SAP on-premise contracts usually include an audit clause and term. These clauses require organizations to measure their SAP consumption on an annual basis to generate revenue and protect IP. The SAP audit process is standard and common among most major software publishers. However, there are some exceptions to this practice. In some cases, random spot checks may occur. If you are concerned about your SAP license usage, you should contact the SAP Global License Auditing Service directly. The service will provide you with the documentation you need to get started.
As part of the SAP audit process, you will be required to complete the following tasks. You must conduct an adequate system landscape analysis. This analysis will identify which systems are relevant and which are not. You must make sure that the systems do not include java-based, portal, no-longer-used or test systems. The audit will also include technical verification of USMM log files, including the client and price list. It also covers the types of users and components that have been installed.
If you are not sure of the validity of the data requested by the SAP auditor, you should consider deferring the audit or cleaning it up first. If you have any doubts, do not comply with any data request until you know the SAP audit’s completion date. Be sure to qualify and clarify every communication you have with the SAP team. Taking these steps can help you avoid costly mistakes later. So, do not be afraid to hire a third-party SAP audit service.
Log analysis of SAP security and audit logs can be done through ABAP code. You should retrieve logs from all application server instances. Then, you need to count the events that occur. To avoid creating a false alarm, you must also make sure that your SAP security log contains no false positives. Alternatively, you can use a tool such as Enterprise Threat Monitor, which has a log volume analyzer. But be careful when analyzing logs: it can affect your system’s performance.
The penalties for noncompliance are significant and can force you to buy new licenses. SAP uses noncompliance as a leverage to sell new products and migrations. Fortunately, the company offers a range of solutions to remedy its noncompliance, including a Digital Access Adoption Program and Analytics Cloud. If you must purchase SAP solutions, do some price benchmarking first to make sure you’re getting the best deal. That way, you can ensure that you’re maximizing your ROI.
As part of an SAP audit, you should also consider user management. Users have different authorizations, which can be managed by creating user profiles. Users can be assigned roles or profiles based on their roles. Roles and profiles are useful for keeping segregation of duties. However, they can be tricky to manage in large organizations. Therefore, the SAP Security team will manage these roles and profiles in conjunction with other processes, such as GRC. The SAP Security team will also take care of the auditing.
