If you have not already started your migration towards S/4HANA, then you will no doubt be starting it very soon. But there is much more to this migration than meets the eye.
Transitioning to a new security model at the same time is not just a 'golden' opportunity, but it’s a critical demand. Only then can your organisation take full advantage of new ways of working, and of the flexibility and agility that S/4HANA can provide. And of course, at the same time, you can give yourself the confidence that your data, systems, and applications are as safe as they can be.
So why should you make the effort to prioritise security in your S/4HANA migration plans?
The importance of access roles and security stretches far beyond roles and users, and the S/4 system requires a rethink in how they are defined and applied. The existing roles you have in your ECC system are not immediately compatible with the Fiori interface within S/4HANA.
This is because you must make all your transactions visible to Fiori - they are not there by default - and some transactions have now been deprecated. Even if you want to use the old transactions, you either must push them to the GUI (never a fun job!) or take the time to make them visible in Fiori. Either way, it is an unnecessary job that can be dispensed with by reprovisioning suitable access roles and security for the new system.
Moving into a Fiori-based landscape means that you will have access to a single app that will show you what you need to do, instead of you having to work it out for yourself. Fiori can present you with the various scenarios of what you can do and give you the ability to take quick and decisive actions.
Additionally, the process flow has also been improved in Fiori compared to ECC. For example, no longer will you have to create, change, and display sales orders in turn: instead, all three activities can be controlled within the Fiori app simultaneously under ‘manage sales order’. This represents a real step-change in how users interact with the system, and it is well worth investing the time and resources into unlocking these benefits fully.
Connected to the previous point, your migration represents a major investment in the technological future of your organisation - so it is vital that you make sure you get your money’s worth. Fiori should be front and centre of your new SAP system, so that you are changing the bodywork of the car as well as the engine underneath it, making sure your users get a platform that both looks and performs better.
Alongside this, it is essential that you make sure your controls are fit for purpose, so that they're right sized for user needs, and act as enablers rather than blockers. That way, you avoid generating unnecessary frustration among employees that can easily come with a brownfield migration that overlooks the new processes available.
In an era where many security issues and incidents are still the result of human behaviours, it is not realistic to expect human risk levels to be reduced to zero. However, they can still be minimised to a great degree with the help of automation, especially if you have embraced the new processes within S/4HANA.
We are finding that many businesses doing brownfield migrations end up creating more security incidents, because employees start to get frustrated with burdensome access controls and look for workarounds that can lead to vulnerabilities being introduced. Implementing security roles and authorisations correctly can help you strike the right balance between protection and productivity, and enables access to be properly managed for efficiency, and monitored for compliance.
With a proper, security-focused migration to S/4HANA, you will end up with an environment that is fully functional, finely tuned and that leverages all the benefits of the new interface and processes. Furthermore, you will have an environment that users feel more positive about using and feel empowered to do so correctly and efficiently. The fact that this migration will also massively ramp up your security protection is the icing on the cake.