Migration to the latest version of SAP ERP has become a priority for most user companies, but a new study by SEIDOR reveals a worrying gap between strategic aspirations and actual project execution. According to the 'SEIDOR Report: SAP ERP Modernization 2026', based on interviews with 360 CIOs from nine countries in Europe and the Americas, 94% of companies plan to modernize their ERP in the coming years. However, only 15% do so with a transformative vision that integrates process redesign, data, and artificial intelligence.

The Trap of Technical Migration

The report classifies modernization projects into three cumulative stages. The first and most common is technical migration or evolution, which aims to update the platform, ensure operational continuity, and move toward cloud models. This level, covering 94% of companies, is primarily driven by the SAP ECC maintenance calendar. The second stage, simplification, involves reducing custom developments and standardizing processes toward a 'clean core' model. Only 23% of companies reach this level. Finally, reinvention—the most advanced stage—redesigns processes on clean data and AI, transforming the ERP into a decision platform. Barely 15% of surveyed companies achieve this.

As Javier Navarro, global leader of SAP practice at SEIDOR, points out: “The risk is not just not migrating; the risk is migrating and continuing to operate the same way.” This warning resonates strongly in a context where many companies approve million-dollar budgets for innovation but end up with a technically updated system that replicates obsolete processes.

Technical Debt: The Invisible Burden

71% of companies acknowledge that custom developments and technical debt hinder SAP evolution. Nine out of ten would accept more standard processes in exchange for a more evolvable system. Simplification emerges as the great challenge of the coming years, as it involves decisions that transcend the technical: they impact business areas, data governance, and operating models. As we analyzed in our article SAP ERP: 85% of Companies Will Migrate Without Strategy, Trapped by Technical Debt and Lack of Vision, the lack of a clear roadmap condemns many organizations to perpetuate their inefficiencies.

AI: Transformation Engine or Makeup?

46% of companies consider analytics, data, and AI as key drivers for evolving the ERP. However, 72% of them conceive AI solely as an automation layer on top of current processes. SEIDOR experts warn that this approach generates efficiency but does not transform the operating model if not accompanied by simplification and data quality. AI is not a magic wand; it needs a clean core and redesigned processes to unleash its full potential.

Two Time Windows for Modernization

The study identifies two key periods: from 2026 to 2028, dominated by technical migrations driven by the end of SAP ECC support; and from 2028 to 2032, where greater adoption of advanced simplification and AI is expected. SEIDOR's recommendation is clear: leverage the first window to simplify the core and organize data, thus reaching the second with real transformation capacity. This planning is crucial to prevent technical urgency from stifling strategic vision.

The ERP as an Ecosystem: A New Way of Deciding

The report also highlights a shift in decision-making: the ERP is no longer evaluated as a monolithic block but as a layered architecture (core, cloud, data, AI, integration). SAP maintains its centrality as the system of record, but the strategic question now is how to maximize its value by combining it with other capabilities. This demands a new role for technology partners, who must help companies define how far they want to go. SEIDOR, recently named SAP Global Platinum Reseller Partner, reinforces its position in this market.

In an environment where technology advances rapidly, SAP modernization should not be an end in itself but a means to rethink the business. As the report concludes, the key decision is not just which platform to choose, but what level of transformation one aims to achieve. Companies aspiring to reinvention must go beyond technical migration and embrace simplification and AI as levers of real change.

Original source: ComputerWorld. Analysis and adaptation by ForgeNEX.