Compliance and Microsoft Dynamics AX: What You Need To Know Before The Auditors Ask

What's driving your compliance needs?

That's the question companies have to ask and answer before they can define the steps they define their compliance needs, according to members of the Microsoft Dynamics AX User Group.

Is it a third party like external auditors or a bank or funding company? Or maybe your compliance needs are driven by an internal audit staff with a schedule of audits that need to be conducted each year to review the internal control system; or maybe it's just a CFO and finance department that's focused on compliance and internal controls.

"That's one of the first thing companies have to look at," said Frank Vukovits, direction of programming for AXUG. "Before you define what you need to do with compliance you have to understand what's really driving your compliance needs."

Some AXUG member companies are looking for ways to make audits easier in order to ensure they're complaint with governmental regulations, while others want to be sure they're using best practices when it comes to internal and external audits. Whatever the reason, all the companies want to find ways to make their audits easier.

But regardless of the reason, companies have to strike a balance between what they have to do and what they want to do. And companies have to ensure that they understand what those compliance needs mean in terms of Dynamics AX as well as to the people supporting AX like the developers and the business analysts.

"[That's because] there's going to be an outside group that's asking for information," Vukovits said. "[You have to understand] what they really know or don't know about Dynamics AX. You have to know how to manage ...