Publications

November 7, 2011
The Federal Insurance Office Issues Study of the Future of Federal Oversight Involvement in the Insurance Industry
The Federal Insurance Office (FIO), which was established by Title V of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (DFA), has issued a formal notice and request for comment for a mandated study it is conducting on how to modernize and improve the insurance regulatory system in the United States. The real question being asked by the FIO seems to get at whether insurance underwriting should or could be regulated, at least in part, at the federal level.
CONTENT AREA: Regulatory Updates
TOPICS: Financial Services Industry, Compliance, Dodd-Frank Act, Laws & Regulations

November 7, 2011
The Safe Harbor Agreement
This section of "The Global Privacy and Information Security Landscape: Frequently Asked Questions" focuses on the Safe Harbor Agreement. Topics covered include: What is the Safe Harbor Agreement? Are all U.S. organizations trading with EU countries required to register for Safe Harbor? And, how does an organization join the Safe Harbor program?
CONTENT AREA: Questions & Answers
TOPICS: Cross Border & Non-US Issues, European Union, Security, Investigations/Forensics, Security Management Practices, Laws & Regulations, Privacy

October 31, 2011
IT Auditors Need to Come Out of the Black Box
Many IT auditors are “coming out of the black box”—taking an enterprise view of IT, IT controls, and managing IT and business risks. This article describes how IT auditors can play a lead role in improving both the value-added proposition of the audit function and in streamlining business processes and improving efficiency and effectiveness of operations while maintaining a focus on IT controls.
CONTENT AREA: Articles
TOPICS: Materials Management & Inventory, Purchasing & Accounts Payable, Audit Committee & Board, Information Technology Risk, Risk Assessment, Information Technology Risk, IT Audit, IT Controls, Internal Audit, Compliance, Internal Controls, Performance Management/Measurement

October 31, 2011
Keeping Pace with New Technologies – Benchmarking IT Audit Functions
Technology is permeating virtually every aspect of organizations today, from e-mail and mobile devices to global complex ERP systems. But according to the results of Protiviti’s 2011 IT Audit Benchmarking Survey, this technology wave is creating a new array of very significant IT-related risks that many companies are failing to assess, manage and monitor adequately. In this podcast, Managing Director David Brand and Director Mark Peters discuss key findings and trends identified in this survey.
CONTENT AREA: Podcasts
TOPICS: Information Technology Risk, IT Audit, IT Controls, IT Governance, Audit Reporting

October 31, 2011
PCAOB Wants Audit Firms to Name Engagement Partners and Outside Contributors
The PCAOB is moving forward with its plans to give the investing public new glimpses into who works on and approves company audits. Some say the information could be misused. "There's a risk that the audit partner's name is going to get bandied about without an opportunity to present their side of the case," says Trent Gazzaway, managing partner at Grant Thornton.
CONTENT AREA: Articles
TOPICS: Corporate Governance, Audit Committee & Board, External Auditor, PCAOB

October 31, 2011
Poll: Audit Planning
This week’s poll, asks to rate your internal audit department's use of project management techniques when developing the audit plan.
CONTENT AREA: Polls
TOPICS: Internal Audit, Audit Planning, Performance Management/Measurement, Project Management

October 31, 2011
Techniques for Planning Audits More Efficiently
Audit planning is one - if not the most - critical step in the audit process. Whether or not you formally draft and submit the results of your planning efforts, make it a point to follow a consistent approach during this phase of the audit. You will find that the time spent planning will save you time during the rest of the audit. Included with this month’s column is a checklist for audit planning.
CONTENT AREA: Articles
TOPICS: Internal Audit, Audit Planning, Performance Management/Measurement, Project Management

October 24, 2011
2011 Information Technology Capabilities and Needs Survey
Protiviti conducted this inaugural Information Technology Capabilities and Needs Survey with input from more than 200 professionals to assess the skill levels of IT executives and professionals in areas of priority for today’s organizations, along with competencies that are most in need of improvement. Respondents answered more than 100 questions in three general categories: Technical Knowledge, Process Capabilities and Organizational Capabilities. The key trends and takeaways from the study are discussed further in this report.
CONTENT AREA: Survey Reports
TOPICS: Cloud Computing, Information Technology Risk, IT Governance, IT Infrastructure, IT Strategy, Privacy, Security, Social Media Risk

October 24, 2011
2011 Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Survey (2011《萨班斯-奥克斯利法案》合规情况调查)
《萨班斯-奥克斯利法案》头几年的合规成本高昂，需要投入大量的时间、财力和其他资源。经过头几年的合规工作后，合规成本已趋于稳定甚至有所下降，很多公司更表示相关收益(包括改善了内部控制环境，以及提高了运营的效能和效率)高于成本。甫瀚咨询的《萨奥法案》合规情况调查深入剖析这些问题并分析相关的战略和方法，从而从以下几个方面帮助企业：适当检视合规流程的成本、耗时和工作量；通过实施合规流程实现最大收益；以及在可验证的合规工作、增值效益和可持续性方面达到理想状态。
CONTENT AREA: Survey Reports
TOPICS: Sarbanes-Oxley Act, External Auditor, IT Controls, PCAOB, Section 404-Internal Control Reporting, Benchmarking, Dodd-Frank Act, China

October 24, 2011
Achieving the Power of Enterprise-Wide Project Management
In a world where every enterprise is striving for the most effective competitive weapon, project management has become renowned for keeping initiatives on track. There is a growing recognition in business management circles that project management is an emerging business function that enables enterprises to become world-class leaders in their markets.
CONTENT AREA: Articles
TOPICS: Strategic Risk, IT Strategy, Performance Management/Measurement, Project Management