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Zero Trust

3 Steps to Embedding Zero Trust Protection for SAP Data Exports

Zero Trust is no longer a nice-to-have - it’s a must-have. According to Cisco, over 86% of enterprise organizations have started rolling out a Zero Trust framework to protect their business-critical information and ensure regulatory compliance, but only 2% have successfully implemented a mature ZT architecture.

September 10, 2024
3 Steps to Embedding Zero Trust Protection for SAP Data Exports

Zero Trust is no longer a nice-to-have - it’s a must-have. According to Cisco, over 86% of enterprise organizations have started rolling out a Zero Trust framework to protect their business-critical information and ensure regulatory compliance, but only 2% have successfully implemented a mature ZT architecture. 

Organizations that keep their most sensitive financial, HR and customer data on SAP should prioritize implementing Zero Trust protection for SAP data both inside - and crucially outside - the SAP system. 

Here’s three steps to implementing Zero Trust for SAP data exports. 

Step 1 - Identify at-risk data

What data matters most to your organization? Be it accounting and management information or customer and HR data, it’s likely this data is held on SAP. 

SAP has a rigid security framework that protects your data inside the system, but as soon as SAP data leaves the internal perimeter, you lose control and sensitive information becomes vulnerable. This is especially dangerous during restricted or closed accounting periods (i.e. year-end accounts) where even accidental data leaks can end up in huge civil or criminal penalties. 

But - by identifying how often you export sensitive SAP data and the potential impact of losing this information (either to an attack or accidental leak), you will find out which SAP data most urgently needs Zero Trust protection. 

Step 2 - Pinpoint access needs

Zero Trust works on four main principles:

  • Identity - Zero Trust authenticates identity for every access request. 
  • Devices - Zero Trust encrypts data on all devices.
  • Rights - Zero Trust applies least-privilege user rights as standard. 
  • Monitoring - Zero Trust tracks data access beyond your IT perimeter. 

To ensure these principles apply for SAP security, you need to pinpoint who needs access to your critical SAP data and the level of user rights they require (as it’s ‘zero trust,’ all employees should be given the least-privilege access rights as standard - no matter their position). After establishing the access hierarchy, you will need to find a Zero Trust solution that sets identity authentication (i.e. through multi-factor authentication (MFA), biometrics or passwords) and tracks access (including both successful and failed attempts).

Step 3 - Ensure correct application

Effective Zero Trust implementation requires a mindset shift, so it’s crucial that internal employees and external stakeholders (especially those with access to your exported SAP data) are aware of the new rules and processes. 

For large enterprise organizations with thousands of employees and devices, this requires constant education and monitoring as a) Zero Trust implementation is a multi-year journey and b) user’s access rights will change as your company grows with new hires and employees move roles internally (even an employee moving projects should lead to access rights changes). 

However, there is a simpler way. 

Option 2: Implement HaloCORE

Secude’s HaloCORE is the only Zero Trust solution that embeds Microsoft’s Purview Information Protection (MPIP) and data governance into SAP data exports from creation. Integrated at the application layer, your SAP data exports have lifelong Zero Trust protection wherever they travel and are protected even if moved outside of your business, accidentally leaked or stolen. 

Up and running in just a few days, HaloCORE’s MPIP authorization tags not only controls access to SAP data outside of your IT perimeter, but also tracks users’ access and retains the key information required for compliance purposes. 

No matter how often SAP data is shared externally or how often your employees change roles, HaloCORE has you covered. 

Secure your SAP data exports with Secude

For more information on how to implement Zero Trust for SAP files, download our latest eBook:. How to implement Zero Trust security for SAP data

Or get in touch for a demo.

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