Don’t risk failing your 2025 SAP Security Audit: Lessons from the front lines

Don’t risk failing your 2025 SAP Security Audit: Lessons from the front lines

“An SAP audit isn’t just about passing—it’s your fastest opportunity to identify risk, clean up access, and strengthen your security posture.”
— Cyril Hauppert, Founder of Access Informer

🚨 Why audit preparation still fails—even for mature SAP teams

SAP audit season is approaching fast, and yet most organizations are underprepared—not because they don’t care, but because they don’t know what to look for. In a recent LinkedIn Live, Access Informer’s Cyril Hauppert and Pumpkin Consulting’s Mark Stanley shared hard-won lessons from decades in SAP security, consulting, and audit prep.

Whether you’re gearing up for an audit or looking to strengthen your controls, this session delivered real, practical guidance.

🔍 The 5 real reasons SAP audit prep breaks down

Mark Stanley, who has led SAP security consulting at Pumpkin for 20+ years, highlighted five consistent issues:

1. You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

Often, risk hides in plain sight—until the auditor points it out. A lack of visibility creates a false sense of control.

2. Audit Standards Evolve—But Internal Teams Don’t

It’s easy to assume last year’s controls will pass again. But frameworks shift, especially with NIS2, GDPR, and SAP’s new FUE licensing model.

3. Your GRC System Isn’t Enough

GRC tools may surface violations—but they rarely help teams prioritize, analyze, or remediate effectively. You need clarity, not just counts.

4. Time and Resource Constraints

Most SAP teams are already overloaded. Pulling data manually or prepping for audits is low priority—until it’s too late.

5. Perception Becomes Reality

Even one unchecked finding—like inactive users with debug access—can damage internal credibility, regardless of your intent or justification.

✅ What successful audit prep looks like

Cyril outlined a proven approach that combines automation with expert-led methodology. The key: don’t rely solely on tools—combine them with insights and processes built by auditors and practitioners.

Their 8-Day SAP Audit Prep Method:

  • Extract all user authorization data via Access Informer snapshots (no ABAP, no impact on production)
  • Run risk analysis on SoD conflicts, excessive access, and outdated roles
  • Prioritize findings using rule criticality, not just count
  • Use dynamic dashboards to simulate, visualize, and test rule changes before implementation
  • Get external validation and action planning via expert consultants

🎯 Key features that make a difference

Mark emphasized how Access Informer helped reduce the burden on teams and consultants alike:

  • Snapshot-Based Risk Review: Look back in time at access states from previous audits or incidents
  • Live SoD Simulation: Test changes to access, roles, or rule sets before implementation
  • Delta Reporting: Show auditors only what’s changed—lowering audit scope and cost
  • Granular Condition Tracking: See exactly which field or object is causing a violation
  • Custom Rule Set Support: Tailored compliance coverage across SOX, GDPR, NIS2, and industry-specific risks

🚫 Why “Tick-the-Box” doesn’t cut It anymore

Too often, companies focus on giving auditors what they ask for instead of solving the underlying issue. Mark shared an example where role owners were asked to validate access—but had no idea what those roles actually did.

“You can get a clean audit and still have a broken process. That’s not good enough anymore.”

💡 Final Takeaway

If you’re preparing for an SAP security audit in 2025, now is the time to act. The earlier you detect and fix issues, the more control you retain—before the auditors walk through the door.

“Treat audits as an opportunity—not a threat. Because done right, they’re your fastest path to security maturity.”

✨ Ready to See Your Risks Before the Auditor Does?

Written by Cyril Hauppert

Helping protect companies by providing unparalleled visibility over user authorizations and the timely identification of incorrect and excessive access to critical IT systems

February 18, 2025

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