GROW vs RISE with SAP: Which Solution Best Fits Your Business Needs?

Alexander Kunevich, SAP FICO consultant, S/4HANA migration PM at ACBaltica

GROW with SAP and RISE with SAP are the two offerings that feature SAP's cutting-edge ERP system, S/4HANA. No wonder many people mix them up and don't understand which one to choose (if they even need any – or maybe a standalone implementation of a cloud ERP is enough). In this blog post, we cover both solutions to help you make the right choice.

In today's fast-changing business environment, agility is one of the main conditions not only to compete – but to survive. That's why, for most businesses (especially those operating in different countries), switching to cloud solutions is no longer a question – it's a need. SAP offers two primary cloud-based ERP options – SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud and SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud. Both are based on the cutting-edge database SAP HANA; however, they target different challenges and provide slightly different benefits.

S/4HANA Public Cloud is a ready-to-use SaaS ERP with standardized best practices, automatic updates, and a lower total cost of ownership. It's ideal for businesses looking for a fast and cost-effective cloud ERP without the need for heavy customization.

S/4HANA Private Cloud, on the other hand, is focused on flexibility, customization, and extension of out-of-the-box capabilities. It's a great choice for those companies that need greater control, integration with legacy systems, and industry-specific customizations.

Seeking to help companies implement any of those two solutions, SAP created two special packages with the different versions of cloud S/4HANA in the core and a set of additional products and services for faster, easier, and perfectly tailored implementation. Both packages, GROW with SAP (with S/4HANA Public Cloud in the core) and RISE with SAP (featuring S/4HANA Private Cloud), provide access to the powerful SAP ecosystem, but they serve different business needs and cater to companies at different stages of their growth and with distinct transformation goals. Read on to know more and determine which solution would best fit your business.

What is GROW with SAP?

GROW with SAP addresses small and medium businesses and makes an enterprise-grade ERP system like S/4HANA available to them. Historically, such companies simply couldn't afford advanced ERP solutions due to high costs, complexity, and long deployment times – and had to stick with simpler and cheaper ERPs if not trying to survive without any ERP at all. Recognizing this challenge, SAP designed GROW with SAP to make advanced ERP capabilities accessible, affordable, and scalable for growing businesses.

What’s Included in GROW with SAP?

Despite many people still thinking GROW with SAP is just another name for SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud, it's not entirely true. GROW with SAP is a complete package that helps businesses implement ERP quickly and efficiently. It includes:

• SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Public Edition – A preconfigured ERP system covering finance, procurement, supply chain, sales, and more, ensuring smooth and standardized business processes.
• SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) – A unique environment to enable integration, automation, and real-time analytics and help businesses make data-driven decisions and streamline operations.
• Activation services – A structured approach with proven tools, templates, and SAP partner support, ensuring fast and smooth implementation.
• Embedded AI and automation – Intelligent insights, AI-driven forecasting, and automated workflows to reduce manual tasks and improve efficiency.
• Best-practice industry workflows – Pre-built industry-specific configurations to help businesses follow market-proven operational strategies right from the start.

Key benefits of GROW with SAP

1. Simplicity and speed
   With preconfigured best practices, GROW with SAP allows businesses to go live in 3-6 months. For a better understanding, just remember that traditional ERP deployments might take years – and with GROW, you can benefit from a world-class ERP system many times faster, with minimal disruption.
2. Scalability and flexibility
   As your business grows, the system grows with you, literally. Whether you're expanding to new markets, adding products, or increasing production, GROW with SAP supports seamless scaling without complex reconfigurations – all thanks to cloud deployment.
3. Cost-effectiveness
   Unlike traditional SAP implementations that require huge upfront costs, GROW with SAP operates on a predictable subscription model: you pay for what you use and can easily scale up or down. Transparent and predictable costs are a disputable benefit for any business!
4. Continuous innovation
   Because it's cloud-based, the system automatically updates, giving businesses access to the newest technologies, compliance updates, and security enhancements without costly upgrades. You are confident that you're always using the latest available version!

What is RISE with SAP?

RISE with SAP is another package for implementing SAP's cutting-edge ERP solution, S/4HANA. Unlike GROW, which offers a public cloud version, RISE deals mainly with S/4HANA Private Cloud (Public Cloud is also available, though, but it's rather an exception to the rule and has some limitations).

Anyway, it's not the cloud version that makes the biggest difference between the two solutions. Instead, it's their goals and the challenges they target. While GROW with SAP is an affordable offer of the advanced ERP solution for small and medium businesses, RISE with SAP is a comprehensive Business Transformation as a Service (BTaaS) package that simplifies and accelerates the process of digital transformation and moving into the cloud. Unlike a standard SAP S/4HANA implementation or conversion, which often involves managing multiple contracts, vendors, and infrastructure decisions, RISE with SAP provides an all-in-one package with everything businesses need to transition to a modern ERP system under a single contract.

