It’s time for LAW to make way for the new generation
As an SAP Basis Administrator for 15+ years, I regularly dealt with the tedious and time consuming task of performing system measurements and LAW submissions.
Audits were cause for concern and possible panic. Tracking users across systems, trying to determine exact transaction usage and role assignments in profiles… And don’t forget trying to make sure all the users and license assignments were in compliance… It was just part of the job, right?
Well, since joining Snow, I’ve been impressed with how the Snow Optimizer for SAP® Software can give you more power, control, flexibility, time savings and cost reductions of your SAP environment.
For those dealing with the challenges of SAP software licensing and using the LAW tool, I thought I’d take a few moments to highlight some of the ways that I think Snow Optimizer for SAP® Software will really help:
- Provide baseline data with detailed usage and log on history
- Constantly optimize by removing duplicate and erroneous users and adjust license types on the fly
- Automate changes using the Rules Engine to reduce risk and renewal costs
- Show indirect access analysis
- Delve deeper into roles and transaction usage analysis
The Snow Optimizer for SAP® Software installs natively and runs embedded within SAP.
The Optimizer uses the standard SAPGUI interface and communicates via RFC connections from SolMan (or the designated Master system) to satellite systems.
This means that, compared to other tools you can use to measure SAP usage, there are numerous benefits:
- No additional hardware or software needed
- Easy deployment
- No security problems or concerns
- SAP standard authorization concept
- Full control by your SAP Basis/Security team
- No critical information leaves your systems
The Snow Optimizer for SAP® Software is not just a solution for license management, cost savings, time savings, and analysis/administration.
The solution is valuable addition to your toolbox for compliance, continuous improvement programs, and audit preparation.
The Snow Optimizer for SAP® Software focuses on three areas in the SAP landscape :
- Collection, Inventory and Reporting
- Analysis and Optimization
- Administration and Management
Within these areas are Security and Compliance reports and capabilities which are very powerful for the Basis and Security professional.One of the most powerful resources for the Basis and Security teams is the detailed view of the usage data in the system.
The Optimizer solution allows administrators to delve deep into the transaction and role usage, allowing for very precisely-targeted roles and profiles to be created and maintained.
This also allows the Basis or Security professional to rapidly and easily provide explanations for audits and compliance reviews.Compared to past experience of spending hours, days or even weeks, gathering usage data from each system, using the Optimizer for Audit and Compliance preparation can be done very quickly.With the Optimizer solution working for you, Audit and Compliance reviews will nearly become non-events. The Optimizer SAM-platform has even more to offer.
By leveraging the Actionable Analysis concept for continuous improvement, audit, role and transaction corrections can be checked and verified before, during and after implementation.
The Snow Optimizer for SAP Software allows Security, Basis, Management and Compliance entities in your organization to update and maintain the SAP landscape more efficiently and accurately.
Unlike in the past, these operations are much more streamlined and simplified, with built-in functionality and capabilities to speed the collection/inventory/reporting, analysis/optimization, and administration/management of licensing, security and users.
All from a single location In my experience, the Snow Optimizer for SAP® Software is the most powerful resource in the SAP technical practitioners’ toolbox.
The Return On Investment will be immediate.
The ongoing return will become part of the SAP operators’ lexicon to hold down costs, streamline audits and operations, and allow the Basis and Security teams to do what they should be doing: Keeping the SAP system in optimized condition for the organization!
To learn more about how Snow Optimizer for SAP® Software could transform your SAP management practices, why not contact me or one of my SAP expert colleagues at Snow?
Burton Culley is a Senior SAP Consultant at Snow Software. Connect with him on LinkedIn