Businessman hand using laptop keyboard with glowing blue padlock hologram showing SAP security

Mind the Gap: How Organizations Can Protect Their Valuable SAP Systems

Technology is no longer built into businesses’ operational frameworks. It is the operational framework. This reliance on digitalization has created an influx of vulnerabilities, which is why it comes as no surprise that by 2021, corporate cyberattacks have increased 50% year-over-year.

Although awareness of cybersecurity best practices has increased throughout the corporate ladder, a recent poll from Logpoint discovered a third of respondents believe they are ‘throwing money at nothing’ when it comes to their cybersecurity protection. In order to be adequately protected from potential cyber intruders, companies need to be aligned on what they need to protect and who is responsible.

For many organizations, any form of application security is assumed to fall under the cybersecurity team’s jurisdiction. But with 92% of Forbes Global 200 companies leveraging business critical applications such as SAP, these ownership assumptions can be detrimental.

The great cybersecurity and finance divide

SAP solutions – from financial planning products to human resources portals – are one of the most widely utilized business critical applications and typically managed by the finance department. This includes SAP security. In fact, the same survey from Logpoint, found that only one third of respondents include business-critical systems, like SAP, in cybersecurity monitoring. And one third of those who do include SAP in security monitoring do not review SAP logs for potential cyber threats.

Meanwhile, cybersecurity departments’ priorities extend far beyond SAP security. They leverage advanced solutions like event monitoring and automation products to gather and analyze millions of events each day from a wide variety of devices. But with security teams unable to access SAP logs, the door is wide open for attackers to infiltrate business operations at the click of a button.

Protecting an organization’s bottom line

With the departments divided, neither group is getting a holistic view of the organization’s cybersecurity health, and without the full context provided by cybersecurity teams’ advanced IT infrastructure, SAP security is lost in the sea of endless data.

Alternatively, by not integrating SAP security into the broader security monitoring infrastructure, a company’s most foundational technologies are left vulnerable to cyberattacks. But the risks involved are too vast to ignore, with the average cost of a data breach reaching $4.24 million in 2021. When a business’ bottom line is at stake, cybersecurity is a collective responsibility.

Bridging the gap

Breaking down these siloes requires a modern approach to SAP security, one that relies on shared responsibility and strong communication for system and network security. The convergence of monitoring and automation solutions, as well as interdepartmental communication, will allow cybersecurity teams to gain a holistic perspective of their organization’s security status. SAP security data can be gathered and analyzed with surrounding IT infrastructure already managed by the cybersecurity department, increasing incident response time.

But the technology only works if the people operating the systems work to educate themselves and collaborate on both sides. Finance leaders must understand how SAP technologies fit into the organization’s overall infrastructure, while cybersecurity teams must take the time to familiarize themselves with the inner workings of SAP security.

The data is only as strong as the communication. C-suite executives need to emphasize the importance of communication and training for every employee within a company to protect both their own and their company’s data from cyber attackers. By building and nurturing a culture of cybersecurity at every level, IT security becomes second nature for all.

Security by design

It’s no longer an option to ignore critical vulnerabilities in business operations, nor is the cybersecurity team the sole proprietor of the corporation’s data safety. By bridging the gap between finance and cybersecurity departments through education and communication, organizations will be better prepared to face the inevitable cyber threats.