SAP S/4HANA in 2026: Three Proven Paths Enterprises Are Taking to Move Beyond ECC

As a seasoned SAP Data Migration consultant, I am continuously engaged in in-depth research, ongoing customer conversations, and industry forums that shape the evolving SAP data migration landscape. Recently, I came across an insightful article published by Computer Weekly that merits closer attention. This blog aims to provide a real-world perspective on the data migration journeys of multiple enterprises, highlighting how their initiatives were conceived, executed, and ultimately delivered successful outcomes.

As SAP customers approach the end-of-support deadline for SAP ECC in 2027, organizations are evaluating how to transition to the next generation of SAP enterprise resource planning. SAP is urging customers to move from ECC to S/4HANA Cloud, and many are doing so using one of three distinct approaches.

In this post, we examine three real migration journeys  - greenfield (clean), brownfield (lift and shift), and data-centric consolidation - and highlight what they achieved and why they succeeded.

1. Twinings Ovaltine - Greenfield ‘Clean’ Implementation

For Twinings Ovaltine, the chosen path was a minimal-customization, out-of-the-box implementation of SAP on RISE - a greenfield deployment that prioritizes simplicity and innovation.

During a keynote at the UK & Ireland SAP User Group Conference in December 2025, Sandeep Seeripat, global chief transformation and technology officer at Twinings Ovaltine, shared the company’s core rationale:

“If the platform we are looking at does not help accelerate innovation, then why do it?” 

This statement strikingly captures the motivation behind choosing a clean implementation. Rather than replicating legacy complexity, Twinings Ovaltine standardized 10 separate ERP systems into a single SAP RISE implementation, keeping custom forms extremely limited - “two customisations across my entire environment,” as Seeripat emphasized.

This approach delivered:

• A simplified technical landscape, reducing future maintenance costs.

• A neutral foundation to scale innovation - rather than carrying forward old constraints.

• A clear organizational focus on business outcomes, rather than just technical lift.

The key lesson from this journey is that greenfield implementations can unlock the innovation S/4HANA promises, especially for organizations willing to reinvent legacy complexity.

2. QD Group - Brownfield Migration with a Focus on Business Continuity

Retailer QD Group adopted a different approach - a brownfield migration, preserving its existing ECC structure while upgrading the core system to S/4HANA.

Simon Bacon, SAP operations manager, led the project in 2025 and highlighted that the company prioritized minimal disruption:

“Rather than just going full on just to make it look nice, we are focusing on key business outcomes.” 

In contrast to Twinings Ovaltine’s clean slate, QD Group needed to maintain continuity for users. This meant:

• Keeping the system familiar to users, minimizing training and change management.

• Ensuring the transition was on time, on budget, with no incidents.

Post-go-live, QD Group emphasized strategic transformation planning, including:

• Modernizing user interfaces via SAP Fiori.

• Building custom applications supported by robotic process automation (RPA) to automate granular data-driven processes.

Importantly, the company’s roadmap reflects a phased adoption of S/4HANA capabilities -focusing first on predictable improvements (such as forecasting and replenishment) before adopting advanced features like agentic AI use cases.

The brownfield path shows how organizations can align modernization with business operations, reducing risk while still unlocking new functionality within S/4HANA.

3. Imperial Brands - Data-Centric Consolidation and Standardization

The third example, Imperial Brands, illustrates the importance of data strategy in large, complex migrations.

Having grown through acquisition, Imperial Brands faced a fragmented landscape of around 50 different ERP systems. The company’s goal was to consolidate into a single S/4HANA instance.

As Gunnar Glasneck, data workstream lead, explained during a UKISUG podcast:

“Our ambition was to design a global template, keeping the core clean.” 

This data-centric strategy meant:

• Profiling legacy systems and cleansing data early.

• Mapping legacy data meticulously before migration, with local business teams collaborating with external experts.

• Empowering business owners with data ownership and governance, which Glasneck identified as one of the toughest aspects of the project.

Imperial Brands exemplifies integration of data quality, governance, and stakeholder ownership as essential success factors - particularly in large enterprises with complex histories.

Key Takeaways - Three Paths, One Destination

These three examples illustrate that there is no single “best” way to migrate from ECC to S/4HANA. Instead, each reflects a strategic approach matched to business context:

Migration Type	Best For	Core Advantage
Greenfield (“clean”)	Innovation-centric transformations	Simplified architecture, maximized future potential
Brownfield	Operations continuity with modernization	Minimal disruption, business continuity
Data-Centric Consolidation	Complex, multi-ERP environments	Standardization and governance excellence

Each approach aligns with the overarching truth that S/4HANA adoption is not merely a technical upgrade - it’s an enterprise transformation.

What enterprises can learn from the above examples

The examples of Twinings Ovaltine, QD Group, and Imperial Brands show that successful S/4HANA migrations can take different forms, but all benefit from clear strategy, governance, and disciplined execution.

As organizations prepare for the 2027 ECC end-of-support deadline, these real-world stories serve as valuable guides. Whether you standardize with a greenfield approach, protect continuity with brownfield, or tackle complexity with data-centric planning, choosing the strategy that aligns with your business objectives and data landscape is critical to unlocking S/4HANA’s value.

Source: Computer Weekly