RISE with SAP: What the Contract Means for the Customer

Why the RISE with SAP contract differs from the on premise contract

The RISE with SAP contract differs from the on premise contract on every dimension. The license model converts from the perpetual license with annual maintenance into the cloud subscription. The deployment scope shifts from the customer data centre into the SAP managed hyperscaler environment. The responsibility split between the customer, SAP, and the hyperscaler changes. The integration boundary moves from the customer edge into the SAP managed perimeter. The exit clause defines the contract reversal option. The customer that approaches the RISE contract without the dedicated review treats RISE as a deployment swap and absorbs the contract changes without negotiation. The customer that runs the dedicated review negotiates the contract structure that supports the operating model. Reference the license audit complete guide, the S4HANA licensing pillar, and the S4HANA expertise.

FUE conversion and the subscription consumption model

The Full Use Equivalent (FUE) conversion under RISE converts the named user entitlement into the FUE pool on the subscription model. The customer commits the FUE volume for the contract term. The consumption decrements the entitlement against the committed pool. The contract allows the customer to flex the FUE volume within the agreed band. The subscription consumption model differs from the perpetual model on the renewal pattern. The perpetual model renewed the maintenance. The subscription model renews the entitlement. The customer that approaches the renewal as the entitlement renewal rather than the maintenance renewal builds the negotiation position on the contracted run rate. Reference the cloud licensing analysis, the RISE security analysis, and the licensing models pillar.

Responsibility split between SAP, hyperscaler, and customer

The responsibility split under RISE allocates the operational tasks across the customer, SAP, and the hyperscaler. SAP holds the platform operations, the database operations, and the application stack operations. The hyperscaler holds the infrastructure operations under the contract that SAP holds with the hyperscaler. The customer holds the configuration, the integration, the user administration, and the business process operations. The customer that documents the responsibility matrix on the contract addendum keeps the operational scope visible. The customer that does not document the responsibility matrix runs into the operational gap when an incident crosses the responsibility boundary. Reference the cloud connector analysis, the incident response analysis, and the GRC and security expertise.

Customer programs that negotiate the RISE contract with a documented responsibility matrix, a defined integration boundary, and a clear exit clause close the contract review with a renewal posture that supports the contract reversal option through the full term.

Integration boundary and the third party connectivity rules

The integration boundary under RISE defines the third party connectivity rules. The customer connects the third party systems into the RISE environment through the SAP managed perimeter. The connectivity options include the SAP integration suite, the SAP cloud connector, and the dedicated API endpoint. The RISE contract defines the supported integration patterns and the unsupported patterns. The customer that runs the integration on the unsupported pattern loses the SAP operational responsibility on the integration layer. The customer that runs the integration on the supported pattern keeps the operational responsibility within the RISE scope. Reference the integration licensing analysis, the EDI licensing analysis, and the indirect access explained.

Exit clause, renewal posture, and the contract reversal option

The exit clause and the renewal posture define the contract reversal option. The exit clause covers the contract termination scenarios, the data return rights, the transition support, and the residual entitlement treatment. The renewal posture covers the FUE volume renegotiation, the contract reversal option that returns the workload to the on premise model, and the alternative cloud option. The customer that builds the exit clause into the contract during the initial negotiation keeps the contract reversal option open through the term. The customer that signs the standard contract without the exit clause adjustment accepts the standard reversal terms. Reference the compliance framework pillar (cross cluster), the security audit pillar (cross cluster), and the renewal negotiation expertise.

For the broader context, our license audit complete guide and compliance framework pillar (cross cluster reference) document the response posture and the regulatory map that govern SAP risk. The audit defense expertise page documents the senior advisor methodology, and the license optimization expertise page documents the cost reduction approach. Confidential consultation is available through the contact form.