![\"Fullsize\"](\"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/banner_26_04_08_1200x150.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\nIt is surprising that only a few companies have already defined a precise ERP strategy for the implementation of application modernization. IT modernization is not just an IT issue, it is also a business issue. It is therefore crucial to reconcile the different interests and perspectives and develop a common strategy that brings the greatest benefit to all parties involved. It should be noted that there is no universal solution. As a rule, different modernization strategies are used depending on the application. A comprehensive analysis of the current situation and the current IT architecture is essential for a well-founded decision. It is also of central importance that the decision-makers in the company recognize the relevance of IT modernization as a decisive factor for the future success of the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile SAP is currently the world\u2018s\nleading ERP provider, there are many\nother providers expanding their market\nshare in the same market,\u201d emphasizes\nGerhard Kuppler, Oracle Vice President\nSAP Alliances. \u201cAt Oracle, we believe we\noffer the industry\u2018s broadest choice of\ndeployment platforms: on-prem, in the\ncloud, and hybrid. We are also the leading\nprovider of multi-cloud implementations\nin the market, where our Oracle Cloud Infrastructure,\nOracle Database@Azure,\nOracle Database@AWS, and Oracle Database@\nGCP enable customers to choose\nthe deployment platform that best suits\ntheir needs. And with this multi-cloud design\nbuilt into our products, customers\nare not locked in and have the flexibility\nto move from one platform to another as\ntheir needs change. In AI, we offer not\nonly LLMs, but also the industry\u2018s leading\nAI infrastructure with the latest GPUs in\na SuperCluster with up to 131,072 GPUs.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the field of AI, Oracle offers not only LLMs, but also AI infrastructure with the latest GPUs in a SuperCluster with up to 131,072 GPUs.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n IT analyst Gartner has identified\ntwelve emerging technical disruptions\nthat will significantly shape the future of\nbusiness systems. IT decision-makers\nshould give these developments top priority\nover the next five years, as they not\nonly offer short-term competitive advantages\nbut will also establish themselves\nas the standard in companies in the long\nterm. \u201cTechnology leaders need to act\nnow to gain early competitive advantage\nfrom these technologies,\u201d said Bill Ray,\ndistinguished VP analyst at Gartner. \u201cInnovative\nadvances such as GenAIenabled\ncode architectures, disinformation\nsecurity, and Earth intelligence are\ncreating the differentiation needed to\nsecure a decisive advantage in areas such as data processing and product offerings.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The transformation of organizations\nis an increasingly demanding challenge.\nCurrently, the development of AI in particular\nis leading to greater complexity in\nIT landscapes and making it more difficult\nto implement digital transformation\nprojects. The development of new technologies\nmakes it clear that company digitalization\nshould not be viewed as a singular\nproject. Rather, it is a process that is\noften slowed down by outdated system\nlandscapes, as these do not grow with\nthe company and thus limit agility and innovation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSince R\/3 Release 1,\u201d explains Gerhard\nKuppler in an exclusive interview with E3,\n\u201cwe have been working closely with SAP\nto simplify and streamline IT operations\nfor SAP systems, from the early days of\nthe SAP DBA tool to the BR tools used today\nto manage Oracle databases for SAP\nsystems. Over time, we have added support\nfor more and more features of the\ndatabase product, as well as additional\ndatabase options that address complex\ncustomer requirements for security, rel<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exadata technology (on-prem, in the\ncloud, and hybrid) can be particularly\nbeneficial for SAP customers to create an\noptimal environment for running the\nOracle database that underpins SAP systems. With the Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance (on-premises or as a cloud service),\nSAP customers can manage SAP\nsystems of any size quite easily and in a\ntime-saving manner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of the largest SAP customers\nuse the above solutions (e.g., Loblaw in\nCanada with 180TB and Cencora\n(Amerisource-Bergen) in the US with\nmore than 100TB). These are good testimonials\nfor running SAP on Oracle Cloud.\nHowever, many ERP users are still in the\nearly stages of identifying use cases.\nCompanies that actively work with AI will\nhave a competitive advantage over those\nthat do not use AI in the future. At the\nsame time, there are a number of challenges\nto consider during implementation,\nfrom shadow AI to compliance issues.