system applications efficiently help you store that data in secure and cost-effective storage with effective accessibility.
Q5. Why must organisations retire legacy systems?
Answer:
Here are some of the key reasons why companies must opt for legacy system decommissioning:
- To avoid unwanted system vulnerabilities
- Reduce the maintenance costs while keeping all the legacy data
- Maintain compliance with data privacy laws and respond to tax and audit requirements
- To support a seamless migration journey to S/4HANA
Q6. How can TJC Group help with system decommissioning?
Answer:
For a streamlined and effective system decommissioning, TJC Group have developed an effective solution called Enterprise Legacy System Application – ELSA. With this application, you can ensure that all the legacy data is securely stored and can be easily accessed both before and after migrating to the new systems. With our ELSA solution, you can seamlessly access all the extracted data and avoid the need to keep legacy systems, while ensuring a smooth S/4HANA migration.
