Most enterprises are pushed toward RISE before brownfield has been priced honestly. We rebuild the comparison from a buyer perspective. Cost lines are normalised, assumptions are made explicit, and the recommendation is the one the math supports, not the one the account team rehearsed.
When SAP, an integrator, or a hyperscaler builds the comparison, brownfield gets loaded with infrastructure refresh assumptions, basis labour at retail rates, and hardware end of life dates that align with the next RISE proposal cycle. The result is a TCO chart that bends toward RISE inside the first three years and looks decisive by year five.
A buyer side comparison strips that engineering out. We rebuild three scenarios using the client's actual run rates, the actual hyperscaler reserved instance pricing they could secure with a direct relationship, the actual basis headcount cost they carry today, and the actual SAP support fees they pay. Then we layer in realistic conversion timing, realistic functional gaps, and the operating model implications of each path.
The output is a seven year TCO model in three primary scenarios, brownfield, RISE with SAP Cloud ERP Private Edition, and a hybrid model that pairs RISE for selected line of business workloads with a continued brownfield S/4HANA core. Each scenario carries up to four sensitivity variants for growth, contraction, hyperscaler price moves, and SAP price increases.
The fee earns itself in the assumptions log. Most TCO debates lose energy in arguments about percentages. Our model surfaces the underlying assumptions in a single sheet so the negotiating team can challenge each one explicitly. When SAP pushes back on a number, the conversation moves to the assumption behind the number, where the buyer is on stronger ground.
| Dimension | Brownfield | RISE Private Edition | Hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software ownership | Perpetual licence retained | Subscription, no ownership | Hybrid by workload |
| Infrastructure | Buyer choice, direct hyperscaler or on premise | SAP managed via embedded hyperscaler | Mixed by workload |
| Basis labour | Buyer retains | SAP provides at fixed FTE level | Partial retain |
| Upgrade cadence | Buyer controlled | SAP controlled within RISE policy | Mixed |
| Functional fit | Maximum extensibility | Constrained to clean core | Constrained on RISE workloads |
| Indirect access | Existing model | Document based, RISE Digital Access | Per workload |
| Exit complexity | Low | High, requires migration | Medium |
| Year one cost | Often lower | Often higher with conversion incentives | Variable |
| Year seven cost | Variable with refresh timing | Subject to renewal uplift | Variable |
| Integration burden | Buyer manages | RISE constrained patterns | Mixed |
| Audit exposure | Traditional licence audit | Consumption based, document counts | Both models apply |
Current state cost. Licence position, support fees, infrastructure spend, basis labour, integration burden. Source data not opinion.
Three scenarios built, each with assumptions log. Hyperscaler quotes obtained directly. SAP proposal disaggregated.
Sensitivity testing across growth, contraction, hyperscaler shifts, SAP price increases, indirect access growth.
Board ready output. Recommendation, residual risk, negotiation positions for the chosen path. Ready for executive review.
If you are weeks away from a RISE signature, the SAP RISE negotiation services bench can engage inside seventy two hours. We work on retainer or fixed scope and we never sell software.
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