SAP systems have long been the backbone of enterprise operations. As organizations migrate to SAP S/4HANA and adopt hybrid-cloud architectures, these platforms are becoming the central engine of the intelligent enterprise—integrating finance, supply chain, manufacturing, and HR across increasingly complex environments.
The stakes of a security breach have never been higher. Every integration multiplies the attack surface, from third-party applications to cloud-based analytics. Traditional perimeter defenses leave critical gaps, while siloed compliance practices create blind spots across business-critical systems.
Security for SAP environments now requires a layered approach rooted in Zero Trust, supported by Unified Risk Management (URM) and strengthened by modern security tools. This model addresses both technical vulnerabilities and organizational risks as SAP landscapes evolve into interconnected digital cores.
Security-Driven Networking Extends Zero Trust
Traditionally, enterprises relied on perimeter-based security to protect SAP systems. Firewalls, VPNs, and basic access controls were sufficient when SAP landscapes were on-premises and isolated. Today, that model no longer addresses insider threats, compromised privileged accounts, lateral movement, or the expanded attack surface introduced by hybrid and cloud integrations.
Zero Trust principles—where every user, device, and session is continuously verified—help close these gaps. Security-driven networking extends Zero Trust across SAP environments by providing visibility, segmentation, and real-time policy enforcement across on-premises and cloud components.
Cybersecurity teams often rely on integrated networking and security solutions to operationalize this approach. FortiGate Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs) enforce segmentation, inspect sessions, and protect SAP application servers, databases, and Fiori interfaces, reducing lateral movement and enforcing least-privilege access. FortiManager complements this with centralized policy orchestration and network oversight, enabling consistent enforcement across SAP systems.
Fortinet further extends Zero Trust with FortiWeb Cloud to protect SAP Fiori and web interfaces from OWASP-classified attacks, and FortiCASB to provide visibility into connected SaaS services. Together, these solutions establish a secure networking foundation for modern SAP environments.
Application-Level GRC with URM
Network security alone is not enough. Organizations must also govern what happens inside SAP applications.
Application-level risk spans user permissions, transactional activity, configuration changes, and data access. Left unmanaged, these risks can lead to privilege misuse, Segregation-of-Duties (SoD) conflicts, and unauthorized access to sensitive data.
When governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) processes operate in silos, organizations face inconsistent policies and blind spots across SAP and non-SAP systems. URM addresses this by integrating GRC activities across enterprise applications and centralizing oversight.
Pathlock Application Access Governance consolidates user access and role management across enterprise systems, enforcing consistent SoD policies and reducing privilege creep. Pathlock Cybersecurity Application Controls extend this with continuous monitoring of configuration changes, code, and data interactions, while Pathlock SAP Access Risk Analysis provides real-time visibility into access conflicts and sensitive permissions.
Operationalizing URM gives cybersecurity teams a holistic perspective on application-level threats, turning fragmented data into actionable insight and proactive, enterprise-wide risk management.
SAP-Native Add-On for Full-Stack Protection
As organizations modernize SAP landscapes, fragmented security stacks struggle to keep pace with hybrid environments spanning S/4HANA, cloud, and legacy systems. Disconnected tools can slow response times and obscure high-risk areas.
Layer Seven’s Cybersecurity Extension for SAP consolidates application-level protections into a single SAP-certified add-on. Installed directly on SAP ECC, S/4HANA, BW, or GRC systems, it provides rapid visibility into vulnerabilities without requiring additional infrastructure.
Continuous monitoring of user activity, configuration changes, and custom code execution allows teams to detect anomalies early, streamline compliance reporting, and prioritize remediation through intelligent risk scoring. For organizations modernizing SAP landscapes, Layer Seven transforms application security from a reactive task into a strategic enabler that complements Zero Trust and URM practices.
What This Means for ERP Insiders
Security-driven networking makes Zero Trust practical at scale. Continuous validation of users, devices, and sessions helps prevent insider threats, enforce least-privilege access, and stop lateral movement across SAP landscapes, enabling secure modernization across hybrid environments.
Unified GRC platforms make compliance a strategic advantage. Integrating GRC activities across SAP and non-SAP systems allows organizations to detect privilege conflicts, SoD violations, and anomalous activity before they escalate, reducing blind spots and enabling proactive risk management.
Consolidated SAP security drives efficiency and resilience. SAP-native solutions that unify monitoring, compliance, and threat detection simplify operations, accelerate response, and support consistent policies during SAP modernization and cloud adoption.
