Helping SAP users overcome security and compliance challenges

With the continued rise of cloud computing, and an increasing number of mobile workers, it is a growing challenge for organisations to gain a complete picture of where their data is located, and how it is being accessed. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has given organisations until 25^thMay 2018 to solve these challenges. A failure to keep data secure and compliant will see organisations face severe financial penalties, to the tune of up to €20 million or 4% of annual turnover, so the issue of GDPR cannot be ignored.

Despite this deadline, the implications of how GDPR will affect SAP users is still unclear for many. Our recent member survey revealed that a significant number (86%) of users don’t fully understand the implications of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in relation to either their current SAP landscape, or their future use of SAP.

In terms of compliance, more than half (51%) of users said they had greater concerns around the compliance of their SAP landscape than they did 12 months ago, with users stating that the emergence and growing use of cloud computing (53%) and workforce mobility (57%) had increased their compliance challenges. When it came to security, just under half (49%) of users said they had greater concerns around the security of their SAP landscape than they did 12 months ago. When it came to both cloud computing and workforce mobility, 55% of users said their respective growth had increased SAP security challenges.

In order to help SAP users navigate these challenges the User Group, in conjunction with ISACA, is hosting its ‘Securing Your Systems in the Digital World’ event. Keynote speakers include Richard Hunt from SAP security consulting firm Turnkey, and Gerald West from public service manager Serco, who will be presenting a session on the increasing cyber threat to SAP and what users can do about it. As well as the keynotes, there will be nine breakout sessions focusing on everything from securing the cloud with cloud service provider Virtustream to how to set up access rights in SAP HANA, SAP S/4 HANA and SAP Fiori environments from software developer CSI tools. There will even be a live hacking from SAP security firm Virtual Forge that will demonstrate how hackers can misuse vulnerabilities to hijack an SAP system.

You can register for the ‘Securing Your Systems in the Digital World’ session here.