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Part of our SAP services practice. Independent advisory across the full SAP estate.
SAP license audit defense boardroom
Advisory / SAP License Audit Defense

SAP License Audit Defense 2026

We run the parallel measurement, reset the named user mix, and close the audit on your side terms.

Contact Us → Download the SAP RISE Negotiation Guide
$80M+SAP Claims Resolved
90%+Average Claim Reduction
Fixed fee, all inclusive. Quoted on scope before we start, with no hourly billing and no surprises. Every dollar we save you stays with you.
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How this engagement works2:09

What SAP audit defense covers, and what it costs

Two minutes: why the measurement you run becomes the claim you pay, how user classification and engine reads are contested before anything leaves the perimeter, and why the Full Use Equivalent ratio has to be anchored first.

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The presenters in this briefing are AI generated avatars. The service, the commercial terms, and the guidance are real, produced by Redress Compliance analysts from our client engagements.

Watch the briefingResearch briefing · 4:37

Partner with Redress

Session 12 of the SAP RISE Migration Series. What a buyer side engagement does on a RISE conversion, the outcomes on the file, how we work and what it costs, and why the call is worth several times more at 24 months than at six.

Watch the full The SAP RISE Migration Series series Open this episode with transcript and chapters →
500+ Enterprise Clients Industry Recognized $2B+ Under Advisory 11 Vendor Practices 100% Independent
When we help

Three moments we step in

Scenario 01
LAW measurement program
SAP has requested the annual License Administration Workbench run. The deadline is set and the named user mix has drifted since the last submission.
Scenario 02
SLAW for cloud
SAP wants the System Landscape and Application Workbench submission across S/4HANA Cloud, BTP, SuccessFactors, and Ariba. Cloud consumption needs reconciling to entitlement.
Scenario 03
Formal audit
SAP has escalated from measurement into a formal audit. The claim is material and the response window is short.
How we help

Four phase engagement procedure

Phase 01
Scope and baseline
Audit scope, contract entitlement baseline, and an independent measurement run in parallel. No raw extract leaves the perimeter yet.
Phase 02
Deployment review
LAW and SLAW output reviewed against the baseline. User classification and engine reads contested. Response file assembled for legal sign off.
Phase 03
Negotiation
Audit close negotiated against the renewal cycle. Settlement value capped. FUE conversion framework prepared if S/4HANA is in scope.
Phase 04
Close and side letter
Side letter signed. Findings sealed off from the renewal. Forward measurement governance transferred to internal SAM.
Deliverables

What you get at close

01
Parallel LAW and SLAW
Independent measurement run on your data before SAP receives the official submission. Every variance traced and explained.
02
Named user framework
Professional, limited professional, and employee classification rebuilt on activity, transaction code, and role evidence.
03
Engine licensing framework
Engine read against install base. Payroll, eDocument, Process Orchestration, and HANA metrics contested where the contract permits.
04
Indirect access framework
Third party document flows mapped. Static, system, and inbound documents separated against the digital access price book.
05
FUE conversion framework
Full Use Equivalent translation from named user and engine baseline. Conversion ratio anchored before SAP proposes its own version.
06
Settlement and side letter
Signed instrument capping the audit and preventing findings from following into the renewal or any successor agreement.
Outcome

What changes after we engage

90%+
Average audit
claim reduction
$80M
SAP claims
resolved to date
40 to 70%
Named user
downgrade rate
48hr
Engagement
opening time
100%
Audits closed
under side letter
Engagement model

Two ways to engage

Pick the option that matches your posture. Fixed Fee for a single audit, LAW, or SLAW cycle. Vendor Shield for continuous always on defense across the SAP estate.

Option A

Fixed Fee Engagement

Scope
Single LAW, SLAW, or formal audit close. Fixed scope from day one through side letter.
Timeline
Eight to fourteen weeks typical. Same week start once scope is signed.
Pricing
Fixed fee. Quoted on scope. No hourly billing.
Best for
Defined measurement window or formal audit with a hard SAP deadline.
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Option B

Vendor Shield

Scope
Continuous SAP defense. Measurement monitoring, named user governance, standing negotiation counsel.
Timeline
12 to 24 month subscription. Renews annually.
Pricing
Annual subscription. Quoted on estate size.
Best for
SAP estates that want the LAW signed off the same way every year, with no surprises.
Vendor Shield detail →
“
SAP opened the LAW finding at twenty four million in unlicensed professional users. We closed it at under three. The reclassification holds today.
Global SAM Director, Fortune 200 Retailer
North American retail group
Buyer side advisory boardroom

Your next LAW is a negotiation moment

Measurement window open. Formal audit in motion. RISE conversion on the desk. We start where you are.

Contact Us → Download the RISE Negotiation Guide

Negotiation intelligence, monthly

One letter a month. Negotiation moves, audit signals, and price book shifts.