I recently responded to a blog posting by Mark McDonald from Gartner, Inc about next generation regulatory requirements.  I like where Mark is heading and can see real merit in the discussion.  View his posting and our discussion via this link: http://blogs.gartner.com/mark_mcdonald/2009/10/29/regulation-2-0-%e2%80%93-hopefully-not-regulation-1-0-squared-1-of-2/comment-page-1/#comment-780

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I recently responded to an article posted by James Dornbrook Staff Writer of the Kansas City Business Journal.  It is really unfortunate that people are spending so much money on SOX compliance.  As always, we strongly encourage everyone to consider their options when implementing SOX.  It doesn't have to be an expensive, overbearing experience.  I do get a kick out of the executives who act as though they are victims of the SEC now because of SOX; it is almost as though they were forced to go public under duress...in any event, the article and my comments can be found here.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC - the organization of state insurance regulators for all 50 of the United States, Washington DC, and five US territories) adopted the Model Audit Rule (MAR). The MAR rules are very similar to the SOX/404 rules and become applicable in 2010. I recently commented on an article about this topic from Insurance and Technology blog by Don Goodenow, StoneRiver. Read the article and my comments here.

SOX Professionals, a leading provider of innovative, efficient solutions helping companies of all sizes and industries minimize the costs associated with Sarbanes-Oxley and SAS-related compliance requirements, has changed its name to Vibato, LLC and will be moving their corporate offices from San Francisco, CA to 775 Baywood Dr. Suite 304, Petaluma, CA 94954 effective November 1, 2009.  The San Francisco office will remain open and we will still be reachable via the 415.240.4867 phone number.

I recently had the privilege of commenting on a great article from Matt Kelly, editor-in-chief of Compliance Week.  The article discusses the strains put on internal audit teams.  Check out the article and my comments here.