THE CLOUD IMPERATIVE
Why Moving SAP to AWS Is Essential
The 2027 Catalyst
With SAP ECC support ending December 31, 2027, organizations face a critical decision: migrate to S/4HANA on-premise or seize the opportunity to transform by moving to AWS.
Through our collaboration with AWS Professional Services, MOIT delivers validated migration methodologies that are secure, efficient, and cost-effective, eliminating capacity planning, reducing capital expenses, and enabling rapid innovation through integration with 200+ AWS services.
The Traditional Infrastructure Problem
| Challenge | On-Premise Impact | AWS Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity Planning |
|
|
| Downtime |
|
|
| Capital Expense |
|
|
| Innovation Speed |
|
|
| Disaster Recovery |
|
|
The MOIT Advantage: We combine S/4HANA migration expertise with deep AWS infrastructure knowledge to deliver cloud transformations that reduce costs, increase agility, and accelerate innovation—all while protecting business continuity.
WHY AWS FOR SAP
The Leading Cloud Platform for SAP Workloads
More than 5,000 SAP customers run mission-critical workloads on AWS—the most mature and proven platform for SAP in the cloud. AWS and SAP's strategic partnership delivers purpose-built tools, validated architecture, and enterprise-grade reliability.
Global Infrastructure & Reliability
AWS operates 26+ Regions and 84+ Availability Zones worldwide. Design highly available SAP environments across multiple AZs to enable automatic failover. Reduce downtime by 69% compared to on-premise operations (AWS data). Global footprint enables low-latency access for international operations.
Purpose-Built EC2 Instances for SAP HANA
AWS offers the broadest selection of SAP-certified EC2 instances:
- X1/X1e Instances: Up to 4TB RAM for large HANA databases, memory-optimized
- R5 Instances: Cost-effective for medium workloads, flexible sizing
- U-Series Instances: Up to 24TB RAM for massive HANA databases
All instances support HANA-certified operating systems: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Bring-your-own-license (BYOL) model supported.
Scalability Without Capacity Planning
On AWS, scale infrastructure resources (memory, storage, compute) on-demand—both vertically (scale up) and horizontally (scale out). No capacity planning required. Resize EC2 instances in minutes from the AWS Console or API. Critical for S/4HANA's memory-intensive analytics and real-time processing.
Integration with AWS Services
Integrate SAP workloads with 200+ AWS services to accelerate digital transformation:
- Analytics & Data Lakes: Amazon S3, Redshift, Athena for SAP data lake architecture
- Machine Learning: Amazon SageMaker for predictive analytics on SAP data
- Serverless Computing: AWS Lambda for event-driven integration with SAP
- Security & Compliance: AWS IAM, KMS encryption, VPC isolation, compliance (SOC, ISO, HIPAA)
Cost Optimization
Move from CapEx to OpEx with pay-as-you-go pricing. Right-size instances to actual workload needs. Use Reserved Instances or Savings Plans for predictable workloads (up to 72% savings). Eliminate hardware refresh cycles and data center costs.
AWS and SAP Partnership
AWS and SAP have partnered since 2011 to deliver SAP-specific tools and validated architectures. AWS Quick Starts for SAP enable S/4HANA deployment in hours (vs. weeks manually). AWS Launch Wizard for SAP automates sizing, configuration, and deployment in line with best practices. AWS Backint Agent provides native HANA backup to S3.
Migration Approaches & Tools
Proven Tools and S/4HANA Transformation Options
AWS provides purpose-built migration tools that automate SAP workload migration. MOIT combines these tools with proven S/4HANA transformation methodologies to deliver near-zero-downtime migrations—whether you're pursuing Greenfield, Brownfield, or Bluefield transformations.
S/4HANA Transformation Approaches
When migrating from SAP to AWS, you can simultaneously transform to S/4HANA. MOIT supports three transformation approaches:
Greenfield
Fresh S/4HANA implementation with clean data migration
Brownfield
System conversion of existing ECC to S/4HANA
Bluefield
Selective data transition—transform critical areas while keeping proven processes
What is Bluefield?
Bluefield (selective data transition) combines the benefits of Greenfield and Brownfield. Deploy new S/4HANA on AWS while selectively retaining configurations and processes that work well. Transform critical areas requiring S/4HANA innovation (real-time analytics, embedded AI) while keeping stable processes unchanged. Ideal for organizations seeking S/4HANA capabilities without a complete process redesign. Reduces risk, accelerates value delivery, and balances transformation with business continuity.
AWS Migration Tools
AWS Launch Wizard for SAP
AWS Launch Wizard guides you through sizing, configuring, and deploying SAP applications on AWS, following cloud best practices. Deploy S/4HANA in hours (vs weeks manually). Supports all transformation approaches: Greenfield, Brownfield, Bluefield—post-deployment, scale systems by adding nodes from the console.
AWS Application Migration Service (MGN)
Automated lift-and-shift migrations from physical, virtual, or cloud infrastructure to AWS. Continuous block-level replication minimizes cutover downtime. Ideal for rehosting SAP application servers to EC2 instances without code changes.
SAP Database Migration Option (DMO) with System Move
DMO combines database migration with S/4HANA conversion in a single step. DMOVE2S4 migrates SAP ECC (on any database) to AWS while converting to S/4HANA. Network-based migration using a memory pipe. Accelerate with AWS Direct Connect and high-vCPU EC2 instances. Supports Brownfield and Bluefield transformations.
