Motivations for SAP upgrades range from cost, compliance, and revenue growth to financial performance, among others. However, nearly all these drivers face hidden barriers. In discussions with customers about data quality and archiving, two recurring themes often emerge and are highly relevant to SAP S/4HANA transformations:

• Misaligned data retention and destruction practices
• Limited exposure to enterprise-wide information governance principles within the business

Defining your Ground Zero, where your foundation is solid and where it needs reinforcement, begins with one simple, strategic question:

“How do we handle data retention and destruction?”

The answer to this question reveals more than just policy gaps; it shows how much control you have over cost, timeline, agility, and ultimately, transformation success.

Information Governance is Ground Zero, before Phase Zero even starts.

It’s where you start:

• Controlling project scope and cost.
• Reducing long-term IT operating costs.
• Enabling agility to shift with markets and tech.
• Creating a foundation for trustworthy, transparent data.

From Patchwork to Purpose

My first encounter with SAP archiving was 25 years ago. Imagine this: 18 months into a multi-plant rollout, it stalls at “Live” sites due to data volume issues in revenue-critical processes. We fixed it with archiving, but it was a patchwork solution.

Even today, archiving is still often viewed as a technical cleanup, disconnected from broader governance and transformation strategies. That perspective limits its value. The great news in the Ground Zero perspective is that you have a clean slate to innovate governance that can scale with your company’s ever-evolving requirements.

A future post will cover the essentials of Phase Zero. For now, let’s stay focused on the bigger picture.

Why ILG?  Why Now?

Information Lifecycle Governance (ILG) is the management of data from creation to destruction.  Wrapped around that lifecycle are the Three P’s:

• Policy – Is it modern, enforceable, and relevant?
• People – What is the RACI for ILG?
• Processes – Are they scalable, cost-effective, and structured to service your business?

Many organizations still depend on data retention policies designed for paper records or legacy systems.  That’s like trying to increase revenue with a CRM that holds both current and obsolete contacts and preferences—it slows down progress, obscures insights, and risks eroding trust.  Why would out-of-date policies still meet today’s goals for growth, compliance, or customer experience?

A VP and a CFO from two separate companies recently discussed similar objectives for their ILG efforts.

• Accountability for governance
• Ownership roles that drive clarity
• Best practices that minimize silos and promote transparency
• Reducing data footprints ahead of upgrades or cloud migrations

Sound familiar?

Before You Plan Your SAP S/4HANA Transformation

What could your transformation look like with early visibility into quiet barriers—and a clear path to address them before Phase Zero begins?

Positioning Information Lifecycle Governance (ILG) as Ground Zero sets a foundation for buildable value. It identifies the same decisions, innovations, and ownership models that your S/4 transformation will rely on.

By addressing these barriers early, Phase Zero gains meaningful traction, with a clean core strategy, stronger accountability, and alignment across the business.

Let’s start the conversation…

That’s how transformation builds lasting momentum. And that’s where we bring focus, structure, and value. If you’re ready to explore where your ILG stands today, we’re here to help. Learn more about Vortex Consulting’s SAP Data Volume and Archiving services, or contact us to get started today!