\nThis tension between risks and regulations\nmust be resolved. In Germanspeaking\nEurope, generative AI is less of a\nstrategic consideration and more of a\npractical implementation. This empowers\nspecialist departments, but also raises\ncomplex questions regarding access\nrights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSAP has announced that it intends to\ndiscontinue extended support for SAP\nBusiness Suite at the end of 2030,\u201d points\nout Gerhard Kuppler, Oracle VP SAP Alliances.\n\u201cOur current Oracle Database 19c\nhas an extended maintenance end date till\nthe end of 2032. We plan to certify Oracle\nDatabase 23ai for SAP Business Suite as\nsoon as it is released for all platforms.\nThis will push the support date for\nOracle Database even further. It will depend\non whether SAP listens to its\ncustomers, who continue to rely on the\nstable SAP Business Suite for a much\nlonger period of time.\u201d Gartner analysts\nhave predicted that by 2030, more than\n40 percent of current SAP ECC customers\nwill still be using ERP\/ECC 6.0 (SAP Business\nSuite 7) for key business areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked about the ERP solutions\nthey use, SAP ERP and Business Suite 7 are\nonce again at the forefront. Forty-two\npercent of SAP customers plan to invest in\nS\/4 On-prem, while 23 percent plan to invest\nin Business Suite. The results show a\nclear shift towards cloud solutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many larger companies have a company-\nwide cloud strategy or guidelines in\nplace for modernizing IT processes. As a\nrule, these companies tend to have greater\ninvestment power. Nevertheless, DSAG\nCEO Jens Hungershausen warns: \u201cSome\ncustomers feel pressured by SAP to move\nto the cloud. The pace set by the software\nmanufacturer is not sustainable for every\ncompany. SAP must not push its customers\ninto making quick decisions for the\nsake of its own share price. Instead, SAP\nmust ensure that companies have realistic,\neconomically viable, and strategically sensible\nmigration prospects. Freedom of\nchoice, long-term planning security, and\nfair conditions for on-premises customers\nare still needed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another question focuses on digital\ntransformation and the progress companies\nare making in this area. Given the data\navailable, it comes as no surprise that a significant\nnumber of SAP\u2018s customers in\nGerman-speaking countries have a positive\nview of digital transformation.\nLarge companies generally have the resources\nand budgets to implement comprehensive\ndigitization projects at a faster\npace and integrate their IT infrastructure\nefficiently. In addition, digital transformation\nand innovation are often defined as\nstrategic priorities in this context, and\ntheir implementation is specifically promoted.\nThis probably leads to larger companies\nassessing the progress of their\ntransformation more positively than\nsmaller companies, which may have to\nwork with more limited resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The results of the DSAG Investment\nReport 2025 suggest that companies are\nincreasingly willing to invest in forwardlooking\ntechnologies in the future. It\nshould be noted that there is a significant\ntrend toward the cloud. The growing relevance\nof artificial intelligence and cybersecurity\nillustrates the current challenges\nand opportunities facing companies. The\nincreasing use of cloud services and the\nsignificantly growing relevance of artificial\nintelligence (AI) highlight the urgency of\ntechnological advancement in order to remain\ncompetitive. At the same time, an increasingly\ndifferentiated picture is emerging\nbetween large and small companies in\nterms of resource allocation for digital\ntransformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200e<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \u200e \u200e <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200e <\/p>\n\n\n\n \"You are right to point out that the current ECC systems running on the Oracle database are extremely stable and robust.<\/em>\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs long as SAP continues to offer\npatches for the SAP kernels and Oracle\nprovides patches for the Oracle components, these Abap systems can continue\nto run smoothly and efficiently in the future,\u201d\nexplains Gerhard Kuppler. \u201cMany\nSAP customers would rather invest their\nlimited IT budget in new areas such as AI\nand machine learning, IoT and others to\ndeliver brand new capabilities than reimplement\ntheir ERP, which they have spent\n20 years building. Reimplementing ERP\nwill add minimal new capabilities to what\nthey already have today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If ECC is a house and S\/4 Hana is a\nnewer house with better amenities,\nswitching from ECC to S\/4 would be like\nmoving from a functional house to a\nnewer house with nicer furnishings.