Isaac Clarke

The evolution of technology and its increased use has led businesses around the world to become more interconnected and interdependent of one another than ever before. Companies of all sizes can now easily reach and serve organizations around the globe, rather than just their region or country. As services provided by service organizations are increasingly [...]

The Oxford dictionary defines an assertion as “a confident and forceful statement of fact or belief.” Making an assertion is often used synonymously with stating an opinion or making a claim. While assertions are made in all aspects of life, most people think of a company's financial statements or the financial statements audit when they [...]

Cybersecurity is a serious concern for the management and board members of organizations around the world. Consequently, service providers are being faced with increasing scrutiny and pressure to prove that they have taken appropriate measures to protect their systems, the client data that they process or store, and the systems and entities who use or [...]

Organizations flourish when they establish environments that foster the efficient execution of operations. Internal controls should help organizations deliver value to their stakeholders and achieve their strategic objectives while aligning with industry best practices, laws, and regulations to manage risks facing them. What Is the Control Environment of a Company? The Institute of Internal Auditors [...]

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) is a regulatory board reporting to the SEC who oversees the audits of public companies. Congress created the PCAOB in 2002 with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in response to a series of accounting scandals, notably Enron and Worldcom, to tighten controls on the auditing industry. [...]

You have poured your blood, sweat, and tears in to your startup and it is about to pay off. You are close to finalizing a deal with a new, large customer. You have worked long and hard to connect with them and demonstrate the value of your service or system. They are excited. You are [...]

If you are reading this article, chances are that your auditor has told you that you have an audit exception or, even worse, multiple “audit exceptions.” Hearing that phrase strikes fear and panic into the hearts of many. While some of those reactions may be justified, I have found that many suffer more than necessary [...]

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental organization made up of members from the national standards bodies of over 160 countries that set international standards related to products and services. [...]

This article addresses the what, when, why, and who’s related to letters of representation for audits, specifically SOC audits. What is a Letter of Representation? A letter of representation (a.k.a., representation letter, rep. letter, LOR) in audit services is a form letter from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants typically prepared by the external [...]

The ten generally accepted privacy principles that are essential to the proper protection and management of personal information are: [...]