Sox Compliance

SOX Compliance Doesn't Need to Harm the Bottom Line

Many a CEO or CFO initially bemoaned the stringent reporting necessary for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) legislation. They were certain the volumes of information and the hours of documentation would ultimately hurt enterprise performance. In an effort to achieve SOX compliance while still improving the bottom line, many executives searched for solutions that would make reporting more efficient and minimize the impact on productivity. Of all the financial performance tools to find their way into the SOX compliance mix, few if any can match the breadth and depth of the IBM family of business intelligence and enterprise planning solutions.

IBM Aids SOX Compliance with Proven Solutions

IBM provides enterprises with a suite of products that encompass the entire range of management tasks needed to drive enterprise performance—and consequently to deliver SOX compliance. With IBM, executives have confidence that the numbers they are certifying are honest and accurate—data is unified to deliver one version of the truth across the enterprise, and consolidation ensures accuracy and accountability in the closing process. Reporting is efficient and flexible to ensure timely compliance with SOX deadlines, and gives executives the ability to drill down on the numbers to look at underlying detail. And IBM allows enterprises to get the kind of visibility into operations to assess or correct events that may require disclosure.

Tools for SOX Compliance Also Help Drive Better Performance

The same IBM tools that enterprises can use for compliance with SOX requirements can also help to ensure better performance. IBM Scorecarding provides an easy way to establish metrics throughout the organization and track performance against them. For greater understanding of a company's internal processes, IBM Cognos 8 Business Intelligence provides a complete palette of analytical and reporting tools. And IBM Enterprise Planning and consolidation allows organizations to create plans for the future with dynamic data and thorough participation from every level of the enterprise. Beyond SOX compliance, IBM helps enterprises to make better decisions in shorter timeframes, ensuring greater productivity and competitiveness.

Read more information on IBM and SOX compliance.