Get a head start: Best practices for Controls Integration
Digital transformation is everywhere—in ERP upgrades, cloud migrations, AI initiatives, and third-party finance systems. But for all the investment, organizations often stumble on the same roadblock: Controls. And it’s usually the same culprit—leaving controls until the end, which leads to cost overruns, compliance gaps, and missed opportunities.
Here’s why this is important:
- The ERP market expected to surpass $123B by 2030
- AI adoption (and the risks that come with it) are exploding
- Only 48% of digital transformation initiatives meet or exceed their business outcome targets
And when your teams are stretched, using interconnected systems, and trying to keep up with the latest regulations, you’ve got the perfect storm of control complexity.
Our take? Controls are about more than compliance—they’re about protecting operational efficiency, reputation, and shareholder trust.
In a traditional approach to transformation, you’re often waiting until testing or after you go-live to think about controls. But that’s not without consequences—like delayed timelines, SOX deficiencies, costly audit rework, and cybersecurity exposures. We’d like to offer a different way—following these leading practices:
1. Engage early
Bring the controls team to the table during vendor selection and design sessions. Controls shouldn’t be an afterthought—they should be woven in throughout your transformation.
2. Take a risk-based approach
Not every process needs the same level of control. Focus resources on SOX, in-scope processes, and other high-risk areas.
3. Automate where you can
Modern ERPs and finance systems provide opportunities to replace manual reviews with automated, preventative controls. This reduces compliance costs and strengthens your control environment.
4. Share responsibility
Finance, IT, compliance, and audit all play a role—and you’re on the same team. Shared accountability prevents gaps and finger-pointing later on.
When done right, controls will help lower the total cost of compliance, increase audit efficiency, enable preventative risk management, and free people up for high-value work. But best of all? It helps make transformation stick. See how we can help on your journey to compliance.