Rimini Street: cutting the SAP support bill without leaving SAP
Independent support for an SAP system that stays exactly as it is. A way to release budget and remove a deadline, and a holding position more than a destination.
Contents
| Type | Third-party SAP support |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Not published |
| Website | riministreet.com |
The largest recurring SAP line for an on-premise customer is support. Rimini Street’s offer is to provide that support in SAP’s place, for a fee the vendor says is up to 50% lower1.
Best for: Companies that will keep running SAP ECC or S/4HANA for years and want to cut the yearly support bill while they decide what comes next.
Not the right fit for: Companies that need new SAP releases, or that expect lower support fees alone to modernise how they work.
What it changes in the budget
The vendor states savings of up to 50% on annual SAP support fees and a rolling 15-year commitment to support the client’s release1. For a company on ECC, that removes the end of mainstream maintenance in 2027 and the end of extended maintenance in 2030 as dates that force a project. The Register reported in March 2026 that Kingfisher, a retailer with 2,000 stores in Europe, had moved its ECC system to the cloud with Rimini Street support, citing a Gartner conference talk2.
What changed in 2026
SAP’s commitments to the European Commission, accepted in July 2026, allow customers to use support providers outside SAP for each part of an on-premise ERP system, and apply for ten years3. Before that, the Commission had been concerned that customers were required to take SAP support for the whole estate4.
What it leaves as it is
The software, its data structures and its licence terms do not change. Third-party support does not bring new SAP releases or SAP’s AI features. DSAG has warned that customers who use it may lose discounts if they later want to rejoin SAP’s upgrade path4.
Published evidence
- Kingfisher (reported by The Register). The retailer, with 2,000 stores in Europe, moved its ECC system to the cloud with Rimini Street support while working with Google and Databricks, according to a Gartner conference talk reported in March 2026.2
Strengths and limits
Strengths
- Addresses the largest recurring line directly: the vendor reports savings of up to 50% on annual SAP support fees.
- A rolling 15-year support commitment, per the vendor, removes the 2027 and 2030 maintenance dates as a forcing date.
- SAP’s July 2026 commitments to the European Commission let customers use outside support providers for each part of an on-premise ERP estate.
Limits
- All savings figures are vendor-reported, including a headline of up to 90% lower total cost of ownership.
- It keeps a rigid system running; it does not add an AI and data layer.
- DSAG has warned that customers using third-party support may lose discounts if they later return to SAP’s upgrade path.
- No published price; the fee is quoted against the current SAP support bill.
Choose another option if: The aim is to leave SAP’s cost structure, not to discount it. Then the budget belongs in a system the company owns or in a packaged ERP with a list price.
Pricing
Not published. The vendor states savings of up to 50% on annual support fees against SAP’s own support.
Questions to ask Rimini Street
- What is the fee as a percentage of our current SAP support bill, and for how long is it fixed?
- How are tax, legal and regulatory updates delivered for our countries?
- Which parts of our estate can move to your support under the 2026 commitments?
- What happens to our position with SAP if we return?
For Rimini Street against the other options, see the comparison on the cost guide.
Sources
- Third-party support for SAP. Rimini Street. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- SAP’s grand cloud escape plan €2B short of the runway. The Register, 19 Mar 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- SAP loosens ERP maintenance and support rules. CIO Dive, 9 Jul 2026. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.
- EU probes SAP over alleged software support stranglehold. The Register, 25 Sep 2025. Accessed 11 Nov 2026.