Soterion is a Solution Partner with United VARs. As the UK member, Birchman works with Soterion to help customers get more value from their SAP investment. The key focus areas include:
- Simplifying and redesigning user roles to optimise SAP licences
- Assessing and reducing Segregation of Duty (SoD) risks
- Calculating the appropriate number of licences (including FUEs) when moving from SAP ECC to S/4HANA
This blog outlines how the partnership helps customers make sense of SAP licensing.
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In an era where every pound of IT spend must show measurable return, SAP licensing often emerges as a high-stakes area for optimisation. Organisations invest heavily in SAP systems, but due to the complexity of user classifications and license structures, many end up overpaying for unused or misclassified licenses. That’s why we’re thrilled to partner with Soterion, whose SAP License Manager is transforming the way businesses manage and optimise SAP licenses.
IT budgets are under pressure and SAP licensing is often a high impact area for review. Organisations invest heavily in SAP but the complexity of licence types and user roles means many end up overpaying for unused or misclassified licenses. We are delighted to partner with Soterion whose tools bring much needed clarity. Their SAP Licence Manager helps businesses track and manage usage more effectively so they only pay for what they need.
Why SAP license management matters
SAP licensing is notoriously complex. With the recent introduction of the STAR measurement process, SAP now classifies user licenses based on the authorisations assigned to each user.
However, most organisations’ current SAP role designs were not created with licensing efficiency in mind. As a result, many organisations end up paying for or subscribing to significantly more user licenses than necessary. In the absence of clear visibility and control, organisations often:
- Pay for more SAP user licenses (FUEs) than required
- Pay for inactive or duplicate users
- Face unexpected audits and compliance fines
- Miss opportunities to reclaim unused licenses
Soterion’s SAP License Manager offers a practical, data led way to gain control of your SAP license estate and that’s exactly the kind of innovation organisations need to cut costs, reduce compliance risk and maximise value.
Why SAP Licence Optimisation Matters
SAP licence optimisation helps organisations align their licence estate with actual business requirements. By reviewing user activity, authorisations and role structures, businesses can identify where licences may be unnecessary, incorrectly assigned or no longer reflect how employees use SAP.
A structured approach to SAP licence management gives organisations greater visibility into their current licensing position. It can also provide useful data when preparing for contract negotiations, system changes or an SAP audit, helping decision-makers base their licensing strategy on actual usage rather than assumptions.
Reducing SAP Licensing Costs
Reducing unnecessary SAP expenditure starts with understanding where licensing costs are coming from. Inactive users, duplicate accounts, excessive authorisations and inefficient role structures can all contribute to a larger licence requirement than the business actually needs. Identifying these areas can help organisations reduce waste while maintaining the access users need.
Specialist SAP licensing services can help organisations analyse their current environment, identify potential savings and develop an actionable optimisation plan. This can be particularly valuable ahead of licence renewals or when organisations are reviewing their broader SAP investment.
The objective is not simply to reduce the number of licences, but to make sure the organisation has the right licences for its genuine business requirements.
Improving SAP Licence Compliance
Cost optimisation is only one part of effective SAP licensing. Organisations also need to ensure that users have appropriate licence types for their activities and authorisations. Without clear oversight, inaccurate classifications or excessive access can create compliance risks and unexpected costs.
SAP user licence management helps organisations understand who has access to the system, what they are authorised to do and whether their licence classification reflects their actual usage. Regular reviews can help identify potential compliance issues before they become more difficult or expensive to resolve.
Ongoing monitoring can also help organisations maintain accurate user records, manage changes to access and reduce the risk of licence creep over time.
Optimising SAP User Roles and Licences
SAP role design has a direct impact on licensing requirements. When users receive broader authorisations than their responsibilities require, their licence classification may be influenced by permissions or activities they do not genuinely need. More precise role design can therefore help align access with business requirements and support a more efficient licence estate.
SAP user licence management works most effectively when licensing and access control are considered together. Reviewing role structures can highlight opportunities to remove unnecessary authorisations, simplify access and align users more closely with the licences they require.
This approach can also support Segregation of Duty (SoD) controls by helping organisations balance efficient access with appropriate risk management. Working with an experienced SAP licensing partner can bring licensing analysis, role optimisation and ongoing governance together as part of a coordinated strategy.
Organisations looking to strengthen their broader approach can also explore Birchman’s SAP licensing expertise and the benefits of working with a value-added reseller.
