Audit
State of Internal Audit 2018
Impact and Opportunities MetricStream’s latest survey on the state of internal audit finds auditors focused on delivering timely insights on key risks, aligning audit planning with business strategy and improving audit processes and operational effectiveness. Manu Gopeendran details the survey’s findings. For years, internal auditors have been the eyes and ears of the enterprise, providing assurance around the efficacy of risk mitigation strategies and controls. But today they are being asked to do more – to go beyond simply protecting...
4 C’s to Increase the Value of Internal Audit
Protiviti’s Jim DeLoach explores how to bolster internal audit’s efforts in providing recommendations that are strong, actionable and in keeping with the board’s expectations. We’ve always believed that boards should ensure that their organizations maximize the full potential of internal audit. There are four C’s directors should consider when evaluating the sufficiency of any risk-based audit plan: culture, competitiveness, compliance and cyber. We’re not suggesting they are the only things a board should consider, but they should be on the...
IP Audits: What are they? Why are they important? What do they cost?
Not all forms of intellectual property are important to every company, but some form of intellectual property is important to virtually every company.
90 Percent GDPR-Audit Failure Rates Ahead
(And That’s OK) The penalties for GDPR violations can be ruinous. But do organizations need to worry? Terry Ray suggests that while compliance is necessary, most companies can rest easy. May 25 has come and gone. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has gone into effect. The first GDPR lawsuits have already been filed. And the world still turns. GDPR promises to be the furthest-reaching and most complex data-protection regulatory scheme the world has known, for the following...
Transforming IT Audit in the Digital Era
Robotic Process Automation and Other Key Advances A number of technological advances are emerging that, when implemented by IT audit, will upend the traditional approach to IT auditing. Among the advances: robotic process automation, advanced analytics, and process mining. Protiviti’s Andrew Struthers-Kennedy and Ashley Cuevas explore several changes coming to the IT audit function, and how each will increase the department’s business value. with co-author Ashley Cuevas Organizations everywhere are progressing on their digital journeys at a healthy clip. They’re...
Auditing the Due Diligence Process
Given its tendency to be overshadowed by the more exciting aspects of the M&A process, internal auditors can contribute significant value by ensuring that a vibrant due diligence process is in place and operating as intended. A rigorous audit of the M&A due diligence process can help companies take advantage of legitimate new business opportunities, while at the same time help them minimize risks.
Tips to Achieve Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) Compliance
How to Overcome Technological Roadblocks What a time to work in the GRC field: new technologies are constantly emerging to help companies meet their regulatory obligations. At the same time, many fragmented requirements have piled up over time. Chris Ekonomidis, Head of U.S. Business Consulting at Synechron, discusses the three main hurdles organizations must overcome to ensure Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) compliance. In order to keep track of the plethora of data generated every day across different trading markets, many...
A Global Look at IT Audit Best Practices
Global consulting firm Protiviti and global business technology professional association ISACA have released their annual report, A Global Look at IT Audit Best Practices. Key findings from the survey of more than 1,300 IT audit and internal audit leaders and professionals include: Privacy/cybersecurity was cited as the top concern for the second year in a row 37% percent of businesses did not address cybersecurity within their audit plans, citing lack of resources as the primary reason Half of all organizations polled have a dedicated IT audit director (or equivalent...
4 Ways to Lessen the Burden of a FINRA Audit
Take These Steps Now to Minimize Risk Later When it comes time for a FINRA audit, financial organizations can spend a significant amount of resources gathering and producing the necessary data. It can be a challenge to do this without damaging the metadata or overlooking privileged items while also ensuring you meet all regulations and compliance rules. Rather than waiting to receive a request or inquiry from FINRA before getting your data in order, invest the time now in effective data management. Each year, Financial Industry...
Protiviti’s Annual Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Report
Global consulting firm Protiviti has recently released results of its annual Internal Audit Capabilities and Needs Survey. Over 1,500 Chief Audit Executives (CAEs) were surveyed globally, the majority representing organizations with more than $1 billion in revenue. According to this year’s survey, utilizing data analytics in the audit process is far more common in Europe (76 percent) and APAC (also 76 percent) than in North America (just 63 percent). Additionally, one-in-three organizations globally still have no plans to implement audit analytics within the...
The (a)(b)(c)s of Sarbanes-Oxley 404
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act continues to be in the news and be a challenge for some companies. We now have Section 404(c), as well as a recently issued SEC Staff Study thanks to Dodd-Frank. We found expert accountant Ron Kral to provide the latest landscape on SOX 404 and break down the recent study.
The New Audit Report Now on the Must-Read List
In October, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) approved the new auditor reporting standard, proposed by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”). While the standard was implemented to make the auditor’s report more relevant to investors, commenters are concerned that the new requirements may result in a number of unintended consequences. Brett Kumm, a Managing Director in the Forensic & Litigation Consulting segment at FTI Consulting, examines five of these potential consequences in the following article.
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- KRM Services, LLC and Roberto J. Clark, Jr. November 8, 2019SEC Charges Man for Defrauding Investors in Surfboard Scheme
- Michael A. Gramins, et al. November 7, 2019SEC Dismisses Claims Against Tyler Peters
- Bolton Securities Corporation d/b/a Bolton Global Asset Management November 6, 2019SEC Charges Investment Adviser for Failing to Disclose Conflicts
