• What is the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and how does it impact my business?
• My company is publicly-traded and we have already made it through Year One of Sarbanes-Oxley. Now I am left with hundreds of internal controls to monitor every year going forward. How do I monitor and manage all of these controls in the future?
• My company is publicly-traded and I know that I need to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the near future, what should I be doing now to get ready?
• My company is private or non-profit, but I would like to make sure that we have the right corporate governance and internal controls in place for my customers and to keep up with industry standards. What controls do I need to put in place and how do I implement them?
• How do I know if I have the right Information Technology General Controls (ITGCs) for my business or my industry?
• I know that I have control deficiencies in my internal controls, how do I remediate or fix those issues?
• How do I monitor changes in regulatory requirements?
• How do I manage the documentation requirements, security, and overall status monitoring of my quarterly and annual Sarbanes-Oxley compliance cycle?

Everything about Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance can be daunting and overwhelming. Whether you are a public company who has made it through Year One, or you are a private, non-public, or public company trying to prepare, we understand that Compliance can put a significant strain on you and your business or organization. The Ironworks Compliance Group has a proven risk-based Compliance methodology that provides a successful, value-added, and common sense Compliance assessment to our clients.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act Compliance

Every company is different and yours is no exception. So, of course your needs around Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance are different too. Your questions may be around the entire Compliance Process from the Risk Assessment to the Final Assessment, or it may be just one piece of the process. You may need help with all areas of internal controls, or you may just need help with corporate governance, finance internal controls, or information technology general controls. You may have new systems in design and implementation phases and want to ensure that these systems when implemented will not negatively impact your Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.

In any case, our methodologies are risk and process-based to minimize the work-load and provide a value-added assessment. We tailor our methodology to meet your business' individual needs and provide you with a balanced, value-added internal controls assessment.

Internal Controls Implementation and Process Improvement

A robust internal control structure requires implementation of new internal controls or improving existing ones to comply with corporate governance standards like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Our staff of consultants and professionals understand the concept of a "Key Control" and can provide you with:

• Gap analysis of your existing internal control structure,
• Recommendations for process improvements,
• Implementation of process improvements,
• Implementation of new policies, procedures, or processes required for corporate governance.
• Assistance with Management's Assessment

Institutionalization of Internal Controls

Congratulations! You have made it through the first year or two of Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance! But now you are left a huge process to manage with hundreds of internal controls and control owners to monitor, not to mention the looming opportunities to improve your internal control structure (e.g., remove redundancy in controls and remove controls where possible). You need a process to manage it all, ensure control ownership, and create a sustainable process year-over-year for the future, as well as monitor changes in your control environment (e.g., new system implementations)..

The Ironworks Compliance Group can help you design and implement a process to streamline key controls to provide a more efficient and repeatable internal controls infrastructure. Our methodology can assist in institutionalizing the annual and quarterly Compliance assessments while meeting senior management and Audit Committee expectations.

Sarbanes-Oxley Software Implementation Solutions

Sometimes building a process to monitor internal controls is not enough. The larger and more complex your business is, the greater the need for Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance software to help to manage the documentation requirements and keep a pulse on the status of various moving parts.

But there's much more to implementing Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Software than installing it. We can design and customize, if necessary, a system to your unique business and system needs. Our staff of developers and consultants will:

• Assist you in the vendor selection process
• Configure the system to fit your existing architecture
• Build and test any necessary components required to be placed within the tool for your unique requirements
• Assist you in conducting data transfer and back-up procedures
• Perform quality assurance testing
• Help train process owners and administrators who will support the system
• Provide any ongoing support and maintenance you may require to ensure the software is effectively meeting the objectives in your content strategy

• We understand that Compliance can put a significant strain on business resources and utilize a risk-based, common-sense approach to minimize the strain on our clients. We understand the concept of "Key Controls".
• We use qualified, experienced, and local resources that "get it" and are typically from the Big 4.
• We are a cost-competitive alternative to large accounting and consulting firms like the Big 4 for preparation assistance, etc..
• We view Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance as a process, not a project and utilize a methodology that is sustainable over time.

The Ironworks Compliance Group delivers experience, creativity, and know-how each time. Our teams are staffed with Compliance consultants who focus only on what they know best and have significant experience and excellent client recommendations. Because we don't try to be everything to everyone, our experts stay experts and our new clients become lasting clients.