ELEVATE YOUR APPROACH TO DATA ANALYSIS
with ready-to-use scripts, cloud-enabled productivity,
and innovative training
ELEVATE YOUR APPROACH TO DATA ANALYSIS
with ready-to-use scripts, cloud-enabled productivity,
and innovative training
Today’s competitive environment raises the question of
what more can be achieved to advance and improve
the organization even further. In order to thrive and
grow, exceeding expectations and surpassing
requirements is what helps distinguish an exceptional
organization from a mediocre one.
ACL understands the challenges facing customers. By
leveraging our deep history and expertise in the audit
industry and innovative technology, ACL creates
practical solutions that challenge the status quo. We
deliver ease of use and effectiveness in helping deliver
credible business value, whether it be increasing
compliance, improving controls, or providing assurance.
For a limited time on a trial basis, ACL is offering three
new valuable bonus features to all customers to help
elevate their current approach to data analysis from
average to exceptional:
1. ScriptHub – Accelerate data analysis efforts while
augmenting scripting skills by leveraging this valuable
library of pre-built analytic tests.
2. Results Cloud – Quickly broadcast data analysis
accomplishments to stakeholders via the cloud for
increased collaboration, easier investigation, and more
intuitive interpretation via beautiful charts and graphs.
3. Academy - Conveniently access a wide range of
online training resources to help increase your product
knowledge and domain expertise.
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SOLUTION SHEET
Bonus Feature 1: ScriptHub – Save time with a library of re-usable scripts
Analytic tests are a critical part of a governance, risk management, and
compliance (GRC) framework, as they lead to the identification of
issues while validating whether existing controls are effective. With the
large number of controls that are typically in place to prevent risks,
users are faced with the challenge of not only executing many tests,
but figuring out what kind of tests to create in the first place.
ScriptHub is a repository where users can freely browse and download
pre-written analytic tests, known as “scripts,” for ACL™ Analytics or ACL™
Analytics Exchange. Given that the scripts deliver functionality not only
spanning analysis but also data import and preparation, this
streamlines the users’ job significantly as it automates much of the
work, allowing them to focus more on the results instead of the
process.
Huge time savings
Although the Audit Command Language has been around for 25+
years with over 100,000 users, knowing how to write an effective script
is a skill acquired through experience. It’s not surprising for a user to
not know what to do or how to start, but having pre-built scripts
readily available in ScriptHub makes the analysis process much easier
and faster. The ability to schedule scripts also helps ensure the
repeatability of the process while reducing much of the error that
often occurs due to manual execution.
Valuable learning asset and source of ideas
ScriptHub also serves as a valuable learning resource. Given the wide
breadth of functionality covered by the scripts, users can learn from
them and repurpose them to suit their requirements. ScriptHub can also
be a useful source of ideas to spark inspiration for additional scripts.
Having a continually updated, consolidated repository of scripts allows
the broader ACL community to share and leverage the collective
expertise and ultimately deliver more value to their organizations.
Enforces consistency and encourages best practices
To help enforce consistency and encourage the adoption of best practices,
all the scripts in ScriptHub use new packaging standards designed to help
optimize effectiveness and efficiency by relying on a common data model
– the benefit being that the scripts can be executed more quickly for any
organization with minimal pre-configuration. In addition, the analytic
header needed to facilitate conversion between Analytics and
Analytics Exchange scripts is automatically included in import preparation
and analysis scripts.
Bonus Feature 2: Results Cloud – collaboration, investigation, and interpretation made easy
While data analysis results are an integral driver of decisions within an
organization, good decisions that benefit the business are not made in
isolation. Failing to take the business context into account results in a
confined perspective of the problem, which ultimately leads to the
incorrect conclusion and wasted effort in a resolution that doesn’t
properly address the root cause.
Results Cloud enables ACL Analytics and ACL Analytics Exchange users to
easily share analysis results and communicate findings to ensure that the
data is interpreted and understood in the right context. This results in the
proper identification of issues that can also be acted upon immediately
for remediation.
Bring new meaning to data with visualizations
With Results Cloud, users can elevate their contribution by presenting
analysis results in a more compelling and attractive manner through data
visualizations via beautiful charts and graphs. This not only helps increase
the visibility and importance of their role, but also makes it much easier
for others in the organization to understand and interpret the data,
ultimately arriving at a conclusion that accounts for the business context.
The visualization capability also helps users more effectively illustrate
their findings to management to provide a more complete story behind
the data.
