Secure Access to SAP with Zero Trust

SAP Migration Changes the Access Architecture

SAP applications sit at the center of critical business operations, including finance, procurement, manufacturing, supply chain, human resources and customer processes. They also contain some of the most sensitive information within the enterprise.

As organizations move from traditional SAP ECC environments toward SAP S/4HANA and RISE with SAP, the applications may move to the cloud, but the access architecture often remains rooted in traditional networking. Remote users, employees, consultants and partners are still frequently connected through VPNs or other network-centric access technologies.

This creates an unnecessary security problem. A user who only needs access to a specific SAP application should not need access to the network surrounding it.

Zero Trust Network Access changes that model by connecting an authorized user directly to an authorized SAP application, without extending the enterprise network to the user.

Replace Network Access with Application Access

Traditional VPNs establish connectivity between a user and a network. Zscaler Private Access takes a fundamentally different approach. Access is granted to the individual application rather than to the network on which the application resides.

When an authorized user requests access to SAP, ZPA evaluates identity, device posture and other policy conditions before establishing a secure connection between that user and the permitted SAP application.

Application-Specific Access

Users receive access only to the SAP applications they are authorized to use rather than broad network connectivity.

Identity-Based Policy

Access decisions can incorporate user identity, device posture, location and other contextual information.

Reduced Attack Surface

SAP applications do not need to be directly exposed to remote users or the public internet.

Limit Lateral Movement

Connecting users to applications rather than networks restricts the ability to move laterally if a user or device is compromised.

Native Zero Trust Access for RISE with SAP

Organizations migrating to RISE with SAP can extend the zero trust access model directly into the SAP-managed cloud environment.

Zscaler Private Access Application Connectors can be provisioned natively within the RISE with SAP environment. These connectors establish outbound connections to the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange, allowing authorized users to reach SAP applications without requiring inbound network connectivity or exposing the applications through public IP addresses.

This creates a direct user-to-application architecture in which access is brokered according to identity and policy rather than by extending network access to the user. The model can support SAP applications as they move from legacy environments into SAP S/4HANA Private Cloud Edition within RISE with SAP.

Because the ZPA service is deployed within the SAP-managed RISE environment, secure access can be delivered without relying on traditional VPN connectivity or exposing SAP applications to inbound connections. SAP manages the underlying RISE infrastructure, while the customer retains control over its ZPA tenant, users and access policies.

Zscaler zero trust access architecture for RISE with SAP

Learn More About ZPA for RISE with SAP

Download the Zscaler solution brief for a more detailed overview of the architecture, native integration, deployment model and secure access options for employees and third parties.

Download Solution Brief

Maintain Secure Access Throughout the SAP Migration

SAP transformation rarely happens in a single step. Organizations may operate legacy SAP systems, cloud-hosted workloads and RISE with SAP simultaneously while applications and business processes are migrated.

ZPA can provide a consistent access layer across these environments. Users continue to access the SAP applications they require while the underlying application location changes.

This allows the SAP migration and the access transformation to be managed independently. Organizations can progressively move applications to S/4HANA and RISE with SAP without repeatedly redesigning remote-access connectivity for their users.

Secure Access for Employees, Partners and Consultants

SAP environments frequently need to be accessed by more than managed corporate users. Systems integrators, consultants, suppliers and other third parties may also require access to specific applications.

Managed Employees

Zscaler Client Connector provides identity-aware access from managed devices. Security policy can consider both the user and the security posture of the device before SAP access is permitted.

Partners and Unmanaged Devices

Browser-based access can provide authorized third parties with access to selected SAP applications without requiring a VPN or providing access to the surrounding network.

Protect Sensitive SAP Data

Controlling who can reach an SAP application is only part of the security requirement. Organizations must also control how sensitive information can be used once access has been granted.

Zscaler's integrated data protection capabilities can inspect SAP application traffic and apply policies designed to identify and prevent the unauthorized movement of sensitive information.

For higher-risk third-party or unmanaged-device scenarios, Cloud Browser Isolation can provide additional control by allowing users to interact with an application while restricting actions such as file downloads, uploads, clipboard operations or exposure of sensitive information.

Reduce the SAP Attack Surface

Traditional remote access technologies expose more of the environment than most SAP users actually need. Zero trust access reduces that exposure by limiting connectivity to the specific applications a user is authorized to access.

No Inbound Exposure

SAP applications do not need to accept inbound connections from remote users or be exposed through public IP addresses.

Least-Privilege Access

Users are connected only to the SAP applications they are authorized to use rather than being placed on the surrounding network.

Application Isolation

Separating user-to-application connections helps prevent a compromised session from becoming a path to other applications.

Reduced Lateral Movement

Because users are not granted network-level access, the ability to discover and move laterally through the SAP environment is significantly reduced.

Shared Responsibility in RISE with SAP

RISE with SAP changes the operational model for SAP infrastructure, but it does not remove the customer's responsibility for access security. SAP manages the underlying cloud infrastructure and the SAP-managed Kubernetes environment, while the customer retains control over the Zscaler Private Access tenant and its security policies.

SAP Responsibilities

SAP manages the underlying RISE with SAP infrastructure, including the Kubernetes environment in which the ZPA Application Connectors are provisioned.

SAP is also responsible for installing and maintaining the ZPA Application Connectors within the customer's RISE environment.

Customer Responsibilities

The customer retains control of the ZPA tenant and defines how users, devices and applications are permitted to connect.

This includes user management, access policies and the security thresholds used to determine whether access to SAP applications should be allowed.

This separation allows SAP to manage the underlying RISE platform while the organization continues to control who can access its SAP applications and under what conditions.

Modernize SAP Access as You Move to the Cloud

Moving SAP applications to S/4HANA and RISE with SAP is an opportunity to modernize the way users, partners and third parties connect to critical business systems.

Hararei can help assess your existing SAP access architecture, identify where VPN-based connectivity can be replaced, and design a zero trust access model using Zscaler Private Access.

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