Identity & Access Management (IAM) ensures that only the right employees can access selected data and resources at the right time. This is more important than ever, as digitalization and cloud adoption continue to grow, and organizations face increasing challenges.
SAP organizations must move their Identity & Access Management processes to the cloud in order to centrally manage the lifecycle of identities, including authentication and access rights. Manually creating user accounts and managing passwords is becoming increasingly complex, as more SAP SaaS applications and SAP BTP services are integrated. An effective IAM strategy helps automate these processes while ensuring the security of corporate data.
Identity & Access Management (IAM) consists of two main areas: Identity Management and Access Management. The core goal of IAM is to ensure employees can only access the corporate resources they truly need to perform their work. This involves managing identities, users, and their permissions – including authentication and Single Sign-On (SSO). Especially in times of remote and hybrid work, secure access to applications and data from anywhere is essential.
Access to resources is managed through different authorization levels. For example, a team member in accounting may have access to financial data but not to HR information. This ensures that unauthorized individuals cannot access sensitive information. This is especially important for SAP organizations running a SAP cloud-first strategy with SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) and SaaS solutions.
IAM uses a variety of functions to effectively control and manage the lifecycle of user accounts and their access rights.
Key functions include:
Identity Management governs the entire lifecycle of identities within a company and is therefore also known as Identity Lifecycle Management. In this process, users are classified into roles that grant them specific rights. This role-based access control (RBAC) ensures that each team member receives exactly the permissions required for their respective position.
Secure access is ensured through the authentication of authorized individuals. The term “authentication” refers to the process of verifying that someone truly is who they claim to be. This is typically achieved through multi-factor or two-factor authentication.
If an employee’s position changes – such as through a promotion or department transfer – Identity Management automatically adjusts their access rights accordingly. This ensures that team members always have access to the appropriate resources. Likewise, when employees leave the company, identity management plays a crucial role by promptly revoking the user’s access rights.
In an SAP landscape, SAP Identity Management (IDM) provides a solution for automating identity and access management processes. For example, email accounts for new employees can be automatically created, and the correct permissions can be provisioned in advance so that they have access to all necessary areas on their first working day.
For hybrid system landscapes, the Identity Provisioning Service (IPS) – a component of SAP Cloud Identity Services – can be used to provision cloud systems via SAP IDM (or alternative solutions).
For cloud environments, SAP offers the Identity Provisioning Service (IPS) as a specialized extension of IDM that automates the entire identity lifecycle in the cloud
Key tasks include:
The second component of IAM is Access Management, which focuses on authorization. While authentication verifies identity, authorization grants the confirmed user the appropriate access rights.
Like Identity Management, Access Management prevents unauthorized actions and protects against data misuse. Its primary focus is enforcing compliance policies.
Within this scope, Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) processes are highly relevant. They help organizations steer processes, manage risks, and ensure regulatory compliance.
SAP Access Control manages access rights, automatically detecting risks and embedding compliance checks into business processes. For cloud environments, SAP Cloud Identity Access Governance (IAG) provides advanced compliance and risk management for cloud-based systems.
Identity Management: Manages the lifecycle of identities, assigns roles, and ensures authentication.
Access Management: Focuses on authorization, enforcing compliance policies, and managing access to applications.
GRC (Governance, Risk, Compliance): Framework of rules, processes, and controls ensuring organizations meet regulatory requirements and mitigate risks.
These three areas of IAM are supported by a broad SAP product suite, including SAP Cloud IAG, Identity Services, SAP GRC, SAP SSO, SAP IDM 8.0, and SAP Secure Login Service.
Identity & Access Management offers many benefits – especially in SAP environments. More than a “nice-to-have,” IAM is a must-have for SAP security and effective GRC implementation.
While IAM is not directly mandated by law, it is implicitly required by international standards such as ISO 27001, GDPR, and regulations for critical infrastructure. IAM ensures that organizations meet data protection, compliance, and risk management obligations.
Xiting offers consulting and effective solutions for identity and access management. Our approach is built on three pillars:
– Identity management: Improved user experience with SAP IDM 8.0 and Xiting Fiori UIs, lifecycle automation with Xiting Central Workflows (XCW), and integration of HCM, LDAP, and Service Desk tools.
– Single sign-on: Centralized authentication with Kerberos, X.509 certificates, and SAML integrated into SAP landscapes.
– BTP security: Consulting for SAP Cloud Identity Services, secure admin access, and role concepts for SAP BTP.
With our consulting services, we help organizations automate the Identity Lifecycle, ensure compliance with role concepts, and seamlessly implement SSO.
SAP provides a comprehensive suite of IAM solutions, including:
Identity Lifecycle Management controls the full lifecycle of a user identity - from account creation, to managing and adjusting access rights, to deactivation and potential re-provisioning. It ensures that users always have the right level of access, while accounts are securely removed or restored as business needs change.
