Insights

The coronavirus crisis has hit the global economy to an unprecedented degree, with many companies facing the prospect of having to make drastic changes to their business models. New challenges have arisen and are now affecting several points, many of them crucial, along the entire value chain. From the insecurity and shortages faced by suppliers to struggling, unstable markets and surpluses in personnel – not to mention the sudden, tight restrictions on mobility – very few areas have escaped the effects of the pandemic.

Durch die zunehmende Ausbreitung von Covid-19 rückt der Schutz, die Gesundheit und die Sicherheit der Mitarbeitenden stärker in den unternehmerischen Fokus denn je. Um die Belegschaft ausreichend zu schützen und den Empfehlungen des Bundes nachzukommen, sind viele Unternehmen dazu übergegangen ihr Arbeitsmodell umzustellen – meist mit ausgesprochen geringer Vorbereitungszeit. Die Arbeit im «Homeoce» bietet sich unter den Umständen der Covid-19-Krise in vielen Fällen als gute Übergangslösung an – birgt für viele Unternehmen aber auch eine Vielzahl neuartiger Risiken, welche nicht ausser Acht gelassen

The internal auditor has a very specific and often relatively isolated role within the company. He is very close to the board of directors and management and yet not part of them. Digitalisation is also creating new challenges for risk management - companies need to be more vigilant than ever. While business remains the same, individual processes are becoming increasingly dependent on data and its in-depth analysis. It is thus clear that the career profile of an “internal auditor” will change to being that of a “business risk analyst”.

Technology is continuing to advance at a rapid rate, bringing new growth opportunities for organisations around the world. While it enables new commercial models and supports emerging business areas, it brings additional pressure for established organisations to keep up to date. These advances create new challenges for risk management, and organisations must be more alert than ever around emerging risks. In this document we set out the top ten technology risks, which audit committees should seek to gain assurance over.

Your company can no longer afford to not have a clear IT strategy or have manual processes, unclear roles and responsibilities, poorly defined support processes or a lack of an overview or cost structure of third-party providers. In an increasingly digital and fast-moving world, it is important to be efficiently positioned in the area of IT so that both employees and customers see well-functioning and cost-efficient IT as being added value.