SAP powers many of the world’s largest enterprises, supporting critical business processes including ERP, finance, procurement, manufacturing, supply chain management, and customer relationship management (CRM). Because SAP stores some of an organization’s most valuable information, implementing Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for SAP is essential to protecting sensitive business data from unauthorized access, disclosure, and misuse.
As cyberattacks continue to increase, SAP environments have become attractive targets for ransomware, insider threats, and accidental data exposure. At the same time, hybrid workforces and growing collaboration with suppliers, partners, and contractors have expanded the ways sensitive SAP data can leave the organization.
A modern SAP Data Loss Prevention strategy protects data throughout its lifecycle, regardless of where it resides or how it is shared. This article explains how data loss occurs in SAP, the business risks it creates, and the technologies organizations can use to secure sensitive SAP information.
How Does Data Loss Occur in SAP?
Data loss in SAP can occur through malicious attacks, accidental disclosure, or improper handling of sensitive information. Although the terms data breach, data leak, and data loss are often used interchangeably, they describe different types of security incidents.
Data Breach
as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is the unauthorized access or use of sensitive data. It usually involves intentional cyberattacks conducted by external or internal parties exploiting security vulnerabilities.
Data Leak
refers to the unauthorized disclosure of information, usually due to the unintentional exposure of sensitive data in transit or at rest. It is largely due to internal causes like personal negligence but can also result from phishing by cybercriminals following a previous breach.
Data Loss
refers to an incident where data is destroyed, deleted, corrupted, or made unreadable by users and software applications. It is often unintentional and caused by internal reasons, affecting data availability and integrity.
An effective Data Loss Prevention solution for SAP helps organizations reduce the risk of all three scenarios by protecting sensitive information before it leaves the SAP environment.
Within SAP systems, data can be exposed through everyday business activities such as downloading reports, exporting spreadsheets, sharing documents with suppliers, or distributing files outside the organization. Without proper security controls, these routine workflows can unintentionally expose confidential business information.
Consequences of Data Leaks in SAP
SAP applications entail various types of sensitive data, including intellectual property, trade secrets, financial data, sales forecasts, customer lists, and pricing information. Therefore, data loss within SAP systems can result in severe financial and legal costs for organizations. For example, mishandling an AO report might expose the company’s trade secrets to unauthorized parties, causing great financial loss, a trust crisis among customers, and potential legal consequences.
Another major concern regarding SAP data leakage is regulatory noncompliance. Companies use the SAP system to process large amounts of Personal Identifiable Information (PII), such as names, Social Security numbers, and addresses. If PII is leaked, companies risk violating regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Whether it involves customer lists, user records, or supply chain collaborators, a PII leak to unauthorized parties can result in enormous costs to restore the data, recover financial losses, and regain reputation.
How to Prevent Data Loss in SAP
To prevent financial losses and regulatory noncompliance from the unwanted exposure of sensitive data, it is crucial to implement a solution that safeguards data without compromising work efficiency. In today’s connected world, securing data solely within the perimeter of the SAP systems is insufficient. Global partnerships, a dispersed workforce, and the use of mobile devices require frequent file transfers outside the SAP repository. Therefore, a modern cybersecurity strategy should encompass security measures to safeguard data within the repository, protect data in transit, and ensure sensitive information is not wrongfully disclosed and transferred inside and outside the corporate network.
In addressing the data loss challenges associated with ERP systems, it is crucial to establish comprehensive security requirements that safeguard data at every level. These requirements form the backbone of a robust ERP data security strategy:
Secure Data at All Access Points
Secure the Application Itself
Implement Strong Security Measures for Data Sharing
Encrypt Data during Transmission and ETL
Key Technologies for SAP Data Loss Prevention
- Data classification: Data classification is the process of identifying sensitive data, categorizing it, and assigning the appropriate level of security based on the level of sensitivity.
- Fine-grained access control: Attribute-based access control (ABAC) ensures that users can only access data they are authorized to and have only the necessary permissions to perform their specific task.
- Data segregation:Â Logical data segregation is the practice of logically separating data based on specific criteria, such as sensitivity, access requirements, or functional requirements. It involves implementing measures to control access, visibility, and security of data based on its classification, user roles, or other relevant factors.
- Data masking: Upon user’s access, dynamic data masking can mask the data following pre-designed policies and delivers only authorized levels of data to the user. The unauthorized portion will be masked without being altered.
- Digital rights protection:Â Digital rights protection involves applying data protection measures to critical files that organizations share internally and with extended enterprise. This process includes classifying files, encrypting them, and applying policies to determine access rights. These measures ensure that sensitive information is secured with the proper level of security throughout its lifecycle, both within the organization and across the extended enterprise.
Prevent Data Loss in SAP with NextLabs
NextLabs helps organizations implement Zero Trust Data Security for SAP by protecting sensitive information wherever it resides and wherever it travels.
NextLabs solutions include:
- CloudAz is NextLabs’ unified policy management platform that enables centralized policy enforcement with NextLabs Dynamic Authorization Policy Engine
- SkyDRM is NextLabs’ enterprise digital rights management (E-DRM) product that provides persistent protection of critical files and documents at rest, when they are shared and, on the move,
- DLP for SAP secures data within SAP applications, leveraging SAP’s classifications and user context to enforce policies at the application layer restricting access to data and preventing unauthorized download and distribution of data.
- Data Access Enforcer (DAE)Â enforces policies at the data access layer, applying data segregation and obfuscation to prevent unauthorized access to data.
Together, these solutions help organizations protect SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA environments by preventing unauthorized access, controlling sensitive data sharing, and reducing the risk of data loss across the enterprise.
Learn More About SAP Data Loss Prevention
Protecting sensitive SAP information requires more than traditional perimeter security. A Zero Trust, data-centric approach enables organizations to secure business-critical data throughout its lifecycle while supporting collaboration, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency.
Learn more by downloading our Deloitte co-authored white paper, Prevent Data Loss Across the ERP Landscape, or watch our demonstration of how NextLabs protects SAP data using enterprise digital rights management.
