In March 2021, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) published its "Restoring Trust in Audit and Corporate Governance" consultation on proposals for extensive reform to enhance corporate transparency. The consultation outlines a comprehensive program of changes designed to improve practices for auditors, companies, directors, audit committees, investors, other stakeholders, and regulators.

In short, this consultation aims to introduce a strengthened internal controls regime for your organization, resembling the Sarbanes-Oxley rules in the US. It would require directors to attest to the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting, enhancing transparency and accountability in your company's financial practices. As a result, UK-listed companies will be required to adopt a stronger internal framework.

UK estimated SOX timeline

UK SOX is expected to apply to financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2025. As a larger listed company in the UK, it is essential for you to prepare your UK SOX strategy proactively to establish a solid foundation for operationalizing UK SOX and to adopt technologies that ensure a future-proofed risk and compliance solution.

Benefits of UK SOX

While it is a common assumption that achieving compliance is a challenging and resource-intensive task, it is crucial to consider the potential benefits. By proactively planning and strategically implementing the right technology, your organization can minimize the impact of UK SOX and even gain advantages from it. Instead of viewing UK SOX as an administrative burden, you have the opportunity to reshape your risk and compliance culture by proactively implementing a successful SOX strategy to manage your entire governance, risk, and compliance landscape.

The implementation of UK SOX presents opportunities for improved compliance management, enhanced documentation, increased audit committee involvement, process standardization, and reduced complexity. By taking a proactive approach and understanding regulatory requirements, your organization can leverage the time leading up to the legislation to simplify compliance needs and optimize testing and evidence collection.

Capabilities to look for in a solution

Controls management technology can play a pivotal role in streamlining the compliance process. Utilizing the right controls management solution, you can automate tasks and enable ongoing monitoring across your organization. This saves time and resources and allows you to redirect your efforts toward other critical business objectives.

When looking for a solution to help with UK SOX compliance, you should consider the following capabilities to ensure the software meets your organization's needs effectively:

Access controls and Segregation of Duties (SoD) analysis: A solution should offer robust access controls, enabling you to define and enforce granular permissions for users. Additionally, it should conduct SoD analysis to identify and prevent conflicting access rights that could lead to fraudulent activities or data breaches.

Policy management: Look for a solution that allows you to define, implement, and manage compliance policies in line with UK SOX requirements. This includes documenting control objectives, control testing, and policies related to financial reporting and internal controls.

Automated compliance monitoring: The solution should offer automated monitoring of controls, access rights, and other compliance requirements to ensure continuous compliance and timely identification of issues.

Data management: SOX compliance requires thorough processes, controls, and evidence documentation. The solution should provide a centralized data management approach to store and organize compliance-related documents securely.

Audit trail and reporting: Look for a solution that generates detailed audit logs and comprehensive reports to demonstrate compliance efforts and provide evidence for audits.

Risk assessment and mitigation: The solution should facilitate risk assessments related to financial reporting and internal controls. It should help identify risks, assess their impact, and assist in implementing mitigation strategies.

Issue and remediation tracking: A robust solution should enable you to track compliance issues, control deficiencies, and remediation efforts to ensure timely resolution.

User access reviews: The software should automate access reviews, making regularly reviewing and validating user access to financial systems and data easier.

Integration capabilities: Look for a solution that can integrate with other systems, such as your ERP and IAM (Identity and Access Management) system, to streamline data sharing and ensure data accuracy.

Proactive monitoring and alerts: The solution should offer real-time monitoring and proactive alerts to notify relevant stakeholders of potential compliance issues.

Workflow automation: Look for a solution that automates compliance-related workflows, streamlining processes and reducing manual efforts.

Centralized dashboard: A centralized dashboard provides a clear overview of your organization's compliance status and performance, enabling effective decision-making and prioritization.

Scalability and customizability: Ensure the solution is scalable to accommodate your organization's growth and customizable to adapt to specific compliance needs.

Vendor support and updates: Choose a solution from a vendor that provides regular updates and ongoing support to address changing compliance requirements and industry best practices.

By considering these capabilities in a UK SOX compliance solution, you can find a comprehensive solutions that aligns with your organization's unique requirements and supports your efforts in achieving and maintaining SOX compliance.

To gain a competitive advantage, your organization should initiate the planning and implementation of internal controls at the earliest opportunity. This involves establishing a framework, such as COSO, defining policies and procedures, segregating duties appropriately, and instituting systematic monitoring and reporting processes. By undertaking these measures, you can ensure compliance while enhancing operational efficiency and efficacy.

Early preparation for UK SOX is imperative. By doing so, you will demonstrate compliance, transparency, and a strategic outlook, positioning your organization for sustained success in the future.

Want to learn more about how SafePaaS can prepare you for UK SOX?