Ease of sharing and collaboration
While exchanging spreadsheets, files, or email are all possible means of
sharing information and collaborating with others, it is not a viable or
effective long-term solution. Not only is it a cumbersome, manual
process, but there is no version control or audit trail to ensure the
integrity of the data. With Results Cloud, scripts can easily be packaged
into a one-click analysis application where the results are accessible to
stakeholders through the cloud. This makes it effortless to quickly share
analysis results across the organization, or facilitate collaboration when
handing off findings.
Figure 1 Easily interpret test results with data visualizations
Ability to act and remediate issues
Identifying issues through data analysis is of little value if there is no means
or plan to remediate them. However, many organizations may not know
what to do after the data has been analyzed. Results Cloud has everything
needed to provide an end-to-end audit trail from risk identification to
remediation at the transaction level. Because the underlying data resides in
the system, there is no extra work required of the user to track and
follow-up on remediation. By enabling users to request additional
information from suspects through custom questionnaires1, or triggering
actions on questionable records, Results Cloud provides built-in
remediation workflow to help improve existing controls and increase
compliance. This also ensures that the hard work done by those who
performed or interpreted the analysis has not gone to waste­— and that it
results in action that benefits the entire organization.
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Included with a full subscription to ACL™ GRC
SOLUTION SHEET
Bonus Feature 3: Academy – Innovative training from the convenience of your desktop
Very often, there’s the misconception that a software investment ends after it’s purchased. However, forward-thinking customers recognize that
there’s still a lot of untapped potential waiting to be unlocked through further education and training. Without this additional knowledge, it’s
difficult for users to fully understand where or how to apply the software, or appreciate how other components of the ACL product suite can
complement and extend their current solution. Academy is an online resource for learning about ACL products that contains both full courses and short learning episodes for targeted,
interactive learning at no extra cost. Not only does Academy help users gain a better understanding of how they can effectively use the software,
but it also provides specialized domain knowledge and practical scenario-based learning to help them deliver tangible value to the organization.
Figure 2 Clearly show progress to management
Demonstration of progress to management
With so many competing priorities within an
organization, there’s obviously the expectation of
progress and results. Academy provides a clear
indication of a user’s progress so that management
has instant visibility into their staff’s self-education
efforts. Users can also justify continuing to invest
their time in taking this additional education, which
can eventually lead to the esteemed ACDA (ACL™
Certified Data Analyst) certification.
Increase user productivity while encouraging
consolidation on a single solution
Although product documentation is a useful
reference, it is not a substitute for product training.
With Academy, users can easily access high quality
training resources from the convenience of their own
desktop. By developing skills not only in product
usage but also in domain expertise, users can gain
the insight to assess where its benefits could
potentially be applied to other departments in the
organization. This not only extends the value of the
ACL software, but also encourages the use of
consolidating on a single software platform rather
than having to invest the time and effort in
integrating multiple, disparate solutions.
Take advantage of the bonus features
Realize the full potential of your ACL software and elevate your approach to data analysis by leveraging the
ScriptHub, Results Cloud, and Academy as part of your subscription. For continued access to these features
please contact your ACL Sales Representative or ACL Partner to update your existing licensing agreement.
SOLUTION SHEET
About ACL
Interested in learning
more about our products
and services?
Call 1-888-669-4225 to speak
with a representative
Visit our website at acl.com
Email us at info@acl.com
ACL delivers technology solutions that are transforming audit and risk management. Through a
combination of software and expert content, ACL enables powerful internal controls that identify and
mitigate risk, protect profits, and accelerate performance.
Driven by a desire to expand the horizons of audit and risk management so they can deliver greater
strategic business value, we develop and advocate technology that strengthens results, simplifies
adoption, and improves usability. ACL’s integrated family of products—including our cloud-based
governance, risk management and compliance (GRC) solution and flagship data analytics products—
combine all vital components of audit and risk, and are used seamlessly at all levels of the organization,
from the C-suite to front line audit and risk professionals and the business managers they interface with.
Enhanced reporting and dashboards provide transparency and business context that allows
organizations to focus on what matters.
And, thanks to 25 years of experience and our consultative approach, we ensure fast, effective
implementation, so customers realize concrete business results fast at low risk. Our actively engaged
community of more than 14,000 customers around the globe—including 89% of the Fortune 500—tells
our story best. Here are just a few.
Visit us online at www.acl.com
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© 2014 ACL Services Ltd.
ACL and the ACL logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACL Services Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.