Author: Matthias Czwikla, Red Hat

AI makes it possible to detect vulnerabilities in open-source software more quickly. This poses a challenge for companies, as they are struggling to keep up with identifying and patching dependencies and affected components.

SAP data offers great potential for AI, but many innovations are tied to S/4 and the SAP Cloud. The side-by-side model enables companies to run AI separately while still keeping it closely integrated with their SAP systems.

Open source forms the foundation of modern SAP landscapes. But the deeper the dependencies run and the faster AI identifies new vulnerabilities, the wider the gap becomes between available fixes and secure deployment in production. This is exactly where Lightwell comes in.

Stolen credentials, SAP vulnerabilities, and misconfigurations can allow attackers to jump from SAP to the operating system level. This isn't always preventable, but SELinux and fapolicyd limit their scope of action.

Integrating AI into SAP is operationally necessary. Since many functions are tied to SAP, the side-by-side model offers a flexible alternative: It decouples AI from the core system and enables it to run in a separate architecture.