From ERP to Future Growth
We spoke with Ross McGuire, Transformation Leader, about leading large-scale SAP cloud transformation programmes and the lessons learned along the way.
Moving critical ERP environments to the cloud is about far more than technology. Success depends just as much on leadership, planning and the ability to build trust across the organisation. Over the past three years, Ross has led two major SAP cloud transformation programmes focused on modernising infrastructure, improving scalability and creating a stable foundation for future growth.
Creating a future-ready environment
Can you tell us about the scope and ambition of the transformation programmes?
I’ve led two significant SAP cloud transformation programmes in recent years. The first involved migrating an entire SAP landscape from an on-premise datacentre in the US to AWS in Europe, while also building a mirrored environment for an acquired company. The goal was to improve availability, performance and data sovereignty, while creating a common code base that could scale over time.
The second programme focused on migrating several interconnected and business-critical SAP environments to both Microsoft Azure and SAP RISE on AWS. The objective there was to support the exit of a legacy datacentre and position the systems for future growth and wider integration within the larger company group.
The cloud quickly proved its value
What were the main drivers behind moving to a cloud-based ERP environment?
The drivers were fairly typical for large transformation programmes. We wanted to take advantage of the flexibility and scalability of public cloud services, improve availability and performance, and build the infrastructure according to modern best practices.
Security, disaster recovery and minimising downtime were all major priorities throughout the programmes.
When did you realise the transformation was actually working?
After solving some significant challenges in the QA and development migrations, we completed a production migration without incidents, within the planned cutover window and with no major post-go-live issues. That was a key moment because it proved that the plans and delivery approach were robust.
Another example that really demonstrated the value of the cloud environment was when we needed additional storage performance to process a large volume of data. We upgraded from standard SSDs to premium SSDs in less than five minutes. The discussions around the change actually took longer than implementing it.
That kind of flexibility would have been extremely difficult in a traditional datacentre environment.
Building trust was key
What helped create momentum during the transformation?
One of the biggest success factors was delivering smaller and less complex migrations successfully at the beginning of the programme. That helped us establish credibility with business stakeholders before moving on to the larger and more visible systems.
The ability to execute changes quickly and without business interruption created a lot of confidence in the programme.
What kind of feedback did you receive from the business once the systems went live?
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. There was an expectation that there would be disruptions or issues during the migrations, but we managed to avoid them entirely.
We delivered on our commitments, often ahead of schedule, and demonstrated that the team had the right level of technical and project discipline to execute successfully. Keeping business users close throughout the programme was a major factor in that success.
Get the foundations right
What lessons did you learn during the transformation journey?
One of the most important lessons was to invest time upfront in foundational areas such as networking, firewall rules and core infrastructure components. Getting those elements right early on prevents a lot of issues later in the programme.
Another important lesson was that moving to the cloud does not remove the need for internal expertise. Organisations still need strong technical understanding and skilled people who know how to operate and manage the environment effectively.
Was anything harder – or easier – than expected?
The migration to SAP RISE was more demanding than expected. Even though it’s often positioned as a managed solution, organisations still need significant internal expertise and guidance throughout the process.
What turned out easier than expected was stakeholder alignment. Once credibility had been established, the business became very supportive and collaborative.
Leadership matters
How did you keep teams motivated throughout long transformation programmes?
It’s important to stay involved, show interest in the details and recognise the people doing the hard work behind the scenes. These programmes involve a huge amount of complex and often invisible work, so making sure teams feel recognised and valued is essential.
What leadership mindset do ERP transformations require?
You need to be pragmatic and positive. No single person can know everything. What matters is knowing who to trust, who to involve and how to bring the right people together to solve problems.
You also need strong relationships with vendors and partners, even during periods of major change. Transformation impacts both organisations and individuals, so leadership needs to balance delivery with empathy and collaboration.
Success means being ready for the future
How do you define a successful ERP transformation today?
A successful transformation is one that is clearly scoped, delivers on its objectives and creates an environment that is secure, scalable and fit for the future.
The platform should support modern technologies and integrations while giving the organisation the flexibility to grow, adapt and respond faster to change.
What advice would you give to organisations starting a similar journey?
Invest heavily in upfront planning and bring in experienced people early, even if there’s a cost attached to it. The right expertise can help guide the entire organisation through the transformation.
At the same time, continue investing in your internal teams and capabilities. Moving to the cloud does not eliminate the need for strong technical ownership — if anything, it makes it even more important.
About Ross McGuire
Ross McGuire is an ERP Transformation Leader with more than 25 years of experience helping global organisations navigate complex business and technology transformations.
Throughout his career, Ross has held senior leadership positions within organisations such as Radisson Hotel Group, DXC Technology, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Procter & Gamble. His experience spans large-scale ERP programmes, SAP cloud transformations, service management and business-critical technology operations.
In recent years, Ross has led major SAP transformation initiatives involving cloud migration, infrastructure modernisation and organisational change, helping organisations build scalable and future-ready ERP environments.
Ross is part of Great IT's extended network of senior transformation experts, supporting clients with ERP strategy, programme leadership and complex transformation initiatives.
How can Great IT help you in an ERP transformation?
ERP transformations are rarely just technology projects. They impact business processes, people, data, governance and long-term operating models.
At Great IT, we help organisations throughout the entire ERP journey, from strategy and business case development to implementation, data migration, change management and long-term optimisation.
Our approach combines specialists from IT Management & Strategy, Data & Analytics and Professional Services with a carefully selected network of senior ERP and transformation experts. This allows us to assemble the right team for each client's specific business challenges, industry requirements and technology landscape.
Whether you are evaluating a new ERP platform, modernising an existing environment, migrating to the cloud or preparing for a large-scale business transformation, we help bridge the gap between business objectives and successful execution.
Because successful ERP transformations are not built by individual experts. They are delivered by the right team.
