German business software vendor SAP is offering customers a new service to ensure the security of SAP systems, the company said Wednesday.

The service, SAP Security Optimization, is a largely automated procedure that is performed remotely by SAP. It searches for vulnerabilities in the SAP landscape, including applications, middleware and Internet gateways as well as interfaces to partners' systems and user authorizations.

Following the evaluation, which can take one or two days, customers receive a detailed analysis of security gaps and vulnerabilities, prioritized according to severity and probability, and action plans on how to resolve them, according to SAP.

The recommended security measures can be carried out by the customer or by experienced security consultants from SAP Consulting and certified SAP partners.

SAP Security Optimization comes in response to demands from enterprises for greater protection as they become more vulnerable to security breaches due to the growing complexity of their IT systems and increasing exposure via Internet gateways, SAP said.

Additional information is available at the SAP service portal: www.service.sap.com