RISE with SAP vs GROW with SAP vs Full S/4HANA: A Strategic Crossroad for Modern Enterprises

Every SAP program begins with an architectural stance. What you choose at that layer determines how much flexibility, speed, and resilience the enterprise retains.

SAP’s ecosystem now offers three distinct transformation models, each built for a different level of complexity, control, and scalability:

• GROW with SAP: pre-configured and built for speed

   

• RISE with SAP: modular, cloud-first, and transformation-focused

   

• Full S/4HANA: open-ended, fully customizable, and infrastructure-dependent

   

Each path reflects a different set of trade-offs,  some around ownership, others around extensibility, deployment pace, or upgrade autonomy. And while SAP positions these models as flexible by design, the wrong choice can lock enterprises into structural constraints that surface only post-deployment.

According to SAPinsider’s 2025 SAP S/4HANA Migration Benchmark Report, 21% of organizations remain in the evaluation phase, indicating that for many, the challenge isn’t technology, it’s the uncertainty around selecting the right architecture and transformation approach.

This guide breaks down RISE, GROW, and full S/4HANA not as competing solutions, but as strategic fits based on business structure, growth readiness, and operational ambition. It also examines where each path performs best, where it introduces complexity, and how advisory partners like SCM YUGA help enterprises make this foundational choice with confidence.

GROW with SAP: Accelerated Cloud ERP Adoption for Emerging Enterprises

If your enterprise is aiming to modernize rapidly without the weight of infrastructure ownership or extensive process engineering, GROW with SAP may be the strategic entry point you’re looking for.

Introduced in 2023, GROW with SAP is engineered specifically for net-new SAP customers in the small to mid-sized segment. It runs on SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, SAP’s multi-tenant SaaS ERP, hosted and fully managed by SAP. The multi-tenancy ensures that all customers operate on the same system version creating a predictable environment with quarterly, non-disruptive updates and minimal lifecycle management responsibilities.

What makes GROW stand apart is its standardized architecture and pre-configured industry best practices, which enable a greenfield approach. Most implementations can be completed in 4 to 8 weeks, depending on readiness and scope. For businesses seeking a fast go-live, this kind of predictability is strategic.

Technical Architecture and Deployment

• Multi-Tenant SaaS Platform : Your ERP runs on shared infrastructure meaning lower costs, consistent configurations, and zero infrastructure maintenance. SAP handles everything from patching to availability.

• Pre-Built Business Content:  GROW ships with pre-configured business processes (sales, procurement, finance, etc.), based on SAP’s best practices across industries. This enables quick rollouts with minimal process reengineering.

Customization and Extensibility

Here’s where GROW intentionally draws a line.

The system does not support core-level modifications. Instead, extensibility is handled via the SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) SAP’s cloud-based extension suite that enables low-code, no-code enhancements and clean integrations without impacting the core.

This ensures you maintain upgrade compatibility and avoid technical debt, but it does mean businesses with highly tailored workflows may hit a ceiling.

This offering is best suited for enterprises that:

• Need rapid ERP deployment without protracted consulting cycles

   

• Operate within standard industry processes that don’t require deep customization

   

• Prefer a subscription-based pricing model with low IT overhead

   

• Want SAP ERP as a scalable foundation, not a heavily modified system

   

If you’re expecting to scale fast, adopt best practices, and offload infrastructure ownership, GROW offers a controlled, accelerated path into the SAP ecosystem without compromising stability.

RISE with SAP: Business Transformation-as-a-Service, on Your Terms

If GROW with SAP is about standardization at speed, RISE with SAP is about strategic modernization with control and flexibility intact.

Designed for companies that are either running legacy SAP systems (like ECC) or planning a more nuanced transition to cloud ERP, RISE isn’t a product. It’s a bundled transformation model, one that SAP describes as “Business Transformation as a Service.” And that description matters: RISE brings together cloud infrastructure, ERP software, and tools for process improvement, analytics, and migration all under one commercial contract.

In 2024, SAP reported that over 4,000 companies have adopted RISE, many of them mid-sized businesses moving off ECC or hybrid systems. SAP Q1 2024 Earnings Report

 What’s Included in RISE?

RISE with SAP includes:

• SAP S/4HANA Cloud (Public or Private Edition)

   

• Hosting via a hyperscaler of your choice (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)

   

• Access to SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) for extensibility

   

• SAP Business Network Starter Pack for supplier collaboration

   

• Tools like SAP Readiness Check, Process Discovery, and Custom Code Analyzer for migration planning

   

The Private Edition, in particular, has become the preferred model for enterprises migrating from ECC. It supports single-tenancy, allowing greater customization while retaining the cloud benefits of managed infrastructure.

Technical Architecture and Deployment

• Single-Tenant or Multi-Tenant Options:  RISE supports both models, but Private Cloud (single tenant) is where most enterprises lean. It enables more control over system updates, data isolation, and integration governance.

• You Choose the Hyperscaler: SAP hosts the environment, but you choose the infrastructure partner AWS, Azure, GCP, or SAP’s own cloud. This helps align the ERP deployment with your existing IT ecosystem.

• One Contract, One SLA: SAP becomes your single point of accountability across infrastructure, software, and support simplifying vendor management.

SAP emphasizes that RISE helps companies achieve business agility, reduce TCO, and accelerate cloud adoption, without disrupting existing processes.

Customization and Extensibility

This is where RISE differentiates from GROW.

• In the Private Cloud Edition, you can retain or adapt existing custom code, an essential factor for ECC customers with long-standing workflows.

   

• BTP side-by-side extensions allow additional services, APIs, and low-code/no-code apps without compromising the core system.

