Pathlock & NTT DATA launch global SAP cyber service

Pathlock has formed a global strategic partnership with NTT DATA Business Solutions to provide managed SAP cybersecurity services worldwide through NTT DATA Business Solutions' Security Operations Centre network.

The agreement adds Pathlock's Cybersecurity Application Controls software to NTT DATA Business Solutions' managed services portfolio, bringing continuous monitoring, detection, response and governance support to SAP environments. The offering is aimed at enterprises that rely on SAP systems but lack the specialist staff to monitor complex ERP estates around the clock.

SAP platforms sit at the centre of finance, procurement, supply chain and other core business processes, making them a target for ransomware, insider abuse and fraud. The new service is designed to address those risks through a managed model rather than requiring customers to build large in-house SAP security teams.

Under the arrangement, NTT DATA Business Solutions will use its global Security Operations Centre infrastructure to run the service, while Pathlock will provide application-layer controls and automation. Coverage will include application vulnerability management, threat detection and response, code scanning, transport control and dynamic access controls.

The partnership also reflects a wider market challenge: a shortage of people with deep SAP security expertise. By relying on automation within standard security operations workflows, the companies aim to extend monitoring and governance across SAP environments without depending entirely on scarce specialists.

Service scope

NTT DATA Business Solutions said the offering expands its existing SAP cybersecurity work with an always-on managed service. The company, which focuses on SAP services for midmarket and lower large enterprise customers, is part of the wider NTT DATA group and operates in more than 70 countries.

Pathlock's technology sits within its Nexus platform, which it describes as combining identity, governance, assurance and security for ERP and other business applications. In this partnership, the focus is on securing transactions and access inside SAP systems, where misuse or misconfiguration can lead to financial losses, compliance failures or disruption to daily operations.

That emphasis on the transaction layer sets the deal apart from broader cyber outsourcing contracts, which often focus on networks, endpoints and cloud infrastructure. In SAP environments, security teams also need visibility into user rights, code changes, system transports and the execution of sensitive business processes.

Damon Tompkins, Chief Executive Officer, Pathlock, said: "SAP systems remain one of the most underprotected layers in enterprise cybersecurity. By partnering with NTT DATA Business Solutions, we are making advanced SAP cybersecurity operations accessible at global scale. Together, we are helping customers move from reactive security models to continuous protection of their most business-critical environments."

Pathlock also highlighted the operational pressure companies face when incidents emerge outside normal office hours. Jonathan Stross, Senior Product Manager, Cybersecurity R&I, Pathlock, said: "The reality is that critical incidents don't wait for business hours, and when they occur, there's often no SAP security expert available to respond. With the capabilities provided by NTT DATA Business Solutions Security Operations Centre, we can close that gap and provide customers with continuous protection when it matters most."

Market demand

The deal comes as large organisations continue to reassess the security of business applications that process payments, supplier transactions, payroll and other sensitive records. While many companies have invested heavily in perimeter and cloud security tools, specialist protection for ERP systems has often remained separate, fragmented or under-resourced.

Managed services providers have been moving further into this area as customers seek to reduce complexity and shift continuous monitoring work to external teams. For NTT DATA Business Solutions, adding a dedicated SAP cybersecurity service deepens its role in customers' SAP estates beyond implementation and support.

Claus Tscherner, Head of Global Business Managed Services Product Management, NTT DATA Business Solutions, said: "SAP ERP sits at the heart of our customers' business processes, and securing it requires deep application expertise and continuous support. By combining our managed services with Pathlock's technology, we can offer a scalable SAP security service that helps customers ensure smooth and secure daily business operations."

The service is intended to give customers stronger oversight of access, vulnerabilities and suspicious activity across SAP landscapes while reducing the burden of maintaining specialist internal teams. NTT DATA Business Solutions will provide the operational layer through its Security Operations Centre setup, while Pathlock will supply controls to govern identities and transactions within the application environment.

Across the wider group, NTT DATA serves 75% of the Fortune Global 100, reports annual revenue of more than USD $30 billion and invests more than USD $3 billion a year in research and development.