IT Systems and SOX Compliance

IT plays a critical role in the operations of an organization. It is difficult to imagine a successful organization existing in the 21st century without some level of reliance on IT systems. In today's environment, financial reporting processes are driven by IT systems. Such systems are deeply embedded in initiating, authorizing, recording, processing and reporting of financial transactions. As such, they are inextricably linked to the overall financial reporting process and need to be assessed, along with other important processes, for compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.