"Major Corporation Rocked by Loss of Customer Data!" Headlines like this are not uncommon in today's data intensive society. The legal and financial impact of these scandals can be immense and can damage a company's reputation. Couple this with the increased scrutiny on companies to comply with local, national, and even international legislation, there is increased pressure on IT departments to safeguard data yet audit teams need access to that data to fulfill their mandate and in a cost-effective manner.

Challenges
In today's business environment, the volume of data organizations need to manage and have oversight into is growing exponentially. And often the data required for effective audit analysis is housed in disparate systems and requires IT to provide access to that data, potentially adding overhead and time to the audit process. Furthermore, IT and Audit face a dilemma – they have divergent requirements when it comes to corporate data. IT is responsible for the security and control of the organization's data while Audit needs access to this data to fulfill their mandate. The answer: provide auditors with direct access to data in a secure IT-managed environment while preserving the integrity of the records.

ACL Solutions
Through a simple user interface, ACL provides a single point-of-view to 100% of data read directly from corporate databases while adhering to the enterprise's security protocols. This is accomplished regardless of the volume, the type or the location of the data. Using ACL solutions, the data is kept in a managed and secure IT environment and not on an individual's laptop where it is exposed to unnecessary risk of loss or theft. Because the data is viewed and analyzed in read-only mode, it cannot be altered or deleted. Eliminating the need for IT to provide data extracts reduces the length of audit cycles, retains the integrity of the data, and removes the burden upon IT resources.

Secure Data Access in Action
Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina – a long time ACL customer – has reduced its audit cycles to weeks from months while easing the burden on IT resources and increasing its ability to uncover errors. Sensitive health care information is protected and daily volumes of data measured in terabytes are analyzed. Download the Blue Cross Blue Shield success story to learn more!