SAP · RISE · Program Guide
RISE with SAP, the program guide. Entry paths. Contract mechanics. Renewal trajectory.
The buyer side program guide for RISE with SAP across entry paths, FUE mechanics, contract terms, and the renewal trajectory.
The buyer side program guide for RISE with SAP across entry paths, FUE mechanics, contract terms, and the renewal trajectory.
RISE with SAP is the publisher's strategic program covering S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, infrastructure, managed services, and BTP. Understanding the program is the gate to almost every SAP renewal from 2024 onward.
RISE with SAP sits at the center of SAP's commercial strategy through 2030. The program touches most major SAP renewals, every ECC to S/4HANA migration conversation, and most of the BTP credit discussion.
It is not a single product. It is a program covering software, infrastructure, managed services, and a small BTP allocation under one umbrella contract. Treat it as infrastructure, not as a one off software deal.
RISE bundles five elements under a single subscription. Each carries a separate commercial line you can negotiate.
SAP launched RISE in January 2021. The framing was transformation as a service.
GROW with SAP launched in 2023 for the SMB segment. RISE Premium emerged in 2024 for the largest deployments. The program now spans the full customer base.
The right path depends on company size, edition needs, and how much negotiation surface you want.
GROW targets SMB customers, typically under one thousand FTE. It runs S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition rather than Private. Pricing is simpler with less negotiation surface, and SAP holds discount discipline tighter.
Standard RISE targets the enterprise mid market and large customers on S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition. This is the negotiation surface most enterprises meet. Multi year terms, FUE pricing, and tier mix all apply.
RISE Premium targets the largest, most complex deployments. It adds an enhanced SLA, named technical account management, and a broader BTP allocation. Pricing is custom and negotiated end to end.
RISE entry path comparison
| Path | Target segment | Edition | Discount discipline | Typical FUE band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GROW with SAP | SMB under 1,000 FTE | Public Cloud Edition | Tight | 200 to 1,000 |
| Standard RISE | Mid market to large | Private Edition | Negotiable | 1,000 to 10,000 |
| RISE Premium | Largest enterprises | Private Edition | Custom | 10,000 plus |
| Custom RISE | Strategic accounts | Custom Edition | End to end negotiated | Variable |
Four cost lines drive the RISE price. The FUE software line, the service tier multiplier, the hyperscaler line, and the BTP allocation.
Full User Equivalents normalize S/4HANA user types into one metric. Self Service users convert at a low ratio, functional users in the middle, and professional users at the top. The conversion math drives the contract value.
Base, Premium, and Premium Plus tiers each carry different SLA commitments and pricing. The multiplier applies to the entire RISE scope, not only the FUE line.
SAP contracts the hyperscaler directly. The customer sees one line on the RISE invoice. The buyer side move is to negotiate portability and discount pass through clauses at signing.
Rarely. The bundled allocation is small against real integration demand. Most enterprises carry a separate BTP commit on top of RISE. Read the SAP BTP knowledge hub for the credit framework.
Term length, the annual escalator, and discount stacking decide the multi year envelope.
The standard escalator runs four to six percent annually on the FUE line. Buyer side practice caps it at a defensible CPI proxy across every RISE line, not only the software.
Total RISE discount can stack from volume, term length, tier selection, and migration velocity. Thirty to forty five percent off list is the typical enterprise range. Larger deployments stack higher.
The standard SAP account team pitch is that the bundle is simpler and cheaper because everything sits on one invoice. We disagree. Across the RISE estates we have modeled, the single invoice hides four separately movable cost lines, and bundling removes the buyer's ability to benchmark each one.
In roughly three out of four engagements the bundled BTP allocation and the hyperscaler line were the least scrutinized and the most overpriced. The buyer side move is to decompose the bundle and negotiate the FUE shape, the tier, the hyperscaler line, and BTP as four separate negotiations under one signature.
Source: Redress Compliance advisory engagement file, 2024 to 2025.
RISE is the SAP signature for the next decade. The program is the contract. Every renewal, every audit, and every BTP credit conversation runs through it. Treat the program like infrastructure, not like a software deal.
White Paper · SAP
What SAP Will Not Quote in a RISE Deal
RISE pricing benchmarks and the CVR framework. Read it free.
Four questions decide the RISE entry posture. ECC urgency, hyperscaler preference, customization burden, and the BTP estate.
SAP set mainstream maintenance for ECC to end in 2027, with extended maintenance running to 2030. SAP confirmed the timeline in its 2020 maintenance announcement. Customers on ECC need a clear path off the platform.
Customers with mature AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud estates often want to keep that relationship. RISE locks the hyperscaler to SAP as operator. Portability clauses are negotiable but not standard.
Customers with heavy ECC customization face significant conversion effort to S/4HANA. The conversion work is not in the RISE fee. Systems integrator engagement is separate and can run into the millions.
Heavy BTP integration users carry significant overrun risk. Plan the BTP allocation alongside the RISE contract. Quote the overrun before signing, not at the first true up.
The first renewal is where the transformation discount disappears and the escalator compounds.
SAP discount discipline firms up at the first renewal. Renewal pricing typically lands at list minus a smaller discount, often fifteen to twenty five points worse than the original term.
FUE shape moves across five years. Functional users grow. Self Service users grow faster. Renewal is the moment to right size the FUE mix against actual usage rather than the original conversion assumption.
Unused BTP credits expire by default at the end of the contract year. Buyer side practice locks carry forward for at least one year past the original commit window.
Ten moves recur in every well managed RISE negotiation.
Open the RISE conversation no later than twelve months before the desired effective date. The contract has multiple interacting cost lines. Each line needs time to land.
RISE is the SAP transformation program combining S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, hyperscaler infrastructure, SAP managed services, and a small BTP allocation under one contract. It is a program, not a single product line.
GROW targets SMB customers under one thousand FTE on S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition. Standard RISE targets enterprise mid market and large customers on Private Edition with deeper customization and more negotiation surface.
RISE Premium targets the largest customers with an enhanced SLA, named technical account management, broader BTP allocation, and end to end custom pricing.
RISE prices on Full User Equivalents for the software, plus a managed service tier multiplier, a hyperscaler line, and the BTP allocation. Enterprise discounts typically land thirty to forty five points off published list.
Not by default. The standard RISE contract does not allow hyperscaler discount pass through. Negotiate the bring your own discount clause before signing, especially against existing EDP or MACC commitments.
Rarely. The bundled allocation is small against real demand. Most enterprises carry a separate BTP commit on top of RISE. Quote the overrun at non retail rates before signing.
SAP discount discipline firms up. Renewal pricing typically lands fifteen to twenty five points worse than the original transformation discount. Open the renewal conversation no later than twelve months before the anniversary.
No. On premise S/4HANA remains a path. RISE is the SAP recommended path. The alternative carries different licensing math but a similar transformation effort and timeline.
Open the conversation at least twelve months before the desired effective date. The contract has multiple interacting cost lines and each needs time to land in your favor.
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.
500+ enterprise clients. 11 vendor practices. Industry recognized. One conversation can change what you pay for the next three years.
RISE renewal moves, FUE conversion intelligence, BTP carry forward, indirect access framework, and the wider SAP leverage signals.
