One of prerequisites of Modernization is clarity. For many enterprises, this lack of clarity introduce a layer of complexity hard to overcome and that quickly turns into a barrier to innovation and their evolution. 

Findings from recent CIO.com article underline what customers are experiencing: 

  • 95% of SAP customers say making an ROI case for S/4HANA is difficult or takes significant effort 
  • 90% report concerns about unpredictable subscription pricing. 
  • Almost 50% say they do not expect to be running S/4HANA in the cloud five years from now. 

What are these insights telling us of how organizations view modernization, value, and operational control? 

Digital Modernization has not just lost momentum, but also its meaning.

Over the past decade, modernization efforts often turned to system replacements. Vendors changed their prompt, encouraging customers to concentrate on migration first and transformation later. The result is the former programmes consume time, budget, stamina leaving little-to-no space for the latter to deliver measurable value. 

True modernization is not defined by a system boundary. It does not rely on a forced migration timeline. It does not require businesses to rebuild operational knowledge that took decades to shape. 

In our approach and in how we work with global enterprises, we frame modernisation within every company specific context and define modernization as continuous evolution. We use our technology expertise beyond our own product suit to connect data, processes, and application portfolio and improve decision making and increase odds of success. 

With us, Modernization is about realizing its benefits, rather than succumbing to the friction it creates in the process. 

From migration fatigue to transformation freedom. 

Every enterprise has a distinct operational reality, custom processes, fragmented data architecture and deep dependencies that no upgrade path can erase. Asking to abandon these foundations in pursuit of a clean slate is unrealistic and unnecessary. IFS takes a different approach. 

We begin by understanding what works today. Then we strengthen it. We map the operational landscape, identify gaps, and layer intelligence and automation in the places where they create the most value.  We reinforce the structure and prepare it for the future. 

  • Data centricity and convergence  
    Modernization should start with data. Automated data extraction, cleansing, and transformation build a unified foundation that feeds analytics, AI, and operational decisions. 
  • Composable architecture 
    IFS Cloud brings ERP, EAM, and Service Management together in a unified and modular architecture. You adopt what you need and that delivers value now. You expand at your own pace, evolving without disruption. 
  • AI that drives measurable outcomes 
    Embedded industrial AI transforms operational data into intelligence that predicts, recommends, and orchestrates. This is not AI that sits beside a workflow. It is AI that understands the real mechanics of day-to-day operations. 

A modernization approach that reflects how enterprises operate. 

A further insight from CIO.com highlights that nearly 80% of SAP customers expect to use a modular ERP approach that includes multiple vendors. This is the direction modern business is moving toward, and it is the world IFS is built for. 

Organizations no longer want a choice between one large upgrade or doing nothing. They want flexibility, options; they want to put their strategy before the system(s) they choose. 

We are extremely proud to provide companies with optionality, especially when choices include  SAP in any of its shape or form, i.e., stabilizing SAP core and enhancing its capabilities in area such as asset management, service operations, planning, and asset, or, transitioning away from SAP to a lean, fit-for-purpose industry specific ERP.  

Whatever the choice, IFS provides a structured, data-first approach that reduces migration risks and accelerates ROI. 

Woman working on Digital Modernization

Modernization by design. 

Modernization should not feel like a mandate. It should increase agility, resilience, and control. Modernization is about creating a digital backbone that connects operations, assets, and people with intelligence at the core. 

IFS gives organizations a platform that allows them to orchestrate performance rather than simply manage it. That is modernization by design. 

We explored this in depth during our recent webinar titled Accelerating Your SAP Migration: De risking Transformation, Unlocking Value. The session is available on demand and offers practical insight into how companies are approaching modernization in a measured and value driven way. 

Watch the session!