One year on – evaluating experiences with Sarbanes-Oxley

July 2007

Whilst year one Sarbanes-Oxley compliance goals for Foreign Private Issuers [FPI] have been reached, in many cases the process has been time and cost intensive.

We asked project leaders a range of questions about their approach to year one compliance and their views on the sustainability of their efforts.

Key findings:

• 84% say that improved control awareness / ownership has been a key benefit of s404
• 78% of respondents identified an excessive number of key controls within their organisation
• 91% of respondents believe there are opportunities to automate processes and controls further
• Only 32% of respondents believe that controls consciousness is embedded within their organisation

Although s404 compliance remains an annual requirement, the real prize continues to be realising cost reduction and wider business benefits through a process of controls optimisation.