What Is Soterion’s SAP License Manager?
Soterion’s SAP License Manager is a purpose-built solution designed to help organisations gain clarity and control over their SAP user licensing. It provides three key data insights:
#1
Current license requirements – Calculates the number of SAP user licenses or Full Use Equivalents (FUEs) needed based on the organisation’s existing SAP role design.
#2
Remediation potential – Identifies opportunities to clean up or optimise the current role design to reduce unnecessary license assignments.
#3
Best case license scenario – Estimates the optimal number of user licenses or FUEs based on actual system usage analytics.
These insights equip organisations with the necessary data to approach SAP contract negotiations with confidence.
In addition to license optimisation, Soterion’s SAP License Manager supports ongoing license governance by integrating into business as usual processes, helping prevent license creep and avoid unexpected true up costs. By providing clear visibility into actual license usage, it enables organisations to maintain an optimised licensing strategy and reduce unnecessary expenditure.
Key Benefits of Soterion’s SAP License Manager
#1
Cost savings from day one
Through detailed usage analysis and optimised license assignment, many organisations experience double digit reductions in their SAP licensing costs and often within the first 90 days of implementation.
#2
Accurate license classification
Soterion maps users based on activity and authorisations to assign the most cost effective license type, ensuring compliance while eliminating waste.
#3
Audit readiness
Avoid last minute surprises. With built in simulations and compliance checks, you’ll always be ready for an SAP audit, with clear documentation to back up your licensing strategy.
#4
Intuitive dashboards and reporting
Whether you’re a licensing manager or a CFO, Soterion presents your SAP license data in a way that’s easy to understand and act on. Their business friendly dashboards provide actionable insights at a glance.
#5
Role based optimisation
License management goes hand-in-hand with access control. Soterion connects licensing insights with your SAP role design to ensure alignment between business needs and license allocations.
Our Partnership is your advantage
By partnering with Soterion, we’re empowering our customers with best-in-class tools to take full control of their SAP investments. Together, we offer a smarter approach to license management and one that is data driven, cost effective and fully aligned with your business objectives.
As an experienced SAP licensing partner, Birchman can help customers connect licensing optimisation with their wider SAP strategy, governance and investment decisions.
As your trusted advisor, we’ll help you:
- Implement Soterion’s SAP License Manager with minimal disruption
- Interpret results and create an actionable optimisation plan
- Maintain ongoing license compliance and audit readiness
- Integrate license optimisation into your broader SAP governance strategy
SAP licensing services can also support organisations as they assess their wider licensing strategy, helping connect optimisation activities with broader SAP governance and investment decisions.
The bottom line
SAP licences shouldn’t be a source of hidden cost. With Soterion’s SAP Licence Manager you can shift from reactive compliance to a clear, proactive strategy. This helps cut spend and get more long-term value from your SAP investment.
Ready to optimise your SAP licensing?
Contact us today to book a demo of Soterion’s SAP License Manager and take the first step toward smarter, more cost effective SAP usage.
FAQs
Question #1: Why is SAP licence compliance important?
Ans: SAP licence compliance helps organisations ensure that users have the appropriate licence types for their activities and authorisations. Maintaining compliance can reduce the risk of unexpected costs, audit issues and potential penalties while supporting better control over the SAP environment.
Question #2: How can organisations prepare for an SAP licence audit?
Ans: Organisations can prepare for an SAP licence audit by reviewing user activity, authorisations, role assignments and licence classifications in advance. Keeping accurate records and regularly reviewing the licence estate can help identify and address potential compliance issues before an audit takes place.
Question #3: What are the common causes of unnecessary SAP licence costs?
Ans: Common causes include inactive or duplicate users, excessive authorisations, inefficient role designs and incorrect licence classifications. Regular usage analysis and role reviews can help organisations identify these sources of unnecessary expenditure.
Question #4: How does SAP role design affect licence requirements?
Ans: SAP role design determines the authorisations available to users and can therefore influence their licence classification. Overly broad roles may result in users requiring more expensive licence types than necessary, while carefully designed roles can help align access with genuine business requirements.
Question #5: How can SAP licence management improve return on investment?
Ans: SAP licence management can improve return on investment by helping organisations understand actual usage, eliminate unnecessary licence assignments and optimise user roles. This allows businesses to make better use of their existing SAP investment while reducing avoidable licensing expenditure.
