RISE on AWS puts your dedicated S/4HANA tenant on AWS, but SAP holds the contract and the managed scope. Here are the commercial mechanics, the architecture and region choices, and the checks to run before signing.
RISE on AWS runs your dedicated S/4HANA tenant on AWS under SAP's contract. Here are the commercial mechanics, the architecture choices that matter, the region rules, and the checks to run before you sign.
RISE on AWS runs your dedicated S/4HANA tenant on AWS, but SAP holds the subscription and the managed scope. AWS is the infrastructure underneath, not your counterparty.
That structure shapes how the deal is billed, what you can negotiate, and where your existing AWS commitments do and do not help.
RISE bundles the SAP software, the AWS infrastructure, and SAP managed operations into one subscription. You contract with SAP, and SAP contracts with AWS behind the bundle.
Your agreement is with SAP, not AWS, even though the workload runs on AWS. RISE with SAP wraps the infrastructure, so AWS terms reach you only through the SAP subscription.
You do not pay AWS directly for the RISE tenant. The compute and storage are sized into the SAP subscription envelope, so AWS list pricing is not your reference point.
An existing AWS Enterprise Discount Program commitment usually does not absorb RISE spend, because SAP, not you, consumes the AWS capacity. Confirm this with your AWS for SAP account team before you assume any offset.
RISE on AWS, who owns what
| Layer | Owner | Buyer note |
|---|---|---|
| S/4HANA software | SAP subscription | Priced on FUE |
| AWS infrastructure | SAP contracts AWS | Not billed to you directly |
| Managed operations | SAP | Confirm the SLA tier |
| Application management | Buyer or partner | Outside the base bundle |
| Region and residency | Buyer selects | Lock before signature |
Two architecture choices drive both cost and resilience. Get them right before signature, because changing them later is expensive.
The tenant is sized to your workload, and oversizing is common. Use the AWS SAP guidance to right size compute and storage to measured demand, not to a generous estimate.
Decide the availability and recovery targets up front, because they change the infrastructure envelope and the price. A multi zone design costs more than a single zone, so match the target to the business need.
Region choice is both a performance and a compliance decision. It is also one of the hardest things to change after signing.
Pick the region for latency to your users and for data residency, not for habit. The region is selectable at signing but heavy to move later.
Where regulation requires data to stay in a jurisdiction, the region and any sovereign requirements must be written into the order form. Map this against the SAP use rights before signature.
The standard assumption is that running RISE on AWS lets you reuse your existing AWS discounts and tooling, so the cloud cost is largely solved. We disagree. In most RISE on AWS deals we have reviewed, the AWS capacity was consumed by SAP under its own contract, so the buyer's Enterprise Discount Program and committed spend did not apply, and native AWS cost tooling could not see the RISE tenant. The buyer side move is to treat RISE on AWS as an SAP subscription that happens to run on AWS, price it on the FUE count and the managed scope, and assume no AWS commitment offset until SAP confirms it in writing.
Source: Redress Compliance advisory engagement file, 2024 to 2025.
RISE on AWS is an SAP subscription that happens to run on AWS. Price it on the FUE count and the managed scope, not on AWS list rates.
Three checks prevent the most common year one surprises. Run them while the order form is still a draft.
Confirm in writing what SAP manages and what stays with you or a partner. Technical operations are in scope, while functional application management is not.
Define data export format, transition assistance, and the notice period before signature. A clear exit term is cheap to write now and expensive to negotiate later.
Lock the region and confirm whether any AWS commitment offset applies. Plan the migration around the 2027 ECC maintenance deadline rather than under its pressure.
No, with RISE on AWS your contract is with SAP, not AWS, even though the workload runs on AWS infrastructure. SAP wraps the AWS capacity into the subscription, so AWS terms reach you only through the SAP agreement.
Usually not, because SAP consumes the AWS capacity under its own contract, not you. Confirm any potential offset with both SAP and your AWS account team in writing before assuming a saving.
The AWS compute and storage are sized into the SAP subscription envelope, so you do not pay AWS directly. AWS list pricing is not your reference point; the FUE count and the sized envelope are.
Choose the region for latency to your users and for data residency requirements, not for habit. The region is selectable at signing but heavy and costly to move later, so fix it in the order form.
No, the base RISE subscription covers technical operations on AWS, not functional application management. Budget a separate partner contract or internal team for business process and custom code support.
Size compute and storage to measured demand using AWS SAP guidance, not to a worst case estimate. Set the availability and recovery targets first, because they change the envelope and the price.
You can, but it is contractually and technically heavy, so lock the correct region and residency requirements before signature. Changing the region mid term is expensive and disruptive.
Check the managed scope boundary, the exit and data export terms, the region and residency lock, and whether any AWS commitment offset applies. Get each one in writing before signature.
Yes, an independent advisor prices the deal on the FUE count and managed scope, tests the AWS offset assumption, and writes the exit terms. Engage advisory before the commercial close, while leverage still exists.
SAP RISE pricing benchmarks, the CVR framework, indirect access posture, and the buyer side moves across the full SAP estate.
Used across more than five hundred enterprise engagements. Independent. Buyer side. Built for procurement leaders running the next renewal cycle.
Treat RISE on AWS as an SAP deal that runs on AWS. The FUE count and the managed scope decide the price, not AWS list rates.
