VIVERE picks Rimini Street to back SAP ECC systems

VIVERE Group has selected Rimini Street to support its SAP ECC system, giving the Indonesian manufacturer an alternative to an immediate move to SAP S/4HANA.

Its SAP ECC 6 environment on IBM Db2 underpins operations across project work, manufacturing and distribution. Those systems support a business that serves customers including Coca-Cola, Deloitte, Unilever and Allianz, making continuity central to its technology planning.

VIVERE made the move as support for older SAP ECC systems nears its end and customers weigh whether to migrate to newer SAP software or keep existing platforms running longer. Before choosing third-party support, it reviewed its options with advice from Gartner and discussions with industry peers.

A central factor was the desire to avoid a costly, lengthy migration programme while shifting IT spending to other priorities. VIVERE said the arrangement with Rimini Street delivered immediate cost savings and gave its internal technology team more time for process improvement and broader digital work.

PT Gema Graham Sarana, the listed core company of VIVERE Group, was founded in 1984 and has traded on the Indonesia Stock Exchange since 2002. The wider group operates in interior contracting, furniture manufacturing and furnishing, and relies on enterprise software to manage workflows across those businesses.

Many SAP customers have been reassessing long-term plans for ECC systems as support deadlines approach. That has created an opening for third-party maintenance providers, which argue that businesses can preserve stable legacy environments while taking a more gradual approach to modernisation.

For manufacturers and distributors, the decision often comes down to risk as much as cost. A large-scale ERP migration can affect order handling, procurement, inventory and factory processes, and companies with established systems may prefer to delay major changes if current software remains tightly tied to daily operations.

VIVERE cast its decision in those terms, saying reliability and business continuity mattered more than following a vendor-led timetable. It also indicated that it wants to improve existing processes and strengthen integration across the business rather than divert resources to a full ERP replacement.

"Our core philosophy is to keep people, quality and business continuity at the center of our technology decisions," said Sutrisno Yao, Head of IT at VIVERE Group. "Technology should be a practical enabler that supports reliable operations, improves processes and strengthens the business without creating unnecessary disruption."

The shift to third-party support is also intended to ease pressure on VIVERE's internal IT staff. Instead of focusing on maintenance demands around the SAP estate, the team is expected to spend more time improving process consistency and advancing other internal transformation work.

Yao said the immediate aim was to protect critical operations while freeing staff for broader priorities. "Rimini Street gives us confidence that our SAP environment is well supported, while giving our internal team more room to focus on improvements that help the business move forward," Yao said.

Support choices

The case highlights a broader debate in enterprise software over who controls the timing and cost of system change. Large software suppliers have pushed customers toward newer platforms, but some users are resisting forced migrations when existing systems still meet operational needs.

That tension has grown sharper as businesses seek savings in core IT budgets while still funding digital projects in data, automation and process redesign. In that setting, support contracts for older software can become a strategic lever rather than a back-office purchasing decision.

Rimini Street, which provides support for software from SAP, Oracle and VMware, has built part of its business on that argument. It said VIVERE's decision reflects a growing preference among customers to direct money and staff toward change programmes outside mandatory ERP upgrades.

VIVERE said its technology team is now focused on strengthening integration and improving consistency across the business as the company continues to modernise. That suggests the group is not stepping back from transformation, but instead seeking to control its sequence and cost.

"Our initial goal was clear: protect business continuity, strengthen SAP support and free up our internal team to focus on higher-value priorities," said Yao. "Rimini Street helps my team spend less time firefighting SAP and more time supporting process improvements and higher-value business needs."