Security by Design in the Age of S/4HANA and RISE with SAP Migrations

The overlooked security exposure of legacy SAP systems

Today, most SAP customers are fully focused on one major priority: migrating to S/4HANA or moving to RISE with SAP. These transformation programs are complex, resource-intensive, and business-critical. As a result, organizations often freeze all non-essential activities to minimize disruption and stay on schedule.

Unfortunately, security is frequently one of the first areas to be deprioritized.

The Hidden Risk of “Freeze Mode” During Migration

During S/4HANA or RISE with SAP migrations, many organizations place their existing SAP ECC or legacy environments into a change freeze. The assumption is that since the system is “stable,” it can remain as-is until the migration is complete.

This creates a dangerous blind spot.

While business changes may be frozen, threat actors are not. Legacy SAP systems remain:

• Exposed to known and newly discovered vulnerabilities
• Largely unmonitored for malicious activity
• Protected by outdated or manual security controls
• Lacking real-time visibility into attacks or misuse

In many cases, customers are running critical production systems with limited insight into their actual security posture, precisely at a time when attackers know organizations are distracted by large transformation programs.

Migration Focus Should Not Mean Security Neglect

S/4HANA and RISE with SAP migrations can easily span one to three years. Leaving the existing SAP landscape insufficiently protected during this time significantly increases risk.

Common challenges include:

• No continuous vulnerability assessment during the migration phase
• Limited monitoring of custom code, interfaces, and RFC connections
• Manual security processes that cannot keep pace with evolving threats
• A false sense of security created by “no changes allowed” policies

Freezing functional changes does not equal freezing security risks.

Security by Design: Protecting Today While Building Tomorrow

Security by design means embedding security controls not only into the target S/4HANA or RISE environment, but also ensuring ongoing protection of the current SAP landscape throughout the migration journey.

This approach delivers critical benefits:

• Reduced exposure during long migration timelines
• Early identification of security weaknesses that might otherwise be carried into S/4HANA
• Cleaner, more secure system design for the future state
• Lower risk of incidents that could derail migration programs

By integrating security early, organizations avoid transferring vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and excessive authorizations into the new environment.

Automation Is Essential During Migration Programs

One of the main reasons security is sidelined during SAP migrations is the perception that it slows progress. Manual checks, audits, and assessments are simply not feasible when teams are under pressure to deliver transformation milestones.

This is where SAP-specific security automation becomes a key enabler.

Tools like SecurityBridge allow organizations to maintain strong security controls without disrupting migration efforts by:

• Continuously monitoring SAP systems for suspicious and malicious activities
• Automatically identifying vulnerabilities and misconfigurations
• Providing real-time visibility into the security posture of the current landscape
• Supporting security assessments that align with S/4HANA and RISE readiness

Instead of introducing additional workload, automation ensures security runs in parallel with migration activities.

From Migration Risk to Security Opportunity

S/4HANA and RISE with SAP migrations should not be viewed as a reason to pause security but as an opportunity to modernize it.

By adopting a security-by-design approach and leveraging automated SAP security platforms, organizations can:

• Protect their existing environments during migration
• Avoid costly security debt in the future landscape
• Improve detection and response capabilities today
• Enter S/4HANA or RISE with a stronger, more mature security posture

Conclusion

SAP transformations are inevitable. Security incidents are not.

Organizations that ignore security during S/4HANA and RISE with SAP migrations expose themselves to unnecessary risk at the most vulnerable time. By integrating security into the design phase and maintaining continuous protection of the existing SAP systems, businesses can safeguard operations today while building a secure foundation for tomorrow.

Security should not wait for the migration to finish. It must move forward with it.