For years now, I have been looking for a SOX tool that gives me visibility, easy reporting, data security, is cost effective, is scalable, and doesn't require an IT dept to support. There are SOX tools out there, but they have their limitations or you pay $50K for the license and $100K to implement it. For our clients, that's not an option.
I have hired people to build a tool in Access. That didn't scale. I have hired people to build a tool with Apache/mySQL/whatever-other-open-source-code. That didn't work.
I was desperate and decided to build a tool using the Salesforce.com platform. I've tested the tool with CNET and noticed at least a 10% decrease in hours. I attribute the decrease to better workflow management and no rework due to version control issues. The workpapers also look so much more organized and consistent compared to when we used Excel. Better access control.
I'm really proud of our efforts, considering I don't have a software development background and taught myself to build the tool using Salesforce.com for Dummies. The next stage is to launch this baby.