With the demands of today’s economy, most companies are being pressed to drive greater efficiency into their operations. Organizations in the technology, media and communications (TMC) industry are no different, and many would argue that they are feeling the pressure even more than those in other industries. Most TMC companies envision medium- to long-term improvements in their markets. Accordingly, many are focusing on efforts that drive increased efficiency and scalability into existing operations, often impacting finance and accounting processes. This article focuses on practical approaches to reducing manual effort and risk in the financial close, consolidate and reporting cycle.