Compliance with regulatory standards and safeguarding sensitive data are essential to modern business operations. This is especially true for organizations using SAP as their enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. As a result of numerous users accessing critical information, regular reviews of user authorizations are necessary. The article illustrates the importance of Authorization reviews with important facts and figures, and points out the undeniable need for them.
Here are few facts that you must know:
In a survey conducted by a leading audit firm, 74% of organizations reported that unauthorized access to systems and data was their top cybersecurity concern.
Verizon reported that 81% of data breaches were caused by weak or stolen passwords, emphasizing the importance of managing user access effectively.
According to a survey conducted by a leading audit firm, organizations with well-defined user access controls experienced a 50% reduction in internal fraud.
In May 2018, the GDPR was implemented, imposing strict data protection requirements. In the event of non-compliance, companies can face fines of up to 4% of their global annual revenue or €20 million, whichever is greater.
Why are User Authorization Reviews (UAR) beneficial for organizations?
Controlling Security Risks: Authorization reviews reduce the risk of unauthorized access to transaction codes, and critical business data. It also reduces the potential fraudulent activities or data breaches. Organizations can strengthen their security posture by performing periodic reviews. Experts recommend to review the authorizations atleast once in 3 months.
Maintaining regulatory compliance: Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance are crucial elements of business operations. By aligning user access authorization reviews to these enable organizations to demonstrate compliance.
Optimizing Operational Efficiency: Organizations can streamline their access management processes by conducting user authorization reviews. Eliminating unnecessary access privileges can ensure that user roles align with business needs and decreases the unnecessary issues/support cases.
Where to start?
When embarking on a Review process for your enterprise, it is crucial to lay a solid foundation to ensure a smooth and effective process. Experts suggest to start with defining a comprehensive policy and initiate the review process. Few questions that you may need to ask are:
Which systems should be considered for the review process?
Users in scope?
Who will do the review? Is it the Managers or the Access Control owners?
Who owns it?
What is the frequency of the activity?
What are the end report requirements?
Where to keep the review results?
As mentioned, establishing clear access policies that align with user roles, responsibilities, and business requirements is crucial. Before initiating the review, ensure that your authorization structure is rightly aligned. It is recommended to have a structure either on tasks or job profiles.
Harness Automation Tools
Adopt to access management tools and automation to streamline the user authorization review process. These tools generate access reports, track user activity, and makes the review process more efficient.
Further, they maintain thorough documentation of user authorization review activities, including results, remediation actions, and approvals in a central location. This documentation serves as vital evidence during audits and ensures regulatory compliance.
One solution that addresses User Authorization Review (UAR) requirements is SAP GRC Access Control User Access Review. However, it’s important to note that UAR cannot be implemented as a standalone module. If your enterprise already uses SAP GRC, UAR can be configured within the existing system without incurring any additional license costs.
For organizations that have not implemented SAP GRC, an alternative option is ToggleNow’s User Authorization Review solution. This lightweight solution can be swiftly implemented and automates the entire UAR process. It offers a streamlined approach to conducting reviews, ensuring compliance, and enhancing security without the need for a full-fledged SAP GRC implementation. By leveraging ToggleNow’s solution, organizations can efficiently manage user authorizations and reap the benefits of a robust UAR process.
To know more about ToggleNow’s User Authorization Review and a product walk through, book your slot using this Link. Incase if your role design needs a rework, check our FourEdge service/solution offering.
Conclusion:
Regularly reviewing user authorizations in SAP is not just a suggestion; it is an absolute necessity for businesses. The benefits of mitigating security risks, ensuring regulatory compliance, and optimizing operational efficiency cannot be emphasized enough. The factual evidence and statistical data presented in this article illustrate the concrete consequences that organizations face when neglecting user authorization-related incidents. By adhering to industry best practices like establishing access policies, conducting frequent reviews, implementing segregation of duties (SoD) controls, utilizing role-based access control (RBAC), and leveraging automation, businesses can protect their sensitive data, meet regulatory requirements, and stay competitive in today’s fast-paced business landscape.