How a global beverage company strengthened SAP security coverage and cut costs by switching from a leading competitor to the Cybersecurity Extension for SAP
The customer is a leading global beverage company with approximately $55 billion in annual revenue, more than 170,000 employees worldwide, and a portfolio of over 600 brands sold across 150 countries. The organization operates a large, complex, and globally distributed SAP landscape supporting business-critical supply chain, manufacturing, finance, and shared services processes. Given the scale of operations and reliance on SAP systems, the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of SAP platforms are essential for operations and business continuity.
The customer had been using a well-known, high-cost SAP cybersecurity solution to manage risks across its SAP environment. While the existing solution provided baseline coverage, the organization faced increasing pressure to improve the depth and breadth of SAP security checks while also controlling software licensing costs. Operating in a highly competitive market, the company needed to balance strong cyber risk management with financial efficiency.
In addition, the SAP landscape continued to grow in size and complexity, with extensive custom ABAP code and diverse system configurations. This increased the need for comprehensive vulnerability detection, meaningful reporting for stakeholders, and a solution that could be maintained efficiently by internal teams without excessive operational overhead.
The company engaged Layer Seven Security to evaluate whether the Cybersecurity Extension for SAP (CES) could serve as a viable alternative to the incumbent solution. The objective was to determine whether CES could deliver improved SAP cyber risk management while significantly reducing licensing costs.
Key evaluation goals included assessing the breadth and depth of security checks for SAP applications and custom ABAP code, the quality and usability of reporting, overall user experience, and the effort required to operate and maintain the solution in a large global environment.
The organization conducted a six-month proof-of-concept of the Cybersecurity Extension for SAP across representative SAP systems. During the evaluation, CES was used to perform system-level and code-level security checks, including analysis of SAP configuration, authorization risks, and custom ABAP vulnerabilities.
The proof-of-concept also evaluated reporting capabilities, focusing on how effectively findings could be communicated to technical teams, security leadership, and other stakeholders. User experience and day-to-day operational aspects, such as ease of maintenance and administrative effort, were assessed alongside functional coverage.
The evaluation demonstrated clear advantages of the Cybersecurity Extension for SAP compared to the existing solution.
The customer determined that CES significantly improved SAP risk management by performing a higher quantity of vulnerability checks across both SAP systems and custom ABAP code. Overall coverage for SAP cyber risks increased by approximately 40%, providing broader visibility into potential security weaknesses.
CES also delivered superior reporting capabilities and an enhanced user experience, enabling clearer communication of risks and more actionable insights for end users. Maintenance efforts were assessed to be lower, reducing operational burden for administrators managing the solution at scale.
From a commercial perspective, the results were decisive. By replacing the incumbent solution with CES, the company achieved a reduction in licensing costs of over 50%, delivering substantial ongoing savings without sacrificing security coverage.
By switching to the Cybersecurity Extension for SAP, the organization was able to simultaneously strengthen its SAP cybersecurity posture and significantly reduce software licensing costs. The solution enabled improved vulnerability coverage across a large and complex SAP landscape, more effective reporting for stakeholders, and lower operational effort for maintenance and administration.
The outcome demonstrated that improved SAP cyber risk management does not need to come at a higher cost. With CES, the customer achieved stronger security outcomes while aligning with financial and operational efficiency goals in a highly competitive global market.
This case study illustrates how a large global enterprise successfully replaced a high-cost SAP cybersecurity solution with the Cybersecurity Extension for SAP from Layer Seven Security. The transition resulted in broader vulnerability coverage, improved reporting and user experience, reduced maintenance effort, and licensing cost savings exceeding 50%. The Cybersecurity Extension for SAP enabled the customer to enhance protection of business-critical SAP systems while delivering measurable financial and operational benefits.