“The enhancements we announced today allow customers to clearly seewhere they are must vulnerable to risk and where they need to bolster controlsto mitigate that risk. Rather than manually tracking numerous initiatives one byone, customers can manage various risk management and compliance programs atthe same time in one environment. This centralized approach also helps makesure that controls are being used effectively across the company. For example,Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPPA regulations may require the same controls; nowcustomers use the same controls and make sure they are deployed consistentlyacross various initiatives.”Today we’re taking a significant step forward, giving customers the clarityrequired to successfully navigate risk more effectively in the currentfinancial climate, help position them for future growth,” said Narina Sippy,senior vice president and general manager, GRC Solutions, SAP BusinessObjectsDivision. “With a holistic approach to real-timemonitoring of key risk indicators and controls, organization can manage theirbusiness proactively and strategically, rather than reactively. And a morecomprehensive risk management strategy is key to improving corporateperformance.

Customers ability to automatically test and monitor theseprocesses can deliver significant cost and efficiency savings.” The enhancements to SAP BusinessObjects GRC solutions also help enablecustomers to manage multiple compliance programs centrally, helping to savetime and cut costs. Now business users can easily create,customize and distribute a report from Crystal Reports(R) software or adashboard from Xcelsius(R) software to highlight a potential problem.Leveraging technologies like Xcelsius to build “heat maps” offers companies avisually powerful way to demonstrate trouble spots, such as supply chaindisruptions and its potential financial impact.”The latest SAP BusinessObjects GRC solutions further showcase their uniquevision, which ensures that GRC is integrated into the core business processesand applications – and is not simply an afterthought,” Michael Rasmussen,president, Corporate Integrity. For risk and compliance programs to succeed, business users acrossthe company must have access to risk information. Integrating SAPBusinessObjects BI solutions provides a powerful way to share this data viareports and interactive dashboards. This is a faster and more cost-effectiveway to make sure that risk monitoring is automatic and ongoing.This latest release of SAP BusinessObjects GRC solutions embeds SAPBusinessObjects BI solutions, enabling simplified reporting, dashboarding andanalytics. Now risk managersand auditors can easily build controls and key risk indicators that monitorthe business environment, helping to prevent problems and promote theeffectiveness of existing systems.

If an inspection is not completed or if the quality results fallout of acceptable range, an alert is automatically sent to the operationsmanager so immediate corrective action can be taken before the product isshipped. SAP software helps the company to address the risk before it becomesa problem, thus protecting customers and ultimately, consumers.The new versions of SAP BusinessObjects Risk Management and SAPBusinessObjects Process Control also empower business users to embed riskmanagement into existing business processes and divisions. With the new SAP solutions, risk indicators and controls aremonitored continuously and automatically. For example, the software can helpensure that every shipment of spinach that goes out has been adequatelyinspected. coli bacteria could have beenbetter managed with SAP BusinessObjects GRC solutions. In the food industry,companies have manufacturing controls in place to help plants comply withquality checks mandated by the Federal Department of Agriculture (FDA):failing to comply with these regulations poses a significant risk to publicsafety, not to mention fines and damage to brand reputation.

Today, mostcompanies audit their inspection processes manually and on a quarterly basis.As a result, it can take months to find out if controls are still in place oreffective. For example, recent product recalls have cost companies both moneyand reputation. But SAP BusinessObjects GRC solutions can help companies makesure the right controls are in place to help them identify and resolve productquality issues before they put both the public and the company at risk.For example, recent spinach recalls due to E. Customers’ ability to make risk management anongoing process will help ensure fewer surprises and more sound businesspractices. With the solutionsSAP announced today, customers can enact continuous monitoring of businessrisks and internal controls.