The rapidity, pervasiveness, complexity, and invisibility of technological change have eroded and circumvented our conventional three levels of security. Without innovative methods for auditing and assurance, there is a risk of eroding the ‘digital trust’ that is critical to the success of organisations, economies, and society.
Similar to how technology enables businesses to accomplish things they haven’t ever done before, auditors can perform things they have never done before. Today, the audit’s fundamental assumption remains the same as it has always been; to reassure the financial system that a firm is properly presenting its financial results. Nonetheless, auditors are increasingly relying on sophisticated technical tools to conduct more thorough and even higher-quality audits.
Headstart to Future
Companies are increasingly using data analytics to analyse practically all transactions at various phases of an audit to gain more insight and value from the data. This encompasses the planning, interim, and year-end audit procedures.
This creates an improved ability to:
- To focus on risk areas
- To ask more precise inquiries
- Discover unusual structure
- Strengthen the professional judgment of auditors
Structured and unstructured data are both used in the audit work to apply predictive analytics, visualization of data, and reporting.
Blockchain
Unprecedented levels of transparency are brought about by blockchain technology’s decentralisation of the system. Blockchain ensures absolute transparency by capturing every single transaction, which cannot be falsified. In addition, it can guarantee the precise ownership and management of assets.
With the rise of technology comes a new era of accountability and transparency in the financial sector. This indicates that we are on our way to a world wherein accounting and auditing practices are becoming more transparent, clearer, and more accountable.
As transactions are organised into blocks and stored in a worldwide network, blockchain helps to alter the current system of financial transactions.
Analytics based on big data
With a lot of information comes a lot of noise. The greater the number of data points, the greater the risk of having an excess of resources, which could cause operations to get clogged. What we’re about to see is the power of data analytics! To meet the needs of the professional accountant and the customer, data analytics examines, sifts, transforms, and models data.
To put it another way, data analytics can be a godsend when it comes to conducting annual audits, where accuracy and precision are critical.
Automated Robotic Processes
Machine learning and robotic process automation (RPA) are reshaping the way accounting is done. Automation and other forms of technology are used in continuous accounting to integrate duties that are typically performed at a certain time into routine daily activities. The advantage of continuous accounting, on the other hand, goes far beyond allowing your accounting team to rest easier at night at the office. You can increase productivity and data integrity by automating repetitive tasks. Errors are a frequent cause of time-consuming work for your accounting staff.
Computerised Reasoning
For the first time, artificial intelligence is capable of analyzing patterns and trends, making it one of the most groundbreaking developments of the modern age. To put it another way, machine learning in accounting can be customized to meet the demands of specific clients based on an analysis of past data. This not only decreases auditing’s administrative burden but also streamlines the assurance process’s implementation. According to a 2020 survey conducted in India (the National AI Portal of India), some applicants attributed up to 20% of their company’s earnings to AI.
Virtual storage
An entire floor’s worth of accounting information can be maintained in the safe and compact space of one digital app instead of being encircled by countless statements, multiple reports, and other facts. Cloud storage allows for secure storage of any materials and the convenience of having them at your fingertips at all times and from any location.
In the future years, an increasing number of businesses plan to employ cloud-based accounting solutions. ERM systems link the financial data in your accounting software with the rest of your company’s vital processes. You may get more meaningful insights into your organisation with an integrated Erp software platform that combines data from these distinct areas.
Ready for Innovation?
This innovation is already influencing our organisations and will continue to do so. We need to immediately design a strategy that strikes a balance between waiting (and maybe being too late) and focusing excessively on this at the expense of other critical areas.
Future Building Blocks
The rapid speed of technological advancement has created unprecedented potential for businesses to disrupt themselves and enter new markets. The promise of increased production, increased efficiency, and the abolition of human mistakes are well documented. The new threats that evolving technologies create for organisations are less thoroughly recognised.
Due to the rapid acceptance, complexity, and ubiquity of modern technologies, these dangers are rapidly rising in probability and impact and frequently go unrecognised.
As innovation and organisations evolve, we believe assurance services must also evolve beyond the ‘iteration’ of constant improvement driven by effectiveness evaluations and audit committee requirements to adapt effectively.
