No one would argue with the oft-stated assertion that the first year cost of complying with Section 404 of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) was sky high. The administrative burden of compliance was significant enough for most companies to warrant a review of strategies and tactics for maximizing value-add from the compliance process.

While the SOX-stated purpose of protecting investors by improving the reliability of public reporting is an important goal, both executive managements are asking tough questions related to deriving tangible benefit from compliance investments. In this issue, we incorporate insights and lessons learned.