Ensuring cost reduction requirements don't compromise security and compliance

Cost and time constraints can impact the attitude and focus of project teams towards security and controls considerations in major enterprise software projects. To avoid compliance issues in the long term, it is important to find potential remedies to this issue. 

In the current climate there is little escaping the focus on cost reductions being directed from the top of big businesses across the majority of industries. The issue is therefore high on the agenda for most CIOs, as a result of which it is largely driving the selection of suppliers and methodologies for the delivery of projects. 

This post is based on my experience of SAP projects, but the arguments stand for all major enterprise software projects. Tighter time constraints for delivery and a focus on adhering to budgets and deadlines, can result in decisions relating to the Security and Controls (S&C) in SAP being compromised.