NTT DATA Provides SAP Cloud ERP (GROW) Implementation with Zero Consulting Fees

For the last two years, NTT DATA Business Solutions has offered a program to qualifying customers that allows them to reduce or eliminate a significant proportion of the consulting fees involved in moving to SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition in the context of a RISE with SAP or SAP Cloud ERP Private contract. Zero Cost Move has resulted in significant savings for those who have leveraged it. This year, the company has introduced a new program called Zero Cost ACTIVATION which will run in parallel with Zero Cost Move but is intended for customers with a GROW with SAP or SAP Cloud ERP contract.

According to Jimmy Dickinson, Vice President of Industry at NTT DATA Business Solutions, “We have clients that want to go from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA, but we also have clients that might want to go from a non-SAP ERP system to a new SAP S/4HANA platform or who want to perform a greenfield deployment. Zero Cost ACTIVATION allows these customers to adopt SAP Cloud ERP as the next generation ERP platform for their business.”

The Zero Cost ACTIVATION Offering

Following a similar accelerated deployment schedule to that used in Zero Cost Move, the implementation timeline for qualifying customers is just 15 weeks and includes zero consulting fees. The deployment follows the SAP GROW Fast Activate methodology and is a fit to standard approach to ensure that the deployment stays on schedule. Customers are limited in scope to a single country, entity, and location, but can work with NTT DATA to extend that following the initial deployment.

“We’re deploying SAP Cloud ERP and it’s going to have four main functional components,” stated Dickinson. “This includes Finance, Sales and Inventory which provide the core elements of enterprise information. We will enable SAP’s generative AI co-pilot Joule out of the gate on day one.”

The deployment follows SAP’s GROW Fast methodology which is a template-based system that provides an accelerated fit-to-standard model. This starts with capturing master data, business partners, customers, products, vendors, and any usability components. The goal is to keep everything standard and clean and limit complexity so that the deployment can proceed quickly and create value immediately.

Organizations that need additional functional areas, integration, organizational locations, or advanced SAP solutions can complete the initial implementation part which includes a discovery phase. This allows NTT DATA to have a completely transparent conversation about what SAP does, what the customer needs, and allows for the creation of a dynamic roadmap that covers multiple phases. And if a customer has an immediate need for a capability such as manufacturing, this could be done using an add-on package although that would incur an additional cost.

Long-Term Partnerships

Given the investment that NTT DATA is making with the Zero Cost ACTIVATION program, customers do need to make several commitments to qualify. This starts with a selection of SAP Cloud ERP as their ERP platform. The customer also must commit to NTT DATA as the CCFlex (Cloud Choice, Flex Model) Partner of Record for both Consider & Select and Adopt & Operate. This allows NTT DATA to work on the customer’s behalf during both the selection and adoption of SAP Cloud ERP.

Participants in the program also need to make an executive level commitment to the fit-to-standard approach as well as to the project deliverables and timeline requirements. However, while the program is about getting customers to SAP Cloud ERP quickly, NTT DATA wants to establish a meaningful relationship with every customer. This is where the commitment from the customer’s side includes a partnership with NTT DATA for managed services, creation of a Dynamic SAP Cloud ERP Roadmap, and joining NTT DATA’s Customer Feedback Council and Reference Program.

“We want to talk to you. We want to learn from you,” emphasizes Dickinson. “We want your feedback on how to run this program better and how to engage better. We need you to help us run better. But also, we need you to be part of our reference program to tell this story and how it works for you.”

From NTT DATA’s perspective there are three major benefits from the program. The first is that the consulting cost of the implementation is zero. The second is that the consulting investment is about immediately creating value from SAP. The third benefit is the ability to start with a small, predictable, successful deployment and then create a roadmap from there.

What This Means for SAPinsiders

Organizations moving to public cloud now have the same zero cost deployment options. NTT DATA has offered a zero cost move to SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition since 2024. Other partners started offering something similar in 2025, but with this new announcement those that are moving to the public cloud can now deploy quickly and drive immediate value for the same zero cost option.

Preparation is key to making the most of programs like Zero Cost ACTIVATION. While NTT DATA works with customers in the program to ensure that everything runs on schedule, the more that an organization is prepared the smoother the project will be. Preparation of master data, client, partner, product, and vendor information is critical for the new system being created. If an organization has already taken the time to prepare this information, it will streamline the process significantly.

This program is about more than just completing deployments. Many system integrators have a model of working with a company and then disengaging once the project is complete. NTT DATA is trying to break that stereotype by ensuring that they establish a long-term relationship. This is why it is important that participants are part of NTT DATA’s customer feedback program and there is an agreement in place for system maintenance. This is about being in it for the long run with the customer, something that can have major benefits for both parties.