SAP NetWeaver Identity Management reduces the complexity and cost associated with managing permissions and passwords. The software helps you to integrate business processes and is designed to work not only with your SAP applications but with all of the systems, instances, and applications in a typical, heterogeneous and often global IT environment. SAP's identity management solution is also designed to work as an integrated component of your strategic application platform and to support an enterprise service oriented architecture (enterprise SOA).

SAP NetWeaver Identity Management features and functions:

• Enable you to manage permissions across heterogeneous environments based on the business role of each user – simplifying administration and preventing unplanned access
• Provide you with integrated management tools, including a powerful data synchronization and self-service interface that save time, reduce administration costs, and prevent interruptions to user productivity
• Support uninterrupted business process flow across systems with enterprise SOA
• Complement existing user management and administration technologies in the SAP Business Suite and SAP NetWeaver

SAP NetWeaver Identity Management is role-based, so it knows what systems each user should have access to in order to do their work. If a user changes position, SAP NetWeaver Identity Management can change those access rights accordingly. Administrators set up the roles, and the software takes care of synchronizing permissions across different systems and directories.

Self-service is another important feature of SAP NetWeaver Identity Management. It not only reduces the administrative and support cost associated with IT support, but it can also reduce the user's frustration level. It provides users with one place to go to manage their information and take care of tasks, such as resetting a password.

All of the SAP NetWeaver Identity Management functionality is delivered as a component of an integrated, open business process platform – so access and identity information can be correctly linked with systems, Web services, and business processes. And whether the systems are SAP systems or not, SAP NetWeaver Identity Management makes sure you have uninterrupted flow for your business processes across a heterogeneous landscape.