Security & Compliance (Authorizations, Backup/DR)

What We Do

• SAP authorization design and role management
• Segregation of Duties (SoD) analysis and remediation
• Security audit and vulnerability assessment
• Backup policy design and verification
• Disaster recovery planning and testing
• Compliance documentation (SOX, GDPR, HIPAA, etc.)
• Audit trail configuration and monitoring
• Security patch management

Why It Matters

Security and compliance are critical for business continuity and regulatory requirements:

• Data Protection: SAP systems contain sensitive business and customer data requiring protection
• Regulatory Compliance: Failure to meet audit requirements results in fines and business restrictions
• Business Continuity: Inadequate backup/DR plans lead to extended outages and data loss
• Fraud Prevention: Proper authorization controls prevent unauthorized transactions
• Audit Costs: Poor documentation increases audit effort and external auditor fees
• Reputation Risk: Security breaches damage customer trust and brand value

How We Do It

Authorization Management

Step 1: Current State Analysis

• Review existing roles and authorization assignments
• Identify users with excessive privileges
• Document authorization concept and naming conventions
• Analyze custom authorization objects

Step 2: Segregation of Duties (SoD)

• Define SoD rules based on business requirements and regulations
• Scan user assignments for SoD conflicts
• Prioritize violations by risk level
• Recommend role redesign or mitigating controls
• Implement ongoing SoD monitoring

Step 3: Role Optimization

• Design role hierarchy (single, composite, derived roles)
• Create role templates for common job functions
• Document authorization concept and approval workflow
• Establish periodic access review process

Security Audit

• Run SAP Security Notes check for missing patches
• Review system parameters for security settings
• Analyze user master records for dormant accounts
• Check password policies and authentication settings
• Review RFC destinations and trusting relationships
• Assess network security and firewall rules
• Verify encryption for data in transit and at rest
• Authorization audits and parameter reviews
• Database optimization and kernel updates
• Preventive maintenance activities as recommended by SAP

Backup & Recovery

Backup Policy Design

• Define RPO (Recovery Point Objective) and RTO (Recovery Time Objective) targets
• Design backup schedule (full, incremental, differential)
• Specify retention periods for different backup types
• Document backup storage locations and media rotation
• Establish backup verification procedures

Backup Verification

• Monitor backup job completion and success rate
• Verify backup file integrity and completeness
• Test restore procedures in non-production
• Document restore time to validate RTO targets
• Maintain backup catalog and recovery documentation

Disaster Recovery Planning

DR Strategy

• Define disaster scenarios (site failure, data corruption, ransomware)
• Design DR topology (hot standby, warm standby, cold standby)
• Specify RPO/RTO targets by system criticality
• Document failover and failback procedures
• Identify dependencies and recovery sequence

DR Testing

• Conduct annual DR drill to validate procedures
• Measure actual recovery time against RTO targets
• Identify gaps and improvement opportunities
• Update DR runbook based on test results
• Train team members on DR procedures

RPO/RTO Target Examples

System Criticality	RPO Target	RTO Target	Backup Strategy
Critical (Production)	≤ 15 minutes	≤ 4 hours	Continuous replication + daily backup
Important (QAS)	≤ 24 hours	≤ 8 hours	Daily incremental + weekly full backup
Standard (DEV)	≤ 7 days	≤ 24 hours	Weekly full backup

Note: Actual targets defined based on business requirements and acceptable data loss/downtime.

Compliance Documentation

We prepare audit-ready documentation for common regulatory frameworks:

Deliverables

• Security Assessment Report: Findings from vulnerability scan and configuration review
• SoD Analysis: Conflict matrix, violation reports, and remediation recommendations
• Authorization Concept: Role design, naming conventions, and approval workflow
• Backup Policy: Schedule, retention, verification procedures, RPO/RTO targets
• DR Runbook: Step-by-step recovery procedures for disaster scenarios
• DR Test Report: Results from annual drill with measured RTO and improvement actions
• Compliance Documentation: Audit-ready evidence package for specific regulations
• Audit Trail Configuration: Security audit log settings and monitoring procedures
• Remediation Roadmap: Prioritized action plan for security and compliance gaps

Annual DR Exercise

We conduct comprehensive disaster recovery drills to validate preparedness:

Exercise Scope

• Simulate realistic disaster scenario (site failure, data corruption)
• Execute recovery procedures from DR runbook
• Measure time to restore each system component
• Validate data integrity and application functionality
• Test communication and escalation procedures
• Document lessons learned and improvement actions

Exercise Report

• Scenario description and objectives
• Timeline of recovery activities
• Actual vs. target RPO/RTO comparison
• Issues encountered and resolutions
• Gaps identified in procedures or infrastructure
• Recommendations for improvement
• Updated DR runbook with corrections

Privacy & Security Principles

Our approach to SAP system access and data handling:

• Least Privilege: We request only the minimum access required for specific tasks
• Logging: All administrative actions are logged and available for audit
• Confidentiality: Client data is protected under NDA and not shared externally
• Data Minimization: We do not extract production data unless specifically required and approved
• Secure Communication: All remote access uses encrypted channels (VPN, SSH, HTTPS)
• Background Checks: Team members undergo background verification