From the very beginning of my work getting Viacom’s Sarbanes-Oxley compliance efforts off the ground in 2003, one thing always struck me as vital to success: setting standards and implementing best practices to achieve an effective, and efficient, compliance program.
Many companies struggled to work through limited SOX implementation guidance, with varying degrees of success. At Viacom, we were fortunate to make a number of good decisions that enabled us to implement a highly effective and streamlined process. As a result, we held our compliance costs well below commonly published benchmarks. Many of the tactics that we used are still relevant and appropriate today and have been supplemented with other strategies developed more recently. Whether you are preparing your company for initial implementation or just looking to enhance your company’s performance, I have a few tips that can go a long way toward making your SOX compliance effort “street smart.”
