SAP ByDesign End of Life: Why It Could Be Time to Switch to MYOB

As of April 20, 2026, SAP Business ByDesign will no longer be sold to new sites. It will only be maintained and supported for existing users. This is a common sign of intent from software vendors that the system will soon approach its end-of-life phase. While no end-of-life announcement has been made by SAP, business leaders using ByDesign should build their exit strategy and look towards modern platforms such as MYOB Acumatica that can support the organisation now and into the future.

Executive Summary:
> SAP ByDesign’s end of life has not been formally announced but is widely anticipated.

> Using old and unsupported ERP systems increases risk and can hold your business back compared to competitors using more modern systems.

> Organisations across Australia and New Zealand are looking to MYOB Acumatica as a new ERP system to manage their business processes.

What SAP’s Business ByDesign End of Life Announcement Actually Means

SAP has not yet announced the Business ByDesign end-of-life date. However, from the 20^th of April, 2026, ByDesign will no longer be sold to new sites, as indicated by its removal from the SAP price list. This is a common sign of businesses entering the decline phase of their lifecycle. SAP has developed other, more modern solutions such as SAP S/4HANA that can take the place of ByDesign, and is encouraging users to migrate to the new platform.

Because a formal end-of-life date for SAP Business ByDesign has not been announced, this means that the system will still be fully supported and maintained in the short-term future. However, SAP’s prioritisation and focus on SAP S/4HANA does telegraph their strategic direction for future software development. SAP Business ByDesign may start to feel out of date or limited compared to the features available in other systems.

The Risks of Staying on SAP Business ByDesign

There are increased software and support risks that come with using an ERP system that is in its decline phase:

• Lacking modern functionality and quality of life features as updates are only focused on compliance and security.
• Support and customisation opportunities may become more expensive due to scarcer availability of skilled consultants as they move to other systems.
• Rising costs, both in terms of the opportunity to switch at a later date, but also the cost of inefficiencies that will build up behind an older system.

Ongoing support for declining systems only maintains the status quo. Everything will continue to function as it is now. This is not the ideal scenario for growth or efficiency improvement and may position your organisation poorly against other organisations who are investing in more modern systems and taking advantage of new technologies and automations.

Your organisation should consider this end-of-life scenario from the perspective of when you will migrate to a new system, not whether or not you will migrate. There is still time to evaluate your options and plan for migration without disrupting your everyday processes. It is also likely that SAP will give plenty of notice before ByDesign becomes end of life. However, you should not leave the migration until the last minute. Now is the perfect time to plan your migration and consider options after SAP Business ByDesign.

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Your Options After SAP ByDesign

Just because you are using an SAP product does not mean that you are obliged to choose another SAP product after ByDesign. There are many powerful ERP platforms available for Australian and New Zealand businesses. Furthermore, regardless of which system you choose, whether it is SAP or otherwise, you will need to undergo a full implementation. There is no easy and straightforward migration between SAP systems.

Our recommendation for ERP migration is MYOB Acumatica. MYOB Acumatica is a modern, cloud-based alternative for businesses using SAP Business ByDesign. It is built specifically for the ANZ market by MYOB, but you can still take advantage of the powerful ERP functionality and usability developed by the original developers, Acumatica.

Why Australian and New Zealand Businesses Are Switching to MYOB

Businesses are switching to MYOB because of its local expertise and support, which is becoming more valuable as systems evolve. MYOB are ANZ specialists, with their entire focus on developing systems to best meet the unique local compliance and functional requirements. MYOB software is not just for small companies. They have a long history of successful ERP systems such as MYOB Acumatica and MYOB Exo Business. MYOB Acumatica is built for larger, more complex organisations in Australia and New Zealand and is currently the #1 most widely chosen cloud ERP system in ANZ (according to iStart Buyers Guide 2025-26).

Built-in payroll is another advantage of locally developed ERP systems, as other developers will not be able to prioritise ANZ tax and compliance information. MYOB Acumatica has a fully integrated payroll module. This not only saves time for your team by eliminating manual data duplication when processing payroll but also adds powerful functionality such as:

• Group-level payroll processing
• Complex employee groups and payment rules
• Live-updated tax and award thresholds
• Employee self-service to manage leave submissions
• Configurable leave approvals and automatic notifications
• Workforce Management for additional rostering, onboarding, timesheets, and reporting.

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How to Plan Your Move Off SAP Business ByDesign

The first step when planning an ERP migration is to audit your current processes. This includes how your business specifically operates, must-have and nice-to-have workflows, your reporting requirements, and any future-state goals for your business. This information will assist in defining your overall system requirements, including any efficiency improvements you can gain from the implementation, and let you better manage the risks that come with change and new software.

Other important steps in your migration journey include:

• Cleaning the data in your existing systems
• Managing the change of systems within your organisation
• Selecting a trusted ERP software partner to manage the migration
• Shortlisting the available options on the market
• Considering case studies from businesses in a similar position to yours
• Budgeting for the new system
• Appointing project champions and internal resources to drive the migration
• Training your team in the new system
• Identifying the right time of year to migrate and go-live

The most common mistake when it comes to end-of-life migrations is waiting until the last minute to move systems. The evaluation and ERP selection process alone can take anywhere from 3 months to 2 years, depending on the complexity of your operations and the available solutions. ERP implementation can take 3-6 months or longer, again depending on the system and your complexity. This means that the time to act is now, so that you can go live in a new system before you fall too far behind with SAP Business ByDesign.

Frequently Asked Questions

Turning the SAP ByDesign Sunset Into an Opportunity

Implementing a new ERP system is an opportunity to review your processes, make optimisations, and improve business efficiency. A trusted software guide can help you through this transition period, mitigating the risk of changing systems and showing you the benefits of new technology and built-in artificial intelligence.

The Kilimanjaro Consulting team is experienced in helping larger, more complex organisations improve efficiency through ERP migration and implementation. If you would like to begin your migration journey from SAP Business ByDesign, or want to plan your next steps, we would love to chat.

You can contact us at any time, email sales@kilimanjaro-consulting.com, or call 1300 857 464 (AU) or 0800 436 774 (NZ).