TL; DR
- SAP RISE is an implementation methodology from SAP that integrates software, infrastructure, and services, providing a pathway to SAP Cloud ERP adoption
- Rev-Trac Platinum automates and unifies SAP change management across hybrid environments, enabling faster and safer transformations to S/4HANA Cloud
Introduction
SAP has rebranded SAP RISE as Private Cloud ERP. It’s not a product as such, but rather an implementation methodology for your Cloud ERP journey. SAP RISE combines services, tools, and licences from both SAP and third-party providers to deliver a solution for running S/4HANA in the Cloud as a managed service, as well as managing the migration.
In this blog, we dive into Private Cloud ERP (formerly SAP RISE), examining its benefits and challenges. We also investigate how Rev-Trac Platinum – an automated SAP change management solution – helps to accelerate and de-risk your migration to Cloud ERP.
What is SAP RISE
Think of SAP RISE as a combination of infrastructure, software, and services to migrate to and run Cloud ERP under a single contract. SAP has extended the core offering over time, and there are now multiple versions of Private Cloud ERP to address specific end-user requirements, including where Cloud ERP runs and the underlying technology.
SAP Cloud ERP runs on a hyperscaler such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, or IBM Cloud. For some versions of Cloud ERP, SAP selects the hyperscaler on your behalf, or you can leverage an existing relationship with a Cloud infrastructure provider, with SAP managing the contract.
However, a hyperscaler isn’t your only option. Several RISE options are deployed on premises, giving you the flexibility to run SAP Cloud ERP in an SAP datacenter, or even your own.
Key benefits of SAP RISE
As of Sapphire 2025, SAP positions RISE as a framework for the implementation of Cloud ERP and transition from older versions of on-premises ERP solutions, including ECC. And SAP has seen successes with Greenfield implementations of SAP RISE and its Public Cloud ERP option, Grow with SAP.
However, over 50 per cent of existing customers have yet to begin the transition to Cloud ERP, and large enterprise customers are less likely to have started their journey than their mid-market counterparts. Most large enterprises are expected to opt for a version of Private Cloud ERP as they will do a technical upgrade to run in a Cloud environment.
Some of the fundamental benefits of Private Cloud ERP include:
- Cloud flexibility: Choose the hyperscaler (or hosting option) and the version of Cloud ERP that suit your specific requirement
- Simplified Cloud ERP adoption: One contract, one SLA, infrastructure, and managed services
- Access SAP Business Technology Platform: SAP RISE includes consumption credits for SAP BTP, allowing you to build, extend and integrate applications in the Cloud
- Enhanced Security & Compliance: SAP manages security and compliance aspects, offering measures like threat detection, backups, data encryption, and mission-critical support
SAP RISE also supports modular growth, so you can scale or evolve at your own pace.
Potential challenges with SAP Cloud ERP
While beneficial, migrating to Cloud ERP with SAP RISE can be challenging. It requires careful planning around custom code, cost, and managing SAP change across hybrid SAP landscapes. Challenges include:
- Cost management: Understanding the full TCO, particularly for highly customized environments
- Complex SAP landscapes: The combination of on-premises and Cloud environments with interconnected systems and integration of third-party solutions can quickly become overwhelming
- Change management: Orchestrating compliant and safe change across hybrid environments is challenging. With multiple systems and landscapes, it is essential to minimize business disruption through automation and enforced change processes
- Limited visibility: Lack of clear insight into ECC, S/4HANA, and SAP BTP changes can lead to unplanned downtime
This is where Rev-Trac comes in.
How Rev-Trac Platinum supports SAP RISE
Rev-Trac Platinum automates, enforces and unifies SAP change processes to reduce risky manual handling, minimize downtime and drive innovation for businesses with even the most complex SAP landscapes. It plays a critical role in accelerating your journey to Cloud ERP while keeping legacy ECC and new S/4HANA systems in sync until cutover, which can be months or even years.
- SAP RISE certified: Rev-Trac is certified to work with SAP RISE
- Unique Architecture: Rev-Trac offers a cost-effective, low-footprint approach to software consumption
- Unified change management: Rev-Trac is the central control point for all change. This ensures compliant, regulated change across hybrid (Cloud and on-premises) environments without accidentally breaking functionality that was previously working. Change is properly documented and tracked, the business is continuously supported, and overheads are minimized
- Dual maintenance/automated retrofit: During a migration, business doesn’t stop and neither does SAP change. BAU changes made on-prem during the project must be transformed to the new Cloud ERP system before go-live to prevent functional regression. Rev-Trac automates this process, automatically retrofitting change for compatible changes between on-prem and Cloud systems, and providing traceability for changes with transformation requirements. This helps you avoid long change freezes and reduces the risk of business disruption during the migration
- S/4HANA Readiness checks: Rev-Trac integrates with SAP’s ABAP Test Cockpit (ATC) to automate S/4HANA readiness checks and ensure custom code capability
- Support for CI/CD workflows: Rev-Trac is a highly flexible and controlled ABAP CI/CD workflow engine built to SAP-certified and best practices standards
- Compliance and visibility: Transparency into ongoing changes across your SAP landscape, workflow enforcement, complete audit trails, and rule-based approvals
Bottom Line: Simplify your SAP Cloud ERP journey
The various versions of SAP Private Cloud ERP (once RISE) provide step-by-step paths to implementing S/4HANA in the Cloud. But without automated and enforced change management processes, deploying and operating (a version of) SAP Private Cloud ERP across complex hybrid landscapes can be a challenge.
Rev-Trac Platinum provides SAP teams with the automation, traceability, and governance necessary to support an efficient, cost-effective, and low-risk migration to SAP Cloud ERP.
For more information, contact one of our SAP change management experts.
