Challenge 

A large financial institution needed expert support for its SOX IT testing program. Given the significant time and resources SOX compliance historically required, the company was looking for automated, agentic solutions to enable speed, accuracy, and strategic value. 

Having previously partnered with CrossCountry Consulting on several large technology and risk management efforts, the company was excited to bring in additional expertise and hands-on implementation support. 

How We Helped 

CrossCountry Consulting’s Integrated Risk Management team deployed AI solutions across two critical SOX workstreams: IT testing and program governance. Our team’s support included: 

  • Evaluating and piloting emerging AI compliance technologies, ultimately selecting Copilot. 
  • Designing and deploying AI-assisted workflows for specific use cases and workflows within the SOX compliance lifecycle. 
  • Standardizing reporting outputs for program-wide consistency. 
  • Developing training materials and self-service resources to scale program knowledge. 
  • Performing a root cause analysis on control deficiencies to prioritize for remediation. 
  • Enhancing audit readiness through automated workflows and standardized documentation. 
  • Supporting cross-functional risk assessment and remediation planning. 

“Before, the company’s SOX program resembled every other large financial institution: spreadsheets, email chains, and a team working nights and weekends during testing cycles. Now they’re running automated user access reviews in minutes, not days, and spending their time on the work that actually moves the needle. That’s the kind of AI-enabled transformation that makes other SOX leaders take notice.” – Jay Lufkin, Associate Director, Risk Advisory 

Results 

With this foundation, the company can expand AI-assisted compliance capabilities to additional SOX workstreams efficiently and responsibly. So far, the company has achieved several measurable benefits, including: 

  • 500 annual hours recovered, equivalent to more than 3 months of work. 
  • 8% time reduction in executing the SOX program. 
  • 60% time reduction in manual preparation of documents by using standardized Copilot prompt libraries. 
  • 40% time reduction in manual coordination efforts through automated notifications and routing. 
  • 95% documentation consistency. 
  • 100% SOX testing detection accuracy through automating user access reviews. 

By eliminating manual transcription errors and proactively identifying control gaps before they escalate, the company now has a proven, repeatable way to perform SOX work in the future, not through added headcount and added steps, but through value-add technology. Combining the power of human expertise and AI precision, the company can expect to generate sustainable annual savings that can be redeployed toward further innovation.