\nHowever, if customers decide to stay in\nthe current ECC house, they can afford a\ncar. This gives them a greater radius of action\nand more freedom, just as a car offers\nmore opportunities to explore uncharted\nterritory. If SAP refuses to extend\nthe maintenance plan for ECC, some\ncustomers may switch to third-party\nmaintenance. And that is something neither\nOracle nor SAP wants. Both SAP and\nOracle agree on the risks of third-party\nmaintenance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The many options would enable SAP\ncustomers to find a solution tailored to\ntheir individual needs. In addition to complete\npublic cloud computing, Oracle also\noffers a hybrid solution known as Cloud@\nCustomer, where the entire cloud is deployed\nin the customer\u2018s preferred data\ncenter. \u201cWe are also working on a\nmulti-cloud deployment model so that\ncustomers can leverage the benefits of\nOracle Exadata technology with a hyperscaler\nof their choice,\u201d explains Kuen\nSang Lam. \u201cWe recommend that our\ncustomers discuss their needs with us so\nthat we can offer them a solution that\nbest suits their requirements and budget.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what aspects need to be considered\nwhen changing the IT architecture\nand ERP system? \u201cStability, reliability, and\nperformance,\u201d says Kuen Sang Lam. \u201cThis\nis particularly important when migrating\nfrom one ERP to another. Customers need\nto ensure that their current ECC system is\nstable, runs reliably, and offers users good\nperformance. This will enable them to\nfocus on the complex migration project\nwithout having to spend too much time\nfixing problems in their existing system.\nThe current ECC system should serve as a\nbenchmark for the new system to be implemented.\nOptimize the new system until\nit is as fast or faster than the existing\none. Launching a new system that is slower\nthan the current one is a recipe for\nfailure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gerhard Kuppler adds: \u201cThe most important\nquestion customers need to ask\nthemselves is whether they want to bet\nthe company on the outcome of an ERP\nproject. If the answer is no\u2014which it\nshould be\u2014then they need to prepare for\nthat and ensure that the company runs\nsmoothly and efficiently throughout the\nproject. Before the project begins, they\nneed to optimize the entire stack for the\ncurrent ECC system, including the base\nplatform\u2014whether on-premises, in the\ncloud, or as a Cloud@Customer. They\nneed to ensure that the current system is\nwell covered in terms of performance, reliability,\nefficiency, and resilience.\nThis is similar to building a new house,\nwhere the current house must continue\nto be maintained. You also need to factor\nin delays in the project so they do not\nnegatively impact the business. Finally,\nyou also need to plan for the possibility of\nproject failure. The failure of an IT project\nshould never cause a company\u2018s downfall.\nA plan in case a project fails ensures\nthat the company survives the unfortunate\nevent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n oracle.com\/sap<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n From left to right: Gerhard Kuppler, Vice President SAP Alliances, Oracle, and Kuen Sang Lam, Senior Director\u2014Global SAP on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Technology, Oracle. In recent years, many black box systems have been replaced by hybrid architectures and composable IT. Oracle is at the forefront of this development with an extremely broad range of solutions.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":151886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[44211,44209],"tags":[39,264,73,65,624,236],"coauthors":[27825],"class_list":["post-151877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coverstory-25-07","category-mag-25-07","tag-cloud","tag-datenbanken","tag-erp","tag-hana","tag-ki-joule","tag-sap","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle.jpg",1000,450,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-400x180.jpg",400,180,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-768x346.jpg",768,346,true],"large":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle.jpg",1000,450,false],"image-100":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-100x45.jpg",100,45,true],"image-480":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-480x216.jpg",480,216,true],"image-640":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-640x288.jpg",640,288,true],"image-720":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-720x324.jpg",720,324,true],"image-960":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-960x432.jpg",960,432,true],"image-1168":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle.jpg",1000,450,false],"image-1440":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle.jpg",1000,450,false],"image-1920":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle.jpg",1000,450,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle.jpg",1000,450,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle.jpg",1000,450,false],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-18x8.jpg",18,8,true],"bricks_large_16x9":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle.jpg",1000,450,false],"bricks_large":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle.jpg",1000,450,false],"bricks_large_square":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle.jpg",1000,450,false],"bricks_medium":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-600x270.jpg",600,270,true],"bricks_medium_square":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-600x450.jpg",600,450,true],"profile_24":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-24x24.jpg",24,24,true],"profile_48":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-48x48.jpg",48,48,true],"profile_96":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-96x96.jpg",96,96,true],"profile_150":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"profile_300":["https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2507_coverfoto_oracle-300x300.jpg",300,300,true]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":" V. l. Gerhard