Importance of Security
and Controls
In our experience, an area often
overlooked in financial audits is Oracle
security. The integrity of information
within Oracle applications is critical.
The financial reports produced by the
system are relied upon by the organisation,
their auditors and wider stakeholders,
including other government bodies and
ultimately the general public.
The accuracy and completeness of
information held in Oracle applications
depends on robust security and controls.
However, many organisations struggle to
get this right.
The National Audit Office (NAO) in the
UK issued a ‘disclaimer of opinion’ in the
audit report for the Home Office in 2004-052.
The audit report referred to ‘fundamental
problems’ in the accounting systems and
‘significant control weaknesses’ within
key IT applications following a troubled
implementation project.
In addition to financial accounting
risks, weaknesses in Oracle security and
controls can introduce ‘operational risks’,
such as expenses fraud, unauthorised
‘data leakage’ and late payments to
suppliers. This can be damaging to the
organisation’s reputation.