Accelerate Your ERP Transformation with RISE with SAP on IBM Power Virtual Server
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, businesses are increasingly turning to cloud-based solutions to modernize their operations and stay competitive. Recognizing this need, IBM (NYSE: IBM) and SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) have announced the upcoming release of RISE with SAP on IBM Power Virtual Server, a groundbreaking offering designed to provide IBM Power customers with the fastest and easiest path to accelerate their ERP transformation. This collaboration aims to help organizations seamlessly transition their on-premises ERP environments to the cloud while supporting AI-powered business processes.
What is RISE with SAP?
RISE with SAP is more than just a migration tool—it’s a guided journey that delivers outcome-driven services, cloud ERP, and platforms to help organizations rethink their operating models. As a new SAP hyperscaler offering, RISE with SAP on IBM Power Virtual Server promises to reduce risk and streamline the migration process from on-premises SAP S/4HANA systems to the cloud in as little as 90 days.*
“RISE with SAP has become a top business priority for enterprises across all industries as they embrace SAP S/4HANA Cloud,” said Anurag Agrawal, Founder and Chief Global Analyst at TechAisle. “This new offering from IBM and SAP provides a compelling solution for businesses seeking to migrate their mission-critical ERP workloads securely, quickly, and with minimal disruption.”
Industry-Leading Infrastructure for Seamless Cloud Migration
At the heart of this offering is IBM Power Virtual Server, the cloud-based version of IBM’s mission-critical Power server platform. Renowned for its high security, scalability, and reliability, IBM Power servers are ranked #1 in availability among SAP-certified infrastructure,** making them ideal for reducing disruptions and accelerating migration timelines. The platform is engineered to ensure faster, smoother transitions, supported by the highly resilient and secure IBM Cloud.
“IBM has collaborated closely with SAP to create a seamless and rapid migration path for customers relying on the IBM Power platform for their SAP workloads,” said Rob Thomas, Senior Vice President of Software and Chief Commercial Officer at IBM. “This new capability simplifies the complexity of moving to the cloud and accelerates impact—benefits we’ve experienced firsthand during our own modernization journey using RISE with SAP.”
IBM’s Success Story: A Blueprint for Transformation
IBM itself serves as a testament to the power of this solution. In one of the largest and most complex SAP S/4HANA Cloud modernization projects to date, IBM successfully migrated its quote-to-cash and record-to-report processes to RISE with SAP on IBM Power Virtual Server. The project spanned 18 months, impacting over 150,000 users across 175 countries.
The results were impressive: a 30% reduction in infrastructure costs achieved through server rationalization, data footprint optimization, and increased process automation.† IBM Consulting played a pivotal role in this transformation, providing end-to-end technical services, implementation expertise, and application management support to ensure a secure and efficient migration.
Empowering Customers Through Expertise and Innovation
SAP continues to empower organizations to run at their best with cloud-based enterprise applications enhanced by SAP Business AI. According to Thomas Saueressig, a member of the Executive Board of SAP SE, “This announcement marks another milestone in SAP’s long-standing partnership with IBM. Together, we’re offering joint customers a clear path to the cloud that ensures faster time-to-value, greater flexibility, and continuous innovation.”
To further accelerate transformation, customers can leverage the expertise of IBM Consulting or collaborate with other SAP partners. IBM is actively working with global systems integrators and service providers to architect, deploy, and migrate RISE with SAP projects tailored to each client’s unique needs.
Comprehensive Tools for a Smooth Transition
For businesses embarking on this journey, IBM offers the IBM Transformation Suite for SAP Applications, a bundle of best-of-breed software and services designed to simplify the migration process. This suite includes tools for assessing current environments, migrating data, and conducting automated testing, ensuring a smooth transition to SAP S/4HANA Cloud and RISE with SAP.
With over 10,000 SAP customers served in the past 50 years, IBM has established itself as a full lifecycle strategic partner of SAP. From hybrid cloud solutions to automation and generative AI powered by watsonx, IBM provides end-to-end consulting and technology solutions to help businesses thrive in the digital age.
Availability and Next Steps
RISE with SAP on IBM Power Virtual Server is expected to be available in the second quarter of 2025, accompanied by a customized investment program from IBM. Businesses interested in transforming their ERP systems can learn more about assessment and migration services offered by IBM Consulting and other IBM and SAP Business Partners.
As organizations strive to modernize their ERP environments and harness the power of AI-driven processes, RISE with SAP on IBM Power Virtual Server stands out as a transformative solution. By combining IBM’s industry-leading infrastructure with SAP’s innovative cloud capabilities, this offering paves the way for accelerated growth, reduced complexity, and enhanced operational efficiency.
*Estimate based on internal IBM modeling of customer onboarding in an SAP landscape when moving from SAP S/4HANA on Power on-premises to Power Virtual Server, assuming appropriate customer collaboration around network integration and testing.
**Based on the ITIC 2023 Global Hardware, Global Server Reliability Report and list of all SAP-certified and supported certified SAP HANA hardware.
†Based on IBM results from worldwide migration to SAP S/4HANA Cloud and RISE with SAP.
By choosing RISE with SAP on IBM Power Virtual Server, businesses can confidently embark on their transformation journey, knowing they have the support of two industry leaders committed to driving success in the cloud era.
