The different SAP S4HANA implementation paths

Greenfield, brownfield or hybrid? With a large investment on the line, it is important to pick the right migration path for your new SAP system. 

According to a recent study, 43% of organisations are planning to or have already migrated to SAP S/4HANA, showing the increasing demand for the latest technology.

For S/4HANA, there are three paths to choose from: Greenfield, Brownfield and Hybrid conversion. Before you decide on the implementation path, you need to weigh up the approaches with your business goals in mind.

• Greenfield - Hit the reset button: This migration approach provides you with an opportunity to start again and learn from your previous mistakes. The downside with this is that any customisations done on your existing system will be wiped clean during the migration process.
• Brownfield - Re-evaluate and edit your existing system: Brownfield implementation provides you with a ‘softer’ approach than Greenfield, allowing you to rapidly migrate to the new system, while hanging onto existing customisations.
• Hybrid - Best of both worlds: The Hybrid approach allows you to be selective and cherry-pick the best parts of the other implementation paths. This will help you to mitigate some of the migration risks, while keeping parts of the current system that work.

Now you understand the difference between each implementation path, you can begin to consider the best fit for your business based on your long-term goals and existing processes.

Failed migrations are not uncommon, so picking the right implementation path is one of the many vital decisions you need to make.

Making the right decision is easier with the help of experienced ERP advisors. Contact us!