SAP is everywhere. Of the 100 largest companies in the world, all of them, bar one, use SAP. What’s more, $9 of every $10 spent in an organization will pass through SAP systems at some point. That’s why the efficiency and performance of SAP systems is so critical to business operations across every department, in every industry, all around the world.
Within SAP, how the system is used, and who by, depends on roles and authorizations. When properly managed, they ensure every employee has the access they need to perform their role effectively – no more, no less. Think of it as having a well-organized classroom where every student knows their place and responsibilities, rather than the chaos of an unsupervised playground where risks can emerge unnoticed.
This blog will guide you through the fundamentals of SAP Roles and Authorizations. You'll learn what they are, why they’re so crucial, and how navigate common challenges – ultimately turning your SAP system into a strategic advantage rather than just a business necessity.
Understanding SAP Roles and Authorizations
The best place to start is with an understanding of what roles and authorizations are and the differences between them.
Roles
Roles are high-level access groups that determine what users can and can’t do. Roles make sure that users can access certain data or execute sets of tasks. They're important to maintaining the integrity, security, and confidentiality of data in the system.
Authorizations
Authorizations are the technical mechanisms that allow specific processes to take place within those roles. They’re the locks on the doors that define what users can do with the access their roles grant them. For example, for a sales document, different authorizations can be put in place around creating, changing, displaying or deleting documents, which will vary depending on team or individual requirements.
How do they work in practice?
Take, for example, the accounts payable team within a finance department where clerks do the day-to-day processing and managers take care of the checks and balances afterwards. In this case, clerks' SAP roles should allow them to access the accounts data and authorize them to process it, while a manager’s roles should allow them to oversee that work by viewing the reports generated, but not necessarily give them authorization to edit or change them.
In a nutshell, roles are train tickets that get the user through the barrier and onto the right train car, while authorizations are the seat reservations and first-class upgrades that determine the level of what users can do when they’re on the train.
Why it’s important to get SAP Roles and Authorizations right
There are multiple issues can that arise when SAP Roles and Authorizations aren’t properly defined, such as:
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Over- or under-provisioning: All too often, roles aren’t configured and understood properly, leading to users getting far more access than they need, i.e. over-provisioning. This can lead to some users being able to complete processes end-to-end without the proper controls and supervision in place. At the other end of the scale, if roles are too restrictive, i.e. under-provisioning, then users will become frustrated when they can’t do their jobs effectively.
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Scope creep: When users’ requirements or job descriptions change – for example, the accounts payable clerk being promoted to manager – then their role and authorization profiles should change to reflect it. These often get overlooked and users are left with residual roles and authorizations that they don’t need, leading to unnecessary access and potential vulnerabilities.
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Provisioning delays: If roles and authorizations aren’t organized, it can take a long time to deliver the right access to new hires, which impacts on their productivity in the meantime. This problem is exacerbated in organizations with high levels of staff turnover and churn.
The consequences of these issues can be severe: Increased security risk, excessive SAP licensing costs, operational inefficiency, and the risk of malicious system changes. All of these can seriously disrupt the smooth, efficient operations of any organization.
But the opportunities that correctly designed roles and authorizations present are just as sizeable. Reviewing and restructuring them can drive cost-optimization through reduced license fees, increase organizational efficiency through streamlined processes, and improve risk posture through appropriate access provisioning.
Summary: Transforming roles and authorizations management for better business
At Turnkey, we see finely tuned SAP Roles and Authorizations as growth, productivity, and safety accelerators.
Organizations that rationalize their approach to roles and authorizations will find that their daily operations become more efficient, with unauthorized actions vastly reduced and data integrity maintained. There are financial benefits, too. We’ve helped clients achieve savings of up to 75% through reduced license fees by reviewing their landscape and optimizing their roles and authorizations in line with SAP’s new FUE licensing model.
Turnkey can help you from start to finish on your SAP Roles and Authorizations journey, from assessing your current position to implementing and remediating roles and authorizations. Get in touch with us today to find out more.
