Identity and Access: How SAP IAS Groups Connect with BTP Roles

As organizations move toward cloud-native architectures, managing user access securely and efficiently becomes a critical priority. In the SAP ecosystem, two key components work hand-in-hand to achieve this: SAP Identity Authentication Service (IAS) and SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) Role Collections.

Understanding how these two elements interact is essential for building a secure and scalable identity and access management (IAM) strategy.

What Is SAP IAS?

SAP IAS is a cloud-based identity provider that handles user authentication across SAP applications. It supports:

• Single Sign-On (SSO)
• Multi-factor authentication
• Federation with external identity providers
• User lifecycle management

Within IAS, groups are used to organize users based on roles, departments, or access needs. These groups can then be mapped to specific permissions in SAP BTP.

What Are BTP Role Collections?

In SAP BTP, role collections are bundles of roles that define what a user can do within a BTP subaccount. These roles might include access to applications, services, or administrative functions.

Role collections are assigned to users or groups to enforce access control. They are central to managing authorization in BTP environments.

The Relationship: Mapping IAS Groups to BTP Role Collections

The magic happens when you map IAS groups to BTP role collections. This mapping allows you to:

• Automatically assign BTP roles based on a user’s IAS group membership
• Centralize identity management while decentralizing access control
• Scale access provisioning across multiple applications and environments

How It Works:

1. Create Groups in IAS: Define user groups based on business roles (e.g., “Finance Analysts”, “Developers”, “HR Managers”).
2. Create Role Collections in BTP: Bundle relevant roles into collections that match the business needs of each group.
3. Map IAS Groups to Role Collections: In the BTP cockpit, configure trust settings to link IAS groups to corresponding role collections.
4. Assign Users to IAS Groups: Once users are added to IAS groups, they automatically inherit the mapped BTP role collections.

Benefits of This Integration

• Security: Centralized authentication with granular authorization.
• Scalability: Easily manage access for thousands of users across multiple BTP subaccounts.
• Automation: Reduce manual role assignments and human error.
• Compliance: Ensure consistent access policies aligned with governance standards.

Best Practices

• Use naming conventions for IAS groups and role collections to maintain clarity.
• Regularly audit group memberships and role mappings.
• Leverage IAS federation to integrate with corporate identity providers like Azure AD or Okta.
• Document your access control strategy to support audits and compliance reviews.

Final Thoughts

The integration between SAP IAS groups and BTP role collections is a cornerstone of secure cloud operations in the SAP landscape. By aligning identity with access, organizations can empower users while protecting critical systems and data.