5 Ways to Innovate in Finance

Innovation is very much in the ‘eye of the beholder’.  What is innovation in one setting could be considered mainstream in another.  While modern finance functions naturally seek to explore the very latest and more experimental technologies (digital assistants, artificial intelligence, natural language processing), there is a treasure trove of benefit to be gained from … Continued

5 Reasons why analysts are wrong. ERP in the cloud will succeed .

Some analysts have expressed strong doubts about the sustainability of ERP in the cloud, but the notion that ERP is the cloud will not succeed is greatly exaggerated.  Here are 5 reasons why. The ERP concept is proven – who wants to turn the clock back? Whatever misgivings CFOs may have about the chequered history … Continued

5 Reasons why benchmarking-in-the-cloud is set to revolutionise the finance function

“How are we performing compared to our closest competitors?”…. is a constant concern for CFOs seeking to drive growth and profitability.  Yet it is a stubbornly difficult question to answer.  Traditional benchmarking services are expensive and time-consuming, added to which they frequently ‘straight-jacket’ businesses into a narrow range of performance measures that leave nagging doubts … Continued

Businesses are automating – so why are audit fees increasing?

Almost every week there is a press release or report from one of the Big 4 accounting firms urging businesses to improve efficiency through financial process automation, standardisation and innovation.  So as we approach a new audit season the troubling question is why are audit fees so stubbornly high and increasing? And at a time … Continued