The following partner insight was authored by Ming Christensen, Director of Product Management, SAP on IBM Power.
Organizations running their SAP landscapes on IBM Power services have often faced a major hurdle: most cloud migration options have historically meant leaving behind the trusted IBM Power platform that supports their reliable, high-performing environments. That architecture, known for its resiliency, security, and processing efficiency, has become tightly interwoven with core SAP workloads, particularly in high-availability industries like retail and industrial manufacturing.
Now available as a SAP-certified hyperscaler option, leveraging RISE with SAP methodology, IBM Power Virtual Server offers an expedited cloud modernization path to SAP customers running on IBM Power architecture. The offering enables these organizations to move to SAP S/4HANA Cloud with minimal disruption, preserving infrastructure continuity while aligning with SAP’s preferred deployment models for cloud ERP.
That approach translates into advantages that matter most to organizations already running SAP on Power.
1. Built for the Power-Based SAP Install Base
IBM Power Virtual Server for SAP S/4HANA is purpose-built for the roughly 10,000 organizations worldwide that run SAP on IBM Power. Many organizations count on IBM Power to handle demanding workloads reliably and without interruption. Switching to a new architecture can add expense and create risks, particularly for sectors such as retail and manufacturing, where even brief downtime has major consequences. By preserving the Power processor architecture in the cloud, IBM allows customers to modernize without abandoning the infrastructure their systems depend on.
2. Architecture Consistency Cuts Testing and Revalidation
S/4HANA migrations often require replatforming to new processor architectures, which means performance baselining, regression testing, and recertification. IBM’s approach eliminates this overhead by maintaining architectural consistency between on-premises Power Systems and IBM Power Virtual Server. The result is faster cutover and fewer technical unknowns for ECC customers already facing application-layer changes.
3. Faster Migration Timelines Compared to Cross-Platform Moves
A move from Power to x86 in other clouds can slow a project by introducing new performance variables and hardware dependencies. IBM’s internal modeling shows that staying on Power can cut migration timelines by 15–25% compared to heterogeneous moves. Faster sizing of SAP workloads, a leaner infrastructure design, and streamlined validation steps all contribute to the shorter migration timeline.
4. IBM’s Rapid Move Methodology Streamlines S/4HANA Conversion
Shifting from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA Cloud demands more than a change in infrastructure. The application layer must be reengineered, with data model restructuring and cleanup of years of customization. IBM’s Rapid Move methodology allows selective data transition so customers can leave behind obsolete records and configurations. Predefined templates guide each step, while automation tools reduce manual effort, creating a predictable, faster path to go-live.
5. Proven in IBM’s Own Global Transformation
IBM served as “Client Zero” for this approach, moving its global quote-to-cash and record-to-report operations—spanning more than 150,000 users in 175 countries—running on x86 and IBM Power to SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition on IBM Power Virtual Server. The project cut infrastructure-related costs by 30%, shortened invoice generation time by 83%, improved auto-payment matching by 72%, and reduced contract registration cycles by 40%. Since go-live, the environment has maintained 100% availability. Together, these results show how the model performs at scale in complex, highly distributed enterprise landscapes.
6. Operational Efficiencies Through Automation and AI
After migrating, IBM added automation for contract structuring and invoice management, along with AI-driven payment matching and interactive project dashboards that give teams real-time insight into operations. The environment runs SAP Fiori apps and is built to support new AI capabilities, providing a strong foundation for ongoing innovation and process improvement.
7. The Power Buyback Program Offsets Migration Costs
IBM’s buyback program lets customers trade eligible Power10 and Power11 systems running SAP for migration funding that can directly offset project expenses. It includes removal, secure data erasure, and responsible disposal, benefits that other hyperscalers cannot match because they do not design, manufacture, or manage the underlying hardware.
8. Support Beyond the Core SAP Workload
IBM’s investment program funds early-stage assessments, migration execution, and the move of related non-RISE workloads into IBM Cloud. Tackling interconnected systems during the migration phase helps preserve integration points and minimizes the chance of disruption once the new ERP is live.
9. High Availability and Security for Mission-Critical Workloads
In places like factory floors, power grids, the fresh food supply chain, or airline reservation platforms, even a brief outage can throw schedules off and trigger costly ripple effects. These are the types of environments that have long relied on IBM Power, which consistently rank among the most resilient and secure of all SAP-certified servers. Moving SAP S/4HANA Cloud to IBM Power Virtual Server keeps those same protections in place, but in a cloud delivery and consumption model.
10. Ecosystem Support for Every Stage of the Journey
To strengthen delivery for SAP Cloud ERP projects, IBM is building out a network of partners that includes RISE with SAP–validated firms. This ecosystem gives customers access to teams that know how to modernize SAP while working within the technical realities of Power infrastructure, from the earliest planning discussions through post-migration optimization.
A Simplified Route to S/4HANA
IBM Power Virtual Server gives SAP customers on Power architecture a technically grounded way to move to the cloud without destabilizing their environment. It combines architecture consistency, proven migration methodology, and investment-backed incentives with real-world validation from IBM’s own transformation.
For organizations in high-stakes industries where performance and uptime cannot be compromised, this option delivers both speed and stability when moving to SAP S/4HANA Cloud.
Ming Christensen is Director of Product Management, SAP on IBM Power.