Compliance Effects on Operations and Costs

by Brian J. Dooley

Compliance efforts have risen to prominence due mostly to Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and its extraordinarily high costs. However, SOX is only the tip of the iceberg. A number of other regulations are waiting in the wings, and they are becoming increasingly complex. Many companies are now electing to implement a unified compliance strategy combined with management frameworks such as COBIT and ITIL. The result is potential business process improvement aided by automated systems capable of bringing together management frameworks and compliance requirements.