The shift to SAP Cloud ERP Private has transformed license management into a high-stakes financial burden. Under the STAR rules, SAP calculates Full User Equivalent (FUE) consumption based on assigned authorizations rather than actual user behavior. Because legacy role structures were never built for this specific metric, Soterion’s assessments reveal that most organizations unintentionally overstate their FUE requirements by roughly four times.

Since user licenses often account for up to 60 percent of total SAP software spend, these discrepancies create significant exposure during subscription renewals. Soterion’s platform bridges this gap by mapping real-world user activity against assigned permissions. This allows companies to identify exactly where role remediation can slash unnecessary costs before entering commercial negotiations with SAP.

Dudley Cartwright, CEO and co-founder of Soterion, notes that while the STAR framework itself is not inherently punitive, the lack of visibility into role-based consumption leaves firms vulnerable. For many, the transition to the cloud has forced a realization that role design is no longer merely a security concern, but a critical financial control. By aligning consumption with contracted entitlements, firms can curb runaway subscription fees during their move away from legacy maintenance.