SAP HANA System Replication (HSR)
Near-zero downtime migrations using asynchronous replication from on-premise to AWS standby system. Continuous synchronization minimizes data loss risk. The final takeover window is typically minutes to hours. Critical for production systems requiring maximum availability.
SAP HANA Classical Migration
Heterogeneous system copy using SAP's standard tools. Export the source database, transfer to AWS (Direct Connect, Snowball, S3), and import into the target HANA. Ideal for Greenfield S/4HANA implementations or migrations from non-HANA databases.
Data Transfer Services
- AWS Direct Connect: Dedicated 1-100 Gbps connection for secure, high-speed data transfer
- AWS Snowball Edge: Petabyte-scale data transfer via physical device
- Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration: Fast, secure transfers over optimized network paths
Migration Approach Comparison
| Approach | Downtime | Complexity | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| HANA HSR | Near-zero | Medium | Production systems |
| DMO DMOVE2S4 | Hours–days | High | ECC to S/4HANA |
| Classical Migration | Days | Medium | Greenfield |
| AWS MGN | Minutes | Low | Lift-and-shift |
MOIT'S AWS MIGRATION SERVICES
End-to-End SAP Migration and Managed Services on AWS
Migration Assessment & Planning
Current SAP landscape discovery, transformation approach recommendation (Greenfield/Brownfield/Bluefield), AWS architecture design (EC2 sizing, VPC, security groups), migration tool selection (HSR, DMO, MGN), network strategy (Direct Connect, VPN), cost estimation, and business case
AWS Infrastructure Setup
AWS account setup and organization, VPC design (subnets, routing, security groups), EC2 instance provisioning using Launch Wizard, storage configuration (EBS, S3), networking (Direct Connect, VPN setup), security configuration (IAM roles, KMS encryption)
SAP Migration Execution
HANA database migration (HSR, backup/restore, classical), application server migration (AWS MGN or manual), DMO DMOVE2S4 execution (for ECC to S/4HANA conversion), data transfer orchestration, validation, and testing (unit, integration, performance)
Integration & Optimization
AWS service integration (S3, CloudWatch, Backup), monitoring setup (Application Insights for SAP HANA), performance tuning, cost optimization (Reserved Instances, Savings Plans), security hardening
Cutover & Go-Live
Detailed cutover plan and rehearsal, final synchronization and takeover, smoke testing and validation, user acceptance testing (UAT), production go-live, hypercare support (4-8 weeks)
SAP Managed Cloud as a Service
Ongoing management and optimization of your SAP workloads on AWS after migration:
- 24/7 Monitoring & Support: Proactive monitoring, incident response, performance management
- Patch Management: SAP patches, AWS infrastructure updates, security fixes
- Backup & DR: Automated backup to S3, disaster recovery management, business continuity
- Cost Optimization: Continuous right-sizing, Reserved Instance recommendations, cost monitoring
- Security Management: AWS IAM, security group management, compliance monitoring
- Performance Tuning: Ongoing optimization, capacity planning, performance analysis
WHY CHOOSE MOIT
The MOIT SAP-AWS Migration Advantage
AWS Professional Services Partnership & Dual Expertise
Collaboration with the AWS Professional Services team delivers validated migration methodologies. Deep SAP migration expertise combined with AWS cloud architecture mastery. Leverage AWS's experience with 5,000+ SAP customers plus MOIT's hands-on implementation skills. Understanding both SAP technical requirements and AWS infrastructure capabilities.
Complete Transformation Portfolio
Support all transformation approaches: Greenfield (clean slate), Brownfield (system conversion), Bluefield (selective transition). Suite on HANA migration, AnyDB to AWS migration, S/4HANA transformation. Complete lifecycle: migration through ongoing SAP Managed Cloud as a Service.
Proven Migration Track Record
30+ SAP landscapes successfully migrated to AWS. Average 69% reduction in infrastructure downtime. Near-zero downtime implementations using HANA System Replication. Zero data integrity failures across all migrations.
AWS Best Practices & Optimization
Follow the AWS Well-Architected Framework for SAP workloads. Leverage AWS Quick Starts and Launch Wizard automation. Implement high-availability across multiple Availability Zones. Security best practices (IAM, encryption, network isolation). Cost optimization from day one (Reserved Instances, right-sizing).
Risk Mitigation & Business Continuity
Comprehensive migration rehearsal before production cutover. Detailed rollback procedures for every phase. Continuous validation and testing throughout migration. Near-zero downtime strategies protect business operations. 24/7 support during the cutover window, post-migration hypercare ensures stability.
Post-Migration Innovation
Beyond migration, we help you leverage AWS services for innovation. Integrate SAP with AWS analytics, machine learning, and serverless capabilities. Continuous cost optimization recommendations. Ongoing AWS infrastructure support through Managed Cloud services.
Common Questions About SAP Migration to AWS
A: Timeline varies by approach. HANA HSR migrations: 4-8 weeks. DMO with System Move: 8-16 weeks. Classical migration: 6-12 weeks. AWS MGN lift-and-shift: 2-6 weeks. S/4HANA transformation adds time: Greenfield 12-18+ months, Brownfield 6-12 months, Bluefield 9-15 months.