News
Field service advice needs more than a slide deck
Why our team trained on IFS Advanced Forms with OmniByte before recommending it.
Switch to IFS
Life after SAP ECC6 or JD Edwards
Mainstream maintenance for SAP ECC6 ends on 31 December 2027. JD Edwards stops at release 9.2. Both vendors have a default route ready for you. Neither route is an upgrade; both are re-implementations. That makes this the right moment to compare, not to follow.
IFS is a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud ERP for Product-Centric Enterprises
The clock is real. The path is a choice.
In our conversations with manufacturers and utilities across the Benelux, the same calculation keeps coming back. Extended maintenance buys SAP ECC6 customers time until 2030, at a premium of roughly two percentage points on the support fee, without any new functionality. JD Edwards customers keep support on 9.2, but Oracle’s product investment now flows to Fusion Cloud. In both cases the vendor’s default answer is a re-implementation on their platform, on their timeline.
Our observation: once the migration is a re-implementation anyway, the incumbent loses its main advantage. A midmarket ERP transition takes 12 to 24 months from decision to go-live. Companies that start the comparison in 2026 choose their platform. Companies that wait get one chosen for them.
What the dates say
- SAP ECC6 (EhP6-8): mainstream maintenance ends 31 December 2027
- Extended maintenance runs to end 2030, at extra cost
- JD Edwards 9.2 is the last major release; the support date is a rolling promise, reviewed yearly
Two routes out, one deliberate choice
You do not have to decide everything at once. These are the routes we see working at asset-intensive companies between 50 and 750 million euro in revenue.
IFS next to SAP: move operations first, decide finance later
Not ready to replace the ERP core? You can move asset management, field service or MRO to IFS Cloud while SAP keeps running finance. Operations get modern tooling now; the ECC6 decision gets room to be made properly instead of under deadline pressure.
- IFS Cloud EAM, FSM or MRO next to SAP finance
- Standard API integration, not a project on top of the project
- First scope live in months, not years
Why this route works for doubters
- No big-bang risk on the finance core
- Proof of value before the platform decision
- Every step already counts if you replace ECC6 later
Replace ECC6 with IFS Cloud
If you are re-implementing anyway, compare the destination on its merits: one platform for ERP, asset management and service, built for manufacturers and utilities, with Industrial AI embedded and your people in control of every decision that matters.
Pharmaceutical company Karo Pharma replaced its legacy systems with IFS and had phase one live in seven months, on the way to uniting 60+ global sites and 23 legal entities on a single ERP.
- One operational record for ERP, EAM and service
- Phased delivery with the IFS Success framework
- Evergreen updates instead of a next big migration
What replaces the ECC6 stack
- Finance, supply chain and manufacturing in IFS Cloud
- Customizations rebuilt as configuration where possible
- Twice-yearly releases keep you current, no re-platforming
JD Edwards: supported, but standing still
Oracle supports JD Edwards 9.2 through at least 2036, and reviews that date year by year. What the support contract does not buy is a future: 9.2 is the final major release, and Oracle’s innovation budget goes to Fusion Cloud. The realistic long-term options are Fusion, NetSuite or a platform you choose yourself.
For asset-intensive operations, that comparison deserves more than the path of least resistance. IFS Cloud is built around assets, projects and service, which is exactly where JD Edwards shops in manufacturing and energy tend to live.
What to weigh before following Oracle
- A move to Fusion or NetSuite is a full re-implementation too
- The JDE talent pool shrinks every year
- Asset and service depth differs sharply between platforms
From assessment to the years after go-live
A takeout migration starts with facts, not licenses: which processes ECC6 or JD Edwards actually runs, which customizations carry real value, and what coexistence versus replacement costs over five years. From there we deliver in phases, with your people making the calls that matter at every step.
After go-live we stay. Eqeep runs IFS application management for SPIE; that same team takes over your environment on day one.
What the assessment gives you
- Process and customization inventory of your current ERP
- Five-year cost comparison: stay, coexist or replace
- A phased plan with a first go-live inside a year
A destination validated by analysts and your peers
IFS was named a Leader in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud ERP for Product-Centric Enterprises, recognized for both ability to execute and completeness of vision.
The people already running it agree: IFS was the only vendor placed in the Customers’ Choice quadrant of the 2025 Gartner Peer Insights Voice of the Customer for Cloud ERP, with a 4.6 out of 5 rating and 89% of reviewers willing to recommend.
Why that matters for a takeout decision
- Independent confirmation, not vendor promises
- Rated by product-centric companies like yours
- Based on 106 verified reviews over 18 months
Download
The CFO guide to legacy ERP modernization
How finance leaders build the business case for leaving a legacy ERP: cost of standing still, migration economics and the questions to ask any vendor, including us.
Relevant posts
A.I.
AI and predictive maintenance: no hype, but real value for asset management
AI and predictive maintenance are often mentioned in the same breath. But what does it actually mean in practice? Is…
A.I.
Our insights from IFS Connect Benelux 2026
Where does Industrial AI in IFS Cloud stand today, and where is it heading over the next 18 months? That…
Trusted by Industry Leaders
Questions before leaving SAP ECC6 or JD Edwards
The decision is bigger than a support date. These are the questions we hear most from COOs, CFOs and CIOs weighing their route.
No. Mainstream maintenance ends on 31 December 2027, and paid extended maintenance runs to end 2030. But a midmarket ERP transition takes 12 to 24 months, so the decision has to land well before the deadline does.
Yes. Asset management, field service or MRO can move to IFS Cloud while SAP keeps running finance. Integration is standard API work, and many companies use this route to prove value before the platform decision.
Support is not the same as a future. Release 9.2 is the last major version, Oracle reviews the support date year by year, and new capability flows to Fusion Cloud. Moving is a choice; the question is whether you make it or Oracle’s roadmap makes it for you.
Karo Pharma had phase one of its legacy replacement live in seven months with the IFS Success framework. A coexistence scope typically lands even faster. Full midmarket replacements run 12 to 24 months, delivered in phases rather than one big bang.
Eqeep does, if you want us to. We run IFS application management for SPIE, and the same support organisation takes over new environments from day one, with your people staying in control of every change.
Discuss your route with Eqeep
Tell us which system you run today, how customized it is and what the operation cannot afford to lose. We will show you what coexistence and replacement each look like for your situation, in euros and in months.
You will hear from someone who has done this migration before, knows your industry and keeps your people in control from the first workshop on.