A Consideration of Practical Strategies when Implementing Information Technology General Controls in a Sarbanes Oxley Compliant Environment

Abstract: The Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act in the United States has fundamentally changed the Western World's business regulatory environment. The Act itself aims to enhance corporate governance through measures that will strengthen internal checks and balances and, ultimately, strengthen corporate accountability. However, it is important to emphasize that the Act not only requires that senior management and business process owners establish and maintain an adequate internal control structure, but also assess the effectiveness of such control(s) on an annual basis. It is against this background that this dissertation considers the formulation of a suitable set of strategies in the form of a policy document to act as a tool to assist and guide management and owners in implementing general Information Technology /Information System controls in a SOX compliant environment.

Keywords: Information Technology, Sarbanes-Oxley, Business Regulation, Corporate Accountability