Upgrading to SAP S/4HANA promises significant technological and functional advancements—but these benefits can only be realized if security is integrated at every stage. Overlooking security during an upgrade often leads to authorization errors, compliance gaps, and underutilization of new features. Below are the key steps and best practices for ensuring a secure transition.​

1. Analyze Current Security Design

• Run SAP Readiness Check: Identify technical and security gaps, unsupported add-ons, obsolete custom code, and potential authorization issues before initiating the upgrade.​

• Review Compliance Needs: Map your current SAP ECC or S/4HANA security settings to evolving requirements like GDPR or SOX to ensure continued regulatory alignment post-upgrade.​

2. Prepare the Upgrade Environment

• Secure the System Landscape: Harden system-level security by patching all environments and enabling database-level encryption as recommended for HANA databases.​

• Establish Baseline Security: Document existing roles, authorizations, and user assignments to support migration and troubleshooting later.​

3. Authorization Redesign and Role Adjustment

• Use Transaction SU25 for Profile Generator Upgrade:

  • Execute SU25’s steps to adapt and regenerate profiles, update existing roles with new or changed authorization objects, and remove obsolete objects.

  • Thoroughly test all updated roles; improper maintenance causes access issues and underutilization of new S/4HANA features.​

• Adapt to Data Model Changes:

  • Roles may require redesign to accommodate new or deprecated authorization objects in S/4HANA.​

  • Address custom code implications (authorization checks in custom ABAP, obsolete security concepts).

4. Implement New Security Features

• Activate Advanced Security Features:

  • Leverage built-in S/4HANA enhancements: stricter parameter settings, client-specific custom role management, and new audit functionalities.​

  • Enable Unified Connectivity (UCON), whitelisting, and continuous monitoring of RFC connections, as appropriate.​

• Prepare for Fiori Launchpad Security:

  • Adjust roles and catalogs for SAP Fiori—ensure users only have access to required apps and tiles.​

5. Testing, Go-Live, and Post-Upgrade Follow-Up

• Comprehensive Security Testing:

  • Perform scenario-based testing for all processes, including user management, SoD checks, custom code paths, and interface authorizations.​

• Patch Management and Emergency Notes:

  • Apply the latest SAP security patches, especially addressing any recently announced vulnerabilities in S/4HANA environments.​

• Audit and Logging Review:

  • Review logging/audit settings to ensure traceability for compliance and forensics purposes. Generate and review audit trails for critical authorizations.​

Conclusion

A security-centric S/4HANA upgrade is essential for safeguarding business data, meeting compliance needs, and maximizing new platform features. Engaging security experts early, following structured frameworks like SU25, and leveraging S/4HANA-specific enhancements can transform the upgrade into an opportunity for long-term security maturity.​

For SAP security consultants, staying current with S/4HANA’s evolving security model, authorization objects, and new features ensures both a secure upgrade and enhanced professional value.