For many organisations, an SAP audit notification is the moment panic sets in.  Emails start flying, data is pulled at short notice, and teams scramble to interpret what SAP’s measurement results really mean. 

But it doesn’t have to be that way. 

With the right preparation, an SAP audit can be more than a compliance hurdle, it can be the catalyst for cleaning up your user landscape, optimizing licences, and uncovering real savings. 

The Reality of SAP Audit Risk 

SAP audits are often described as “routine”, but few customers find them routine in practice. They can reveal hidden compliance gaps, outdated authorisations, and millions in unexpected exposure, particularly around Named User licensing and indirect access. 

Common issues we see include: 

• Duplicate and inactive users inflating licence counts 
• Misaligned licence types that don’t match user activity 
• Missing documentation for custom roles or access changes 
• Weak governance and lack of periodic review evidence 

In many cases, these issues aren’t new. They’ve simply gone unnoticed until the audit arrives.   

Case in Point: $16M Risk Averted 

One global enterprise we worked with, a Fortune 500 organisation with over 30,000 employees, faced exactly this scenario. Initial SAP audit estimates showed potential non-compliance of over $16 million in Named User licensing. 

 Years of mergers, legacy systems, and duplicate accounts had created a labyrinth of overlapping access rights and inconsistent licence mapping. Rather than waiting for SAP’s findings, ITAA helped the client take control by simulating the audit internally. 

This involved: 

• Identifying inactive, defaulted, and non-dialog users consuming licences 
• Analysing over-assigned roles driving excess licence allocation 
• Running recurring data checks to validate measurement results 
• Hosting workshops to align internal policy and stakeholder ownership 

By addressing these proactively, the client avoided the full $16M exposure and implemented a sustainable user management model. Even better, they were able to reduce projected RISE Cloud licence costs by an additional $3M ahead of migration.  

Turning Audit Pressure into Progress  

Audit preparedness isn’t about beating SAP at its own game, it’s about being ready before the letter lands. 

When you take control of your user data, you can: 

• Defend your compliance position with confidence 
• Eliminate surprise licence costs 
• Simplify future S/4HANA or RISE transitions 
• Use the audit as a roadmap for lasting governance 

A proactive SAP Audit Simulation doesn’t just protect your business, it often pays for itself in savings and avoided risk. 

From Reactive to Resilient 

SThe most successful SAP customers treat audits as checkpoints, not crises. By embedding licence, security, and access alignment into your regular governance cycle, you transform compliance from a one-time event into continuous control. 

Audit readiness = business readiness. 
The earlier you act, the more flexibility, leverage, and savings you gain.  

Find out where your biggest access and licence risks are hiding, book a 15-minute strategy call .

About the Author

Steve Narey, Multi-Vendor Services Director 

Steve brings decades of real-world business acumen latterly focusing on helping global companies optimize software license management, reduce risk, and cut costs, especially during cloud migrations. His expertise spans strategic relationship management, business development, project management, contract negotiation, cloud optimization, and program implementation.