Advisory Services

Building trust: information security in a borderless world

If your organisation is looking only to the past for ways to protect the future, your information security programme is already out of date.

Five questions for the C-suite to consider

If your answers to these questions make you wonder if your information is secure enough, contact us.

We can transform your information security programme to improve your business performance. We understand your business and your industry. Drawing upon our in-depth knowledge and extensive experience, we can work with you to deliver sustainable, measurable results.

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Information security in a borderless world: time for a rethink

What are the information security measures companies should take in today's hyper-connected, borderless world? Find the answers in our report.

Managing risk — for opportunities

We know you’re concerned about the risks of regulation and compliance – especially if you’re in banking or health care.

Meanwhile, as market volatility and pricing pressures unsettle the landscape, those forces are stimulating competition and creating opportunities.

To strike that balance between risk and opportunity, our research suggests that many leading firms are developing an overarching strategy that balances both.

Our work with clients reveals that there is a need to re-engineer the risk processes across the business, just as was done with finance, manufacturing, and supply chain processes.

The goal is to get better coverage on the risks that matter.

Learn more about turning risks and opportunities into results.

Internal audit: enhancing and sustaining business performance

Companies value the role Internal Audit plays. But they are looking for more.

Executives want Internal Audit to not only see what has gone before, but also what comes next. They want Internal Audit to provide insights into strategic initiatives, and to share ideas that improve business performance. And they want it now

Internal Audit as strategic advisor

As a strategic advisor, Internal Audit can:

• Identify company-wide cost improvements
• Offer recommendations that improve business performance
• Provide key insights that focus on risk

We can help you:

• Assess your Internal Audit function and identify areas of improvement
• Identify opportunities to enhance the strategic value of Internal Audit
• Accelerate improvements through cosourcing

A clearer vision for finance

An effective Finance function that is best suited to the organisation can be a critical factor for growth.

Yet 98% of companies feel there are opportunities to improve their Finance function.

The challenge is in marrying conflicting priorities:

• Driving the business forward
• Protecting the organisation’s financial assets

Our research suggests 80% of companies are planning to better align Finance with overall business strategies.

To do that, we see three key priorities for finance which involve striking a balance between control, effectiveness and efficiency.

1. Control: promote strong governance and control in the organisation.
2. Effectiveness: drive the business forward, challenge the business and strengthen decision-making throughout the organisation.
3. Efficiency: drive costs down, integrate acquired teams.

See more about a clearer vision for Finance:

• DNA of the CFO 
• Finance Forte: the future of finance leadership
• CFO Insights

Getting information technology right

Information technology functions need to strike a balance between risk and performance.

But reality often falls short of this goal.

That’s because IT’s influence on the business has evolved so quickly that many IT functions are still struggling with how to marry their technical expertise with a new business perspective.

Top IT leaders are now facing broad challenges, including:

• Increasingly complex IT and business operating models
• Cost efficiency and transparency demands
• New regulations and new forms of threat
• Corporate responsibility expectations

Our research suggests that successful firms are focusing on these key issues and formulating their response at the enterprise level.

Learn more about getting IT right:

• Straight talk about IT performance
• Into the cloud, out of the fog 
• Information security in a borderless world
• Information security services

Focus on your customer and grow your revenue

To achieve growth, you need to understand your target customers in detail.

And that means moving beyond the usual analytical data. But you also need to improve customer acquisition, retention and cross-selling. You may even need to define an integrated multi-channel strategy.

Our research suggests that while a challenging business environment can shift attention to the short-term, it can also create opportunities to transform your customer-facing processes — and open the door to a sustainable impact on your organisation’s bottom line.

Shaping effective supply chains

Responding to a business environment that’s more complex and fluid than ever, many companies are adapting their supply chains in two key ways:

• They’re rapidly expanding to capitalise on the growing number of middle-class buyers in emerging markets.
• They’re driving cost efficiencies to boost margins in their mature market operations.

Our research suggests that either way, seven interconnected items come into play.

In growth markets, considerations include:

• Managing operational, tax and regulatory risk
• Enabling new revenue sources
• Establishing an effective supply chain model and infrastructure

In mature markets, considerations include:

• Reconfiguring the supply chain to create cost competitiveness
• Optimising global spend
• Improving operational agility and responsiveness

In mature and emerging markets, environmental and sustainability matters emerge.