SAP access control beyond SoD: what practitioners need to know

TL;DR: KuppingerCole’s 2026 Leadership Compass expands SAP access control evaluation beyond traditional segregation of duties to include threat detection, system hardening, privileged access management, and audit support, reflecting a broader governance model for SAP and non-SAP environments. That shift matters because SAP security is no longer just about role design; it is about continuous control across access, privilege, and assurance.

NHIMG editorial — based on content published by Pathlock: its 2026 Leadership Compass recognition for SAP Access Control and Security

Questions worth separating out

Q: How should teams govern SAP access beyond segregation of duties?

A: Treat SoD as one control, not the control.

Q: Why is privileged access management important in SAP environments?

A: Privileged access in SAP can change configuration, controls, and high-value business data, so misuse has immediate operational impact.

Q: How can organisations reduce risk in SAP and non-SAP access governance?

A: Use a shared identity governance model that covers both application families.

Practitioner guidance

• Map SAP controls to the full access lifecycle Tie provisioning, role changes, emergency access, and offboarding into one governance process so SAP entitlements do not drift outside review cycles.
• Separate SoD analysis from runtime risk control Use Segregation of Duties checks for policy conflicts, but add monitoring for privileged transactions, hardening exceptions, and suspicious admin activity.
• Unify SAP and non-SAP identity evidence Build a single audit trail that links identity, role, transaction, and privilege events across SAP and adjacent business applications.

What's in the full analysis

Pathlock's full article covers the operational detail this post intentionally leaves for the source:

• The vendor framing behind its Overall Leader position in the KuppingerCole Leadership Compass
• The specific product capabilities referenced in SAP access control, threat detection, hardening, and PAM
• The analyst commentary on interoperability, ecosystem support, and AI-driven assurance
• The business summary of Pathlock's coverage across SAP and non-SAP environments

👉 Read Pathlock's analysis of SAP access control and security leadership →

SAP access control beyond SoD: what practitioners need to know?

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