Could the end of SAP’s Identity Management (IdM) on-premise solution after 2027 mark a new beginning for Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) in your business? We think so. As we’ve explored, the journey away from SAP IdM presents a unique opportunity to revolutionise your organisation's approach to IGA.
At Turnkey, we recommend adopting a more comprehensive enterprise IGA solution; one that can encompass access and identity management for all applications your organisation uses.
But this is only part of the story: a successful transition will involve people just as much as technology. In fact, the adoption of an enterprise IGA platform streamlines many technical and process-related concerns, making concentrating on the people element a key factor in successful implementation.
In with article, we explore some of the challenges of migrating to an enterprise IGA solution, with a focus on practical strategies for fostering collaboration between SAP and Identity teams to the benefit of your entire organisation.
Why move to an enterprise IGA solution?
The task of managing identity and access across both SAP and non-SAP applications has grown increasingly complex and expansive. To effectively handle this challenge, organisations need to consolidate their approach by implementing a single, comprehensive solution that can oversee and control access across all applications. Only then can you get a view of all the assets that every identity has access to across the entire IT estate and enable right-sized management and provisioning that doesn’t overburden the staff involved.
Key challenges of enterprise IGA solution adoption
While the move to an enterprise IGA solution will be well worth it in the long run, there are plenty of hurdles to navigate along the way. With deep capability and experience in both SAP and IGA, Turnkey is helping organisations navigate the intersection of these technologies. And we’re hearing and addressing many of the same questions you probably have right now. In particular: “What’s the best migration path to take?” And “How can we bring SAP and Identity teams together?”
The good news is that many of the most common issues tend to be organisational rather than technological and can be resolved by clarifying and considering the roles and priorities of the key teams and stakeholders involved.
Start your transition by understanding the viewpoints of the Identity and SAP Security teams:
Identity teams are thinking:
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“SAP is a ‘black box’ separate to everything else.”
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“We don’t understand the ins and outs of SAP and governing its environments.”
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“SAP Security teams don’t generally engage with us, so how can we build mutual processes and goals?”
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“We want to integrate with SAP Security teams to increase identity budget and spending capabilities.”
SAP Security teams are thinking:
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“Identity teams don’t appreciate how complex SAP can be, especially around compliance.”
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“SAP warrants ‘special treatment’ because it’s highly sensitive and under the scrutiny of external auditors.”
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“Enterprise IGA tools aren’t comprehensive enough to deal with SAP identity and access requirements.”
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“Where will our responsibilities lie? Who will take accountability for sensitive data?”
How can you bring SAP and Identity teams together?
Perhaps more than anything else, the key to satisfying the demands and priorities of both teams is communication, especially as they are unlikely to have collaborated much, if at all, in the past. Ensuring both teams understand each other is essential for building mutual trust in the new integrated approach and solution.
Consider the ‘black box’ perception held by many Identity teams. These stakeholders may think that the insights and data within SAP are so critical that they shouldn’t be ‘messed around’ with. Yet it is essential to integrate SAP into broader solutions to fully utilise and protect these insights and data.
On the other hand, SAP Security teams need to recognise that under the new solution, Identity teams won’t take more access or control than necessary, nor will they disrupt existing systems. In fact, the opposite is true: an enterprise IGA solution will provide SAP Security teams with additional tools to enhance their efficiency, reduce the burden of tedious and repetitive provisioning tasks, and allow them to focus on more critical work.
The way forward
The transformation towards a more collaborative approach to SAP and identity is like assembling a high-performance racing team: every member brings specialised skills, but success depends on seamless collaboration. Bringing the two teams together under an overarching enterprise IGA solution means deploying the right expertise in the right areas, with a common goal of right-sizing identity and access throughout the organisation. This will ultimately make the unified operation an enabler of stronger business outcomes, with better resilience and preparedness for the long term.
We can help you with strategy, road mapping, vendor selection, implementation and ongoing management, backed up by consultancy services that ensure your organisation is getting the most out of enterprise IGA.
Get more in-depth expertise on preparing for your IGA migration by registering for our upcoming webinar here.