And while GROW with SAP (which is suited for companies ready to embrace industry best practices and not looking for customization), RISE with SAP implies customization of the ERP system to make it fully tailored for the business's unique needs.

What’s included in RISE with SAP?

Unlike a standalone S/4HANA implementation, RISE with SAP is a full-package solution that includes:

• SAP S/4HANA Cloud (Public or Private Edition) – A robust, scalable ERP system with real-time data processing, AI-driven insights, and industry best practices.
• SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) – A unified environment for integrating applications, automating processes, and leveraging advanced analytics.
• SAP Business Process Intelligence (BPI) – Tools to analyze, optimize, and automate business processes for greater efficiency.
• Industry Best Practices – a huge help to optimize business processes, avoid customizations (in those cases where customizations are useless and you can easily use simpler processes), reduce costs, comply with local regulations, and more. Basically, those best practices are the guidelines for implementing business processes, which have proved to be the most effective while also being compliant with local legislation.
• SAP Business Network Starter Pack – Seamless supplier and partner collaboration through connected digital ecosystems.
• Embedded tools and services (i.e., Custom Code Migration App, Readiness Check, and technical migration tools) – all to facilitate migration to the cloud. t technologies.

Key benefits of RISE with SAP

1. Fast and predictable transition to the cloud
   Moving to the cloud doesn't have to be complicated. RISE with SAP enables a seamless migration with minimal disruption, ensuring a smooth transition at a predictable cost. No surprises, just a clear and structured path to cloud success.
2. Streamlined business processes
   Managing procurement, supply chain, customer relationships, and production planning has never been easier. With RISE with SAP, you get modular tools that adapt to your needs and help you easily manage the most important business areas (like procurement, supply chain, customer relationships, production, planning, and more).
3. Future-ready capabilities
   With pre-built best practices, you can optimize your operations and embrace new tools (like a subscription for your services, usage-based services, and more). And there's even more: with regular updates, you will always stay on the curve!
4. Data-driven decision making
   You can make smarter, faster decisions with real-time insights, AI-powered analytics, and in-app simulations. Instead of relying on guesswork, you can instantly turn insights into action—improving efficiency and driving better business outcomes.
5. Intelligent automation
   With robotic process automation (RPA), AI-driven predictions, and machine learning capabilities, you can automate repetitive tasks and free up your team's time for high-value work.
6. Enhanced collaboration and productivity
   Bring teams together with role-based system views and built-in collaboration tools.

Key differences between GROW with SAP and RISE with SAP

When choosing between GROW with SAP and RISE with SAP, it's essential to understand their key differences to determine which aligns best with your specific needs..

Target audience

GROW with SAP: Tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially those without any SAP solutions or ERP systems. It's ideal for businesses seeking a streamlined, rapid deployment of cloud ERP without extensive customization.

RISE with SAP is designed for larger enterprises or existing SAP customers aiming for a comprehensive digital transformation and moving into the cloud. It suits organizations with complex processes requiring significant customization and flexibility.

Scope of implementation

GROW with SAP: Emphasizes speed and predictability. With preconfigured best practices, you can go live in as little as four weeks, facilitating quick adoption.

RISE with SAP: Offers a tailored-to-fit cloud ERP that adapts to an organization's unique transformation. It provides tools and resources to support the transition, accommodating both Greenfield (new implementation from scratch) and Brownfield (conversion from SAP ECC) implementations.

Features and support

GROW with SAP: Standardized solution with essential ERP functionalities, focusing on simplicity and rapid deployment. Best choice for companies looking to adopt industry best practices without extensive modifications.

RISE with SAP: Includes Business Process Intelligence (BPI) tools to analyze and optimize business processes, offering greater flexibility for customization. It also provides access to the SAP Business Network Starter Pack, enhancing collaboration with partners and suppliers.

Pricing and affordability

GROW with SAP: Offers a straightforward subscription model accessible for SMEs with measured budgets.

RISE with SAP: A comprehensive software, infrastructure, and services package under a single subscription fee. While potentially representing a larger investment, it delivers a holistic solution for enterprises seeking an extensive digital transformation.

In summary, GROW with SAP is ideal for SMEs desiring a rapid, cost-effective ERP implementation with standard features, whereas RISE with SAP caters to larger organizations needing a customizable, all-encompassing solution for their digital transformation journey.

For more details, check our checklist.

Download a copy of a checklist here.

Making the right choice

If you are a growing SME looking for a cost-effective, fast-to-deploy ERP system, GROW with SAP is your best bet. But if your business requires deep customization, full cloud flexibility, and enterprise-grade process optimization, RISE with SAP will provide you with all the tools and support you need for a comprehensive digital transformation.