   

• You also get access to SAP App Store content and certified partner solutions.

   

However, it’s worth noting that core modifications are constrained in the Public Edition of RISE (similar to GROW), and even Private Edition customizations require governance to ensure upgrade safety.

You may want to consider RISE if:

• You’re running SAP ECC or Business Suite and need a roadmap to S/4HANA with less disruption

   

• You require custom workflows, localizations, or integrations with legacy systems

   

• You want to keep control over your architecture, without fully managing infrastructure

   

• You prefer to migrate in phases rather than as a full greenfield rebuild

   

• You want one contract with predictable costs and accountability across vendors

   

Full S/4HANA Implementation: Total Architectural Freedom, By Design

Some organizations don’t want guardrails. They need control over data, infrastructure, change velocity, and system behavior. For enterprises with complex supply chains, deep regulatory exposure, or differentiated business models, a pre-packaged ERP model may be more limiting than liberating.

This is where Full S/4HANA Implementation comes in.

Unlike GROW or RISE, this isn’t a bundled offering. It’s a bespoke SAP S/4HANA deployment, built from the ground up or migrated from ECC with the exact specifications, infrastructure, and ownership model the business requires including complex supply chain solutions. . It can be hosted on-premise, on a private cloud, or via Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) with any hyperscaler.

According to a 2024 Panorama ERP Report, 73% of enterprises choosing full S/4HANA implementations do so to preserve architectural control and support business models that fall outside industry-standard configurations.

Technical Architecture and Deployment

Any Hosting Model You Choose  

S/4HANA can be deployed:

• On-premise (in your data center)

   

• In a private cloud (e.g., hosted via Azure, AWS, GCP)

   

• In hybrid environments across regions or business units

   

This is SAP in its rawest, most powerful form designed for businesses that want ERP to conform to their strategy, not the other way around.

Your IT team or implementation partner, like SCM YUGA will manage:

• SAP Basis and infrastructure

   

• Security and compliance

   

• Upgrade cadence and downtime scheduling

• Business process consulting to ensure functional alignment with SAP modules

SAP’s on-premise model remains essential for “businesses with unique industry constraints, such as chemical safety, utility grid control, or government data sovereignty”.

 Customization and Extensibility

This is where Full S/4HANA exhibits the full potential:

• Unlimited core modification (custom tables, Z-programs, user exits, etc.)

   

• Tailored business logic that reflects nuanced local or vertical-specific processes

   

• Integrations with legacy systems, on-prem tools, and third-party applications

   

• No restrictions on development frameworks, including ABAP, Java, or Python (via APIs)

   

However, this flexibility comes at a cost: you own the lifecycle from patching to scaling, from availability to compliance alignment. The upside is that nothing is forced on you. The ERP becomes an extension of your enterprise operating model.

This route is often preferred by:

• Enterprises with complex and heavily customized ECC environments

   

• Regulated industries (e.g., defense, pharma, utilities) requiring data residency and audit control

   

• Global operations that demand regional deployments, language packs, or functional variants

   

• Organizations building proprietary processes as a competitive advantage

   

• Businesses with dedicated SAP teams or strategic implementation partners

   

A 2023 Deloitte study confirms that on-premise and hosted S/4HANA models are still chosen by firms that “require platform extensibility, non-standard data models, or tight IT–OT integration.

The Round Off 

Revealing What SAP ERP Choices Demand from the Business

Each SAP model carries structural implications, some stretch what the business can support, others leave critical gaps uncovered.These implications or trade offs often sit beneath the surface in early-stage conversations, especially when urgency or legacy pressures take the lead.

SCM YUGA engages at this critical point offering architectural clarity that helps organizations slow the decision down, examine what their structure actually requires, and understand the operational consequences before any model is selected.

Advisory Rooted in Business Structure

SCM YUGA encourages organizations to define their transformation needs through operational complexity. This involves evaluating:

• Whether existing workflows can conform to standard SAP models

   

• How current systems and implementations affect deployment options

   

• What regulatory, localization, or audit constraints must be preserved

   

• The degree of configuration flexibility the business will require over time

   

This upfront clarity helps organizations sidestep common missteps such as overfitting a lightweight product to a complex enterprise, or underutilizing a robust platform that was never needed.

 Capability Framing over Product Framing

Rather than recommending a predefined solution path, SCM YUGA facilitates a capability-alignment exercise:

• Can GROW support the business at scale, without compromise?

   

• Does RISE offer the operational autonomy and lifecycle governance needed?

   

• Is a full S/4HANA build justified by the organization’s regulatory, infrastructural, or integration-driven demands?

Supporting Informed Architecture

Before timelines are drawn and budgets are set, SCM YUGA brings structure to the decisions that shape everything that follows.

• Recommending deployment models that match organizational cadence

   

• Highlighting technical implications of customization vs. clean-core principles

   

• Framing the long-term cost and governance burden of each path

   

• Clarifying where BTP-based extensibility may be sufficient—or insufficient

   

✅ Where the Real Value Lies

The advisory value SCM YUGA brings is subtle but substantial: it sharpens the decision before it’s made. By focusing on architectural fit, they help clients avoid:

• Adopting systems that exceed or fall short of business complexity

   

• Customizations that become roadblocks during upgrades

   

• Vendor paths that narrow future flexibility

   

In a market full of solutions, this kind of architectural discernment is what protects long-term ERP outcomes.

Choosing the Right SAP ERP Architecture Begins with Strategy

SAP transformation decisions carry long-term implications. Whether you’re preparing to scale, modernize, or consolidate, the architecture you choose now will shape how your business operates tomorrow.