ECC Support Options: The Real Trade-offs
Comparing SAP Extended Maintenance, third-party support (Rimini Street, Spinnaker, etc.), and self-support. What do they actually cover, cost, and risk?
Quick Comparison
| Criteria | SAP Extended Maintenance | Third-Party Support | Self-Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Cost | ~3-5% of license value (increases over time) | ~50% of SAP maintenance cost | $0 external, but internal labor |
| Support Pack Access | Yes (limited, frozen) | Via provider's library | No |
| OSS Notes | Access to frozen repository | Provider maintains note library | No access |
| Legal/Tax Updates | Yes (critical only) | Yes (provider develops) | You develop/buy externally |
| Security Patches | Yes | Yes | You apply manually |
| Response Time | Same as standard maintenance | Often faster (contractual SLAs) | Depends on your team |
| S/4 Optionality | Can move to S/4 anytime | Can move (may need SAP re-engagement) | Can move (if ECC still supported) |
| Risk | Low (SAP relationship intact) | Medium (vendor dependency, SAP dispute) | High (no safety net) |
Option 1: SAP Extended Maintenance
What You Get
- Continued access to SAP Support Portal and knowledge base
- Critical security patches and legal/tax updates
- Break-fix support for production issues
- No enhancements or functional improvements (frozen code line)
- Ability to move to S/4HANA later without penalty
Cost Structure
SAP charges approximately 3-5% of your original license value annually, with potential increases over time. For a $10M SAP estate, expect $300K-$500K per year starting in 2028, increasing to potentially 7-8% by 2030.
Best For
- • Organizations that may move to S/4HANA in 3-5 years and want optionality
- • Companies with complex SAP landscapes requiring deep SAP expertise
- • Regulated industries where SAP certification matters for audits
- • Businesses that value relationship continuity with SAP
Option 2: Third-Party Support
Providers like Rimini Street, Spinnaker Support, Origina, and others offer alternative maintenance at roughly 50% of SAP's cost.
What You Get
- Break-fix support (often with faster SLAs than SAP)
- Security patches (provider develops or sources)
- Legal/tax updates (provider develops custom fixes)
- Access to provider's OSS note library (not SAP's portal)
- No direct access to SAP - all support via provider
- Potential SAP relationship complications
Cost Structure
Typically ~50% of SAP's annual maintenance cost, with fixed or predictable escalation. For a $10M estate, expect $150K-$250K per year (vs $300K-$500K for SAP Extended).
Key Considerations
Pros
- • 40-60% cost savings
- • Often faster response times
- • Personalized service
- • Can stay on ECC indefinitely
Cons
- • SAP relationship at risk
- • Vendor lock-in to provider
- • No SAP portal access
- • Re-engagement costs if moving to S/4
Option 3: Self-Support
Drop SAP maintenance entirely and support ECC with internal resources. This is rare and risky but possible for stable, frozen systems.
What It Means
- No external support contracts - you own all break-fix
- Manual security patching (OS, DB, SAP Kernel)
- Develop or procure legal/tax updates externally
- No access to SAP knowledge base or OSS notes
- Extremely difficult to move to S/4HANA later
When It Might Make Sense
- • System is 100% stable with no changes planned (ever)
- • You're committed to ECC for 10+ years
- • Strong internal Basis and ABAP team
- • Simple, non-regulated industry with minimal legal/tax change
- • Prepared to develop custom workarounds for any issue
Warning: This is a high-risk strategy. Most companies that attempt self-support eventually re-engage SAP or a third-party provider after encountering critical issues they can't resolve internally.
Decision Framework
Choose SAP Extended if:
- • You'll likely move to S/4HANA within 3-5 years
- • SAP relationship is strategically important
- • You're in a regulated industry where SAP certification matters
- • Budget allows for premium cost
Choose Third-Party if:
- • Cost savings (40-60%) are critical
- • You're committed to ECC for 5+ years
- • You value faster response times and personalized service
- • You're comfortable with provider dependency
Choose Self-Support if:
- • System is frozen and extremely stable
- • Strong internal technical team
- • Zero budget for external support
- • Prepared to accept high risk