Data duplication is a serious problem that has long plagued organizations and complicated the data analytics efforts of internal audit. At best, it hogs up expensive storage space and frustrates communications with customers; at worst it can lead companies to make flawed business judgements. Business users, data analysts, IT managers, Read More
Certainly, 2020 will go down as the “Year of Covid,” when a pandemic disrupted our personal and professional lives as no other force we have seen in most of our lifetimes. From an internal audit perspective, it meant scrambling to help the organizations we work for stay on their feet Read More
GUEST BLOG These are difficult days for many companies. Recent developments, including the economic downturn and other problems stemming from the coronavirus crisis, threaten the very existence of businesses across several industries, from airlines to retail, to manufacturing. With so much uncertainty and disarray, corporate boards and senior executives are Read More
Despite global uncertainty, internal audit leaders believe their teams are well-positioned to weather the challenges presented by COVID-19 and help their organizations embrace digital transformation, according to a new report from Protiviti. Organizations whose internal audit functions had already implemented new technologies, tools, and methodologies before the onset of the Read More
Compliance officers are increasingly seeking technology solutions that improve their teams’ access to financial and operational data, and that provide risk monitoring and mitigation. Earlier this year, the U.S. Justice Department instructed prosecutors to evaluate data access and analysis at the companies they investigate. Recent settlement trends indicate that regulators Read More
Internal audit leaders need to look to the future and improve adopting next-generation auditing techniques, a new Protiviti survey found. Protiviti’s 2020 internal audit capabilities and needs survey “Exploring the Next Generation of Internal Auditing,” examines the competencies of nearly 780 chief audit executives and internal audit leaders in the Read More
By now, most internal audit shops have at least dipped a toe in the waters of data analytics. They are using data analysis techniques to find outliers in expense reports, to look for suppliers that have suspicious attributes or are at high risk for bribery, and for testing controls and Read More
When Ed Wilkins, CPA, talks to audit committees about adding data analytics to the audit process, he explains to them that it usually takes three years for investment in a complex audit analytic to pay for itself, according to a recent article in the Journal of Accountancy. Audit analytics give Read More
The Institute of Internal Auditors’ Internal Audit Foundation has issued a new guide on data analysis and sampling. It says the guide, Data Analysis and Sampling Simplified: A Practical Guide for Internal Auditors, is designed to live on the desks of internal auditors, not on the bookshelves. “In short, this Read More
GUEST BLOG Over the years, Big Four audit and consulting firm PwC has provided great value through their annual commentaries and reports on internal auditing. However, in their 2019 State of the Internal Audit Profession Study, they are advising internal auditors to adopt approaches and practices with which I disagree. Read More