Kuppler, Vice President SAP Alliances, Oracle, und Kuen Sang Lam, Senior \u00adDirector \u2013 Global SAP on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Technology, Oracle. In den vergangenen Jahren wurden viele Black-Box-\u00adSysteme durch hybride Architekturen und Composable IT abgel\u00f6st. Oracle steht mit \u00adeinem extrem breiten L\u00f6sungsangebot an der Spitze dieser Entwicklung.<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"Coverstory 25-07<\/a>, MAG 25-07<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"Peter M. F\u00e4rbinger, E3 Magazine","url":"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/en\/author\/peter-m-faerbinger-e-3-magazin\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151877"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152985,"href":"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151877\/revisions\/152985"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151877"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=151877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/rc24-ai-infrastructure-products_cmyk-1200x643.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nERP requirements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Oracle database meets these\nrequirements with the following options:\nAdvanced Security for encrypting data at\nrest and in transit; Advanced Compression\nfor reducing storage size and\nimproving performance; Database Vault\nfor role separation and control of data access\nrights; Active Data Guard for easy\nand seamless disaster recovery failover;\nOracle Database In-Memory for\ncolumn-based in-memory processing to\nimprove analytical processing; and finally,\nReal Application Clusters for\nactive-active high availability clustering. <\/p>\n\n\n\nInvestment report 2025<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In 2025, the German-speaking SAP User\nGroup (DSAG) once again surveyed companies\nin Germany, Austria, and Switzerland\nabout their investment plans. Key findings:\nThe general willingness to invest in IT solutions,\nincluding SAP solutions, is showing a\nsteady increase. Regarding the ERP solutions\nSAP Business Suite 7 (ERP\/ECC 6.0),\nS\/4 Hana On-prem, and S\/4 Cloud, it is\nclear that S\/4 is becoming increasingly relevant.\nIn addition, survey participants confirm\nthat SAP will continue to grow in importance\nfor their companies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Gerhard_Kuppler_IMG_6227_web-1179x1530.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Gerhard Kuppler,<\/strong>
Vice President SAP Alliances,
Oracle<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nSAP ERP\/ECC 6.0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou are right to point out that the current\nECC systems running on Oracle Database\nare extremely stable and robust,\u201d\nsays Gerhard Kuppler, Oracle Vice President\nSAP Alliances, when asked the following:\nfrom the perspective of SAP\ncustomers and based on the available DB,\ncloud, and AI technology from Oracle, the\nSAP NetWeaver stack with ERP\/ECC 6.0\ncould probably continue to function\noperationally for many years. What are\nthe arguments in favor of ECC\/\nNetWeaver operation?<\/p>\n\n\n\nOn-prem versus cloud<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Many SAP customers are considering\ncloud computing. \u201cNetWeaver customers\nwho want to move to the cloud have\nmore options if their database is Oracle\nDB,\u201d explains Kuen Sang Lam, Senior\nDirector SAP on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure\nand Technology. These customers\ncan choose to move to standard VMs\nfrom supported hyperscalers such as OCI,\nAzure, AWS, and GCP. With OCI, they also\nhave the option of using the Exadata\nCloud Service, which allows them to run\ntheir Oracle database on an Exadata machine\nin the cloud. In addition, customers\ncan also run their SAP database on\nExadata Cloud@Customer, where we deploy\nan Exadata in the customer\u2018s cloud.\nWe are also working to have Oracle\nDatabase@Azure, Oracle Database@\nAWS, and Oracle Database@GCP certified\nby SAP for running SAP Business\nSuite.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nPDF in <\/a>English<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
PDF in Spanish <\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/e3mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Download-Coverstory.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"