Identity risks during SAP migration

Continuing from my last post on breaking silo's in the SAP cybersecurity , IAM, GRC and resilience space, here is a part 1 on a sneak peek on the specific examples in the Identity & Access Management space : 🔐 Why Identity & Access Management (IAM) in SAP Isn’t Just a Technical Task—It’s the Bedrock of Digital Trust : In my journey leading security and compliance across SAP S/4HANA landscapes, one thing has become clear: 👉 Most technology and compliance risks in SAP start with IAM. Whether it's a segregation of duties (SoD) violation triggering a SOX audit concern, or an over-provisioned role exposing critical finance functions to cyber threats—weak IAM controls are often the root cause. 💥 Two examples I’ve seen in practice: 1️⃣ A leaver’s SAP account remained active for 90+ days—assigned with elevated access to finance master data. This became a red flag during SOX testing, requiring remediation and auditor escalations. ✅ Solution: Automating JML (Joiner-Mover-Leaver) processes and tying HR triggers directly to SAP IAM through workflows or identity governance tools like alleviate most of the joiners and leavers controls, however as we all know, Movers is a tricky one :-) 2️⃣ A user was granted both vendor creation and payment approval access during a project cutover—creating a SoD risk. This wasn’t flagged in real time, and the GRC team caught it only during quarterly reviews. ✅ Solution: Implement real-time SoD simulations during role assignment and integrate access provisioning with embedded GRC rulesets. 📊 Studies show that over 75% of SAP audit findings trace back to IAM-related gaps—ghost accounts, excessive privileges, missing ownership. But here's the flip side ➡️ Strong IAM uplifts everything. Better IAM = more accurate control testing = stronger GRC posture Better IAM = least-privilege by design = reduced attack surface Better IAM = faster recovery and response = enhanced resilience IAM is not just about "who has access." It’s about enabling secure operations, ensuring regulatory confidence, and supporting business continuity at scale. ✅ In SAP ecosystems, especially during S/4HANA transformation or cloud adoption, prioritising IAM can deliver compounding benefits across cybersecurity, compliance, and digital resilience. Would love to hear how others are elevating IAM in their ERP environments. What’s working—and what’s still a challenge? A bit about me...continued : Year is 2009 and I start to dabble in the world of ICFR, GRC rule sets, helping clients understand the nuances of access control and aligning that to operational processes. After spending two fabulous years in Philips back then in Bangalore and learning a lot from a 50 member strong team of SAP Basis, Security and ABAP experts from companies like Capgemini, ATOS, CIBER, Accenture, Satyam ( Yes it existed ) I made some life long friends. rest in next! #SAPSecurity #IAM #GRC #CyberResilience #SOXCompliance #SAP #CybersecurityLeadership #DigitalTrust

🔊SAP has announced that SAP Identity Management (SAP IDM) will reach its end of life in 2027, with extended maintenance available until 2030. This means businesses currently using SAP IDM need to start planning their transition to a new identity management solution to avoid potential risks such as security vulnerabilities, compliance issues, operational disruptions, and lack of technical support. 👉Here's the rundown on SAP Identity Management (IDM) reaching its end-of-life (EOL): ➡️What's Ending: Support for SAP IDM, the on-premises solution for managing user identities, will cease. 🔚When is EOL: Maintenance ends in January 2028. An extended support option is available until 2030, but this comes at an additional cost. ➡️Why Transition: Continuing with unsupported software poses security risks, compliance issues, and operational challenges. 👉Planning Your Move: 🔴Don't wait: Three years (or even six with extended maintenance) is a tight window for migrating a complex IAM system. 🔴Start strategizing now: Consider your current needs, desired features in a new solution, and internal resource allocation. ➡️Potential Paths Forward: 🟢SAP Cloud Identity Services: SAP's focus has shifted to cloud-based IAM solutions. This might be a natural migration path for some users. 🟢Alternative IAM Vendors: Explore the IAM vendor landscape to find a solution that aligns with your specific requirements. 👉SAP Cloud Identity Services are the center point of SAP’s IAM strategy, relying on widely established industry standards such as Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), OpenID Connect (OIDC), X.509 certificates and System for Cross-Domain Identity Management (SCIM). Their focus is to simplify system integration and help ensure security and compliance while providing a seamless user experience. 🔴SAP Note: 3268799 - Maintenance for SAP Identity Management 8.0 ⬇️By understanding the timeline and potential consequences, you can make an informed decision about transitioning from SAP IDM and ensure a smooth continuation of your identity management practices. Wouter van Heddeghem #sap #security #sapidm #singlesignOn #sapgurus #erpgurus #sapconsultants #sapcommunity

Post# 104/365: 🔐 The GRC Dilemma for Organizations Moving to S/4HANA Public Cloud 🔐 A common situation many organizations face today: You're already using SAP GRC Access Control 12.0, with: ✅ Tailored workflows aligned to your business process ✅ A mature and well-optimized rule set ✅ Deep integration across ECC or S/4HANA on-premise ✅ Seamless user provisioning, SoD risk analysis, firefighter access management Now, you're moving to S/4HANA Public Cloud, and the big question arises: > Can we continue using our existing GRC AC setup? Or do we need to migrate to SAP IAG (Identity Access Governance)? Let’s break down the challenge: --- ⚙️ GRC AC 12.0 (On-Prem) Offers high flexibility for custom rule sets, workflows, and mitigations Ideal for on-premise or hybrid environments Already tightly integrated with your existing backend Significant investment already made in customization and fine-tuning BUT… ☁️ S/4HANA Public Cloud comes with its own standards: It is a SaaS-based solution with limited customization SAP doesn’t support direct integration of GRC AC with S/4HANA Public Cloud SAP recommends using SAP IAG, a cloud-native GRC solution, built specifically for such cloud landscapes --- 🆚 So, what is IAG? SAP Identity Access Governance (IAG) provides: Access Request Service (ARS) Access Analysis Service (AAS) Privileged Access Management (PAM) Access Certification 🚨 However, it currently lacks the deep customization flexibility of GRC AC 🚨 Rebuilding complex workflows or migrating custom rules to IAG can be a time-consuming and costly effort --- 💡 Some organizations are adopting a hybrid approach: Using GRC AC + SAP IAG Bridge to extend risk analysis while keeping their existing framework. But remember, this adds complexity and may only be a temporary solution. --- 🤔 What’s the best approach for you? Stick with GRC AC and manage integration challenges? Transition to IAG and align with SAP’s cloud-first roadmap? Or adopt a hybrid model as an interim solution? Each path has implications for your compliance, scalability, and investment. Let’s discuss👇 Have you faced this situation in your organization? What path did you choose? --- Join our hands-on trainings to gain clarity and real-time project expertise: 🔹 SAP GRC Access Control 12.0 Training - https://lnkd.in/dR5uFFw8 🔹 S/4HANA & Fiori Security Training - https://lnkd.in/d9mtAXme --- #SAPSecurity #SAPGRC #SAPIAG #S4HANA #S4HANACloud #CloudSecurity #AccessControl #GRCAC #SAPTraining #SAPFioriSecurity #RiskManagement #IdentityGovernance