Key Takeaways
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CIOs and CSOs must rapidly modernize the SAP core (ECC to S/4HANA and PI/PO to Integration Suite) to meet looming 2027–2030 deadlines while managing significant operational and security risk.
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Enterprise agility depends on a unified, SAP-validated Linux and Kubernetes foundation that delivers long-term support, high availability, automation, and hybrid-cloud flexibility for both classic SAP and new containerized workloads (EIC, AI, etc.).
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Verifiable security and digital sovereignty are non‑negotiable, requiring EAL4-certified Linux, confidential computing, live patching, and an open, sovereign-by-choice platform such as SUSE as the trusted base for mission‑critical SAP environments.
The Unavoidable Imperative: Risk, Transformation, and the SAP Core
The current mandate facing Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Security Officers (CSOs) is no longer confined to incremental upgrades; it is a full-scale strategic transformation of the missioncritical SAP core.
Your enterprise transformation timeline is now dictated by multiple, high-stakes deadlines — primarily the 2027/2030 end of mainstream maintenance for SAP ECC. Simultaneously, the
imperative to modernize older systems and resolve complex integration dependencies, such as the migration from SAP PI/PO to SAP Integration Suite by 2027, introduces profound
organizational and technical risk.
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This modernization is not merely a compliance exercise; it is the necessary foundation for future competitive advantage. A majority of organizations — 54% of technology leaders*— are now planning to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI within their SAP S/4HANA deployment. This shift demands a radical reappraisal of your underlying platform strategy to ensure the foundational infrastructure can support rapid innovation while delivering unassailable security and operational continuity.
The central challenge is managing this transition with speed and reliability. Organizations increasingly plan to complete the move to SAP S/4HANA as quickly as possible, often prioritizing
system conversion over long, transformative projects. This accelerated timeline, coupled with the complexity of hybrid cloud environments and the urgency of integrating new cloud native applications, severely elevates operational risk. A high-performing and secure operating system and infrastructure is rated as the most important requirement (84%) for effective SAP S/4HANA deployment.