How Lifetime Brands automated SAP data privacy and cut system refresh times

The Challenge: Protecting sensitive data across complex environments

Lifetime Brands sells its products through some of the largest retailers and online platforms in the world. Each partner maintains strict contractual requirements regarding the handling of personal data, including diverse customer retention policies and the mandatory removal of personal data from Production. Additionally, these restrictions meant that real personal data could no longer be used in non-production systems.

The company needed a more effective way to protect sensitive customer and vendor information across its SAP ECC landscape. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) – including names and addresses – had to be removed from completed transactions in Production.

However, existing processes were cumbersome, heavily manual, and required coordination across multiple areas. While Lifetime Brands considered developing internal ABAP programs, they recognized the ongoing maintenance, development, and upgrade risks of a custom-built solution.

The Solution: An integrated approach to privacy and test data management

After an extensive review of the market, Lifetime Brands engaged EPI-USE Labs, implementing components from the Data Sync Manager (DSM) and Data Privacy Suites.

• Data Redact™ was deployed in Production to selectively remove PII from completed transactions based on partner-specific retention requirements.
• Data Secure™ introduced consistent data scrambling for sensitive customer and vendor information in non-production environments with broader user access.
• Client Sync™ enabled the team to refresh SAP clients using time-sliced data instead of relying on full, heavy system refreshes.
• Object Sync™ provided teams with the ability to copy specific business data into non-production environments on demand.

Together, these solutions created a seamlessly integrated, automated approach to SAP test data management and privacy.

The Impact: Greater control, faster refreshes, and automated compliance

The EPI-USE Labs suites have fundamentally transformed how Lifetime Brands manages data privacy and non-production SAP environments. Data Redact now runs automatically in the background, seamlessly removing relevant PII and generating reports for customer service teams. This has made it effortless for Lifetime Brands to uphold complex customer privacy requirements and contractual agreements.

System refreshes have also been revolutionized. What was once a multi-party process taking two to three days can now be completed by a single internal resource in under 24 hours.

By utilizing time-slicing, Lifetime Brands reduced its copied data footprint by approximately 40%, realizing immediate cost and time savings. Furthermore, Object Sync has dramatically simplified testing by giving internal teams the autonomy to manage their own data without waiting for other departments.

This success story reflects Lifetime Brands’s specific circumstances, technology environment, implementation, and experience with EPI-USE Labs and its products and/or services. The information provided is for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as a representation, warranty, or guarantee of any particular result or outcome. Experiences and results may vary depending on a variety of factors, including an organization’s systems, environment, configuration, implementation, and use. Readers should not rely on this success story as an assurance or indication that they will achieve the same or similar results.

About Lifetime Brands

Lifetime Brands is a leading global designer, developer and marketer of a broad range of branded consumer products used in the home. The Company markets its products under well-known kitchenware brands, including Farberware®, KitchenAid®, Sabatier®, Amco Houseworks®, Chef'n® Chicago™ Metallic, Copco®, Fred® & Friends, Houdini™, KitchenCraft®, Kamenstein®, La Cafetière®, MasterClass®, Misto®, Swing-A-Way®, Taylor® Kitchen, Rabbit®, and Dolly®; respected tableware and giftware brands, including Mikasa®, Pfaltzgraff®, Fitz and Floyd®, Empire Silver™, Gorham®, International® Silver, Towle® Silversmiths, Wallace®, Wilton Armetale®, V&A®, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew®, Year & Day®, Dolly®, Royal Leerdam®, and ONIS®; and valued home solutions brands, including BUILT NY®, S'well®, Taylor® Bath, Taylor® Kitchen, Taylor® Weather, Elements®, Planet Box®, and Dolly®. The Company also provides exclusive private label products to leading retailers worldwide.