SAP AMS Advantage: Lower Costs, Greater Agility, and Global Coverage

1. Executive Summary 

Why SAP Upkeep Now Shapes the Whole Digital Agenda 

SAP runs the core of business operations—finance, supply chain, and customer experience—for over 35,000 companies worldwide. As enterprises expand globally and embrace digital transformation, SAP environments must be both stable and future-ready. However, maintaining SAP systems is becoming increasingly challenging.

2. Key Pressures Are Mounting 

1. Rising SAP Maintenance Costs 
   SAP on-prem support fees rose to 5% in 2024, and ERP cost overruns are increasingly common, especially when integration and rework are involved. ⁽¹⁾
2. Talent Scarcity 
   According to Robert Half, 92% of technology leaders struggle to hire ERP-skilled staff, and 75% expect demand for those roles to increase further. ⁽²⁾
3. Integration Complexity & Delays 
   A Basis Technologies survey reveals that 40% of SAP change cycles consume up to 50% more time and budget than planned. ⁽³⁾
   IDG research indicates that 86% of organizations have experienced ERP integration delays, primarily due to a lack of integration expertise. ⁽⁴⁾

These challenges slow transformation and drain resources. To move forward, companies must rethink their support model. Traditional AMS models alone lack the agility and strategic alignment necessary in today’s rapidly changing SAP landscape. That’s why integrated Application Management Services (AMS) are gaining attention. ⁽⁵⁾

Integrated AMS consolidates fragmented operations, automates knowledge, and ensures that every change aligns with a future-ready SAP architecture, cutting costs and accelerating innovation. 

3. Challenges at a Glance 

• Operational Inefficiency 
  • Reactive, ticket-based support without process visibility 
  • Frequent rework and slow resolution 
• Global Execution Gaps 
  • Offshore-heavy models fail to meet regional business needs 
  • Time zone misalignment and low user satisfaction
• Lack of Strategic Enablement 
  • Limited support for enabling S/4HANA migration, integrating new cloud tools, or validating AI use cases 
  • No alignment with long-term architecture or business goals 

4. Breaking Down the Challenges 

4.1 Inefficient Support Models Stall Progress 

Traditional AMS teams often address visible issues without tracing them back to underlying business processes or architectural misalignments. 

Companies need support that’s aware of how SAP issues connect to broader business processes, so they can address the root causes, not just treat surface-level symptoms. 

4.2 Legacy Models Can’t Keep Up Globally 

While centralized or offshore-only models are often expected to reduce costs, they frequently fail to deliver real-time, localized support. For global organizations, this results in delays, missed SLAs, and frustrated users. What appears cost-effective on paper can quickly become inefficient when responsiveness and business alignment are lacking. 

Modern AMS must be globally distributed and responsive to regional business needs, ensuring consistent performance and high user satisfaction across geographies. 

4.3 Innovation Stalls Without Strategic Support 

Many traditional AMS contracts are limited to break-fix support and routine maintenance, without provisions for innovation or future-readiness. 

As a result, they lack mechanisms to support S/4HANA migration, integrate cloud tools, or validate AI use cases, keeping the enterprise stuck in the past. 
AMS must evolve from maintenance to transformation enablement. 

5. How It Works: Integrated Control Center Model 

We deliver Integrated AMS through our unique Control Center model. Unlike traditional support approaches, this model combines operational excellence with innovation enablement, offering end-to-end services that address both day-to-day SAP maintenance and strategic transformation needs. 

5.1 One-Stop Service with Integrated Control Center 

Our agile support model delivers a comprehensive suite of services, methodologies, tools, experts, and environments. 

• End-to-end support: from incident handling to planning, design, prototyping, and implementation 
• A single point of coordination across business, technical, and organizational domains 
• Continuous tracking of improvement needs 
• Alignment with enterprise architecture and business goals 

5.2 Escalation Support from High-Quality Architects 

• Our team comprises seasoned SAP architects and former SAP Germany employees. 
• Over 20 years of experience in ECC, S/4HANA, and industry-specific solutions 
• Offers fast root-cause analysis and architectural guidance 

5.3 SAP Support Services and Service Management 

We apply a standardized, best-practice-driven approach that covers incident management, problem resolution, change requests, and system monitoring and reporting. In parallel, our innovation control function offers actionable recommendations to support continuous improvement and strategic business transformation, ensuring that every operational enhancement aligns with long-term goals. 

This integrated approach resolves issues quickly, avoids duplication, and keeps your SAP environment aligned with ongoing transformation. 

6. Who Benefits from Integrated AMS 

• Companies facing high SAP run costs 
• Global teams lacking regional support 
• ECC users planning S/4HANA migration 
• Organizations need continuous improvement, not just steady operations 
• Enterprises dealing with fragmented backing across vendors and system

7. Customer Case Study: Integrated AMS for a Global Trading Company 

Situation

A global trading company needed reliable AMS for its SAP environment and integrations. The existing model struggled with slow response times, inconsistent regional coverage, and no framework for continuous improvement.

Action

• Deployed an Agile Support Model staffed by executives for strategic alignment, service managers for quality oversight, and coordinators for daily operations 
• Delivered up to 50 hours per month of SAP and integration support during U.S. business hours 
• Implemented a ticketing system with self-service resources and SLA-driven processes for incidents, service requests, and problem management 
• Applied proactive monitoring, integration maintenance, and continuous improvement initiatives 

Key outcomes

• Priority incidents resolved within agreed SLA times 
• Improved efficiency and responsiveness through Agile operations and regional coverage 
• Reduced recurring issues via proactive monitoring and structured problem management 
• Clear roadmap for future transformation initiatives 

8. Next Steps 

Ready to optimize application performance and cut costs? 
Contact our experts to see how we streamline maintenance and boost reliability. 
Request a demo and turn application management into business momentum. 

9. Resources 

1. SAP insider, “SAP Increases Pressure for On-Premise Customers” 
   https://sapinsider.org/analyst-insights/sap-increases-pressure-for-on-premise-customers/

2. Robert Half, “Building Future-Forward Tech Team”
   https://www.roberthalf.com/content/dam/roberthalf/documents/us/en/indexed/insights/futureforwardtech-report-0425-us-en-secured.pdf

3. Basis Technologies, SAP Change Survey (2023), as cited in: SAPinsider Blog, Basis Technologies Study Reveals Excel Spreadsheets Are Causing SAP Hangovers. 
   https://sapinsider.org/blogs/basis-technologies-study-reveals-excel-spreadsheets-are-causing-sap-hangovers/

4. IDG Research, ERP Integration Report (2023), as cited in: 
   OpenText Blog, 5 Ways an ERP Integration Partner Combats Business Disruption. 
   https://blogs.opentext.com/5-ways-an-erp-integration-partner-combats-business-disruption/

5. Precedence Research, Application Management Services Market 
   https://www.precedenceresearch.com/application-management-services-market

Co-authored by Saison Technology International and Rock15 Consulting (August 2025)