In the current SAP landscape, there is a palpable tension between “clinging to the past” and embracing the inevitable shift toward S/4HANA and RISE with SAP. For many UK enterprises, the most significant point of friction in this transition isn’t the technical migration itself, but the opaque world of Digital Access (Indirect Use).

While some consultancies advocate for stubbornly holding onto legacy licensing models, at TangoTec, we see the shift differently. Digital Access is no longer a looming threat; it is an operational reality. When managed with precision, it transitions from a “compliance headache” into a transparent, predictable value proposition.

What is SAP Digital Access in 2026?

Historically, SAP licensing was built on a “Named User” model—you paid for the people sitting at desks. However, in a modern, hyper-connected enterprise, your SAP core is constantly “talking” to third-party systems: Salesforce CRM, ServiceNow ITSM, IoT sensors on the factory floor, and increasingly, autonomous AI agents.

Every time one of these external systems triggers a transaction in your SAP core, it creates a Digital Access event. SAP categorises these into nine specific document types, ranging from Sales and Financial documents to Purchasing and Material movements.

The £1M+ Risk: The “Telemetry Trap”

The primary risk for UK firms in 2026 is the “Telemetry Trap.” SAP has integrated sophisticated automated monitoring within the S/4HANA core. Auditors no longer need to sit in your office for a week; they can see, in real-time, exactly how many documents are being created by “Non-SAP” sources.

If you haven’t transitioned to the Document-Based Accounting model (the “Digital Access” model), you are likely still operating under the old “Indirect Use” rules. This is where the financial liability explodes. Under the old rules, SAP could technically claim a “Named User” license for every single person using your Salesforce or e-commerce platform—a cost that can easily spiral into the millions.