"Monitoring efforts are best focused on leading indicators that allow time for correction, rather than lagging indicators that do not. The best reports for monitoring internal controls contain integrated information from both internal and external sources. Software packages can facilitate pulling together data from disparate systems and processes. "

- David R. Campbell, Accounting Professor at Drexel U

- Mary Campbell, Independent Consultant

- Gary W. Adams, President of AutoParking, inc.

Situational Analysis

Most companies are well documented on their compliance-impacting processes, but documentation only shows how the process is supposed to occur. Auditing what has actually occurred is too often post mortem and in the form of expensive annual audits that add little-to-no business value

• 85% of companies do not believe the benefits of  compliance have exceeded the costs

• 67% of companies want to reduce the degree of  documentation

• 66% of companies want to permit greater reliance on  internal audit data and resources

• 58% of companies want to permit roll-forward  procedures

• 55% of companies want to clarify the definition of "key  controls"

• 53% of companies want to allow cumulative reliance  on internal audit data and resources

[Companies spend on average 4,888 external people hours on annual compliance efforts]

The Solution

This "best of breed" GRC Manager Solution is built on a fully Web Services-enabled composite solutions architecture comprised of Bluespring Software, Handshake Software and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007. It comes pre-configured with "best practice" portals and workflows that address client on-boarding.

Business Value

• Up to 80% reduction in documentation and process remediation
• Up to 50% annual audit cost savings from reduced time spent in discovery, assessment and remediation
• Roll Forward capabilities for new audit cycles
• Key Control maintenance and approval processes
• Support for integration to other Line of Business applications
• Automation of paper processes, handoffs & approvals
• Highly scalable & flexible framework that is both rapid to deploy and agile enough to facilitate easy changes
• Easy to use data entry & task management forms that can be accessed from both Office products and "Web"
• Enterprise Document Management & Repository
• Easy-to-configure Dashboard, complete with KPIs and aggregated information
• Process-driven internal controls that manage and enforce internal policies, procedures and laws