Certification course and training for Sox Act ?? 1414



  • I am completely new to the area of SOX and compliance and pursuing CPA exams. Can anyone advise/suggest me where I could find the course? Which places to contact with regards to training for beginners?



  • I am a newbie as well and am searching for training for beginners to this subject. Any help in directing to formal training class would be grateful.
    Thanks.



  • These are excellent questions and here’s a few ideas:

    1. These forums are an excellent resource to visit daily and it’s personally helping me a lot
    2. I did a quick Google search with the keyword ‘sox certification training’ and got numerous offerings. Some looked good while others may not be the best choice as an investment in time/costs. Hopefully, some of our other members might classes that are good.
    3. I discovered a SOX certification program (CSOX professional designation). It looks good on paper, but I’m not familiar with this program at all. Links are noted below:
      CSOX Professional Designation Training
      soxinstitute.org/soxworkshops.htm
      Training is a very wise investment and it’s fundamental for success. For example, a company can waste tons of USDUSDUSD if they start on the wrong approach and implement too few, too many, or the wrong controls in their organization. It’s like building a house. You meet a plan and even prior to that you need a trained individual to draw up the blueprint.


  • Thanks for the info. I am considering SOX but am unsure if its the right career move for me. I have a BA in Business Administration with Marketing major. In my professional career, I have done marketing, outside sales, and non-profit work. I don’t have an accounting degree nor law degree. Do you think SOX is too technical to understand given my background?



  • Do you think SOX is too technical to understand given my background?
    No, but it would require basic technical and accounting skills plus a solid understanding of audit principles. There are at least 2 sides of SOX compliancy, which include the business side and a more technically oriented IT side.
    SOX compliancy is more about putting your thinking cap on and establishing best audit practices (e.g., separation of duties, change controls, autonomy levels, good security, testing/sampling, good documentation, etc.). It has some aspects of technology, but it’s at a high level rather than the ‘bits and bytes’ of an application program.
    A good SOX compliancy team member or manager would have sound reasoning, a willingness to learn, good negotiation skills, and good basic technical skills. There’s definitely a need for well trained professionals in SOX, so it might be worth further evaluation.



  • Hi,
    I am not familiar with the SOX certification. Generally, a CPA, CIA, or CISA certification is helpful for a SOX implementation. It might be a good idea to simply conduct self-studies (read other posts on this site for resources and useful SOX links), or pursue a path leading to one of the above professional designations. Any of the above is ‘marketable’ in the current regulatory environment and will not limit you to ‘SOX-only’ consulting/career opportunities.
    Hope this helps,
    Milan



  • Regarding SOX certification, I had researched this and found an an entry level programs for students and non-experienced professionals (where you only need to master the subject matter itself). There’s also an advanced and higher level professional designation requiring 1200 hours of SOX.
    SOX knowledge and skills are a good thing to have in the business environment. The SOX Certification program may help in positioning for a future job also. I’m not certain how popular this new certification is among potential employers, but it does look like good training if you have both the time and money to pursue it.
    SOX CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
    soxinstitute.org/certification.htm
    SOX Membership program (requires annual fees of USD95 to USD145 per year)
    soxinstitute.org/member.htm



  • SOX CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
    soxinstitute.org/certification.htm
    SOX Membership program (requires annual fees of USD95 to USD145 per year)
    [/quote]
    Anyone,
    Do you or have you considered a formal SOX certification to assess a potential candidate for assistance on a SOX implementation?
    I’ve seen many resumes but no persons have noted a formal SOX certification in the educational qualifications on the resume. Most SOX consultants have a CPA, CIA, or CISA. A CISP (Computer Information Security Professional) seems to be a hot area with many opportunities for those with this certification AND relevant work experience.



  • Hi Milan … While I don’t have certification here, I’ll offer some quick thoughts:

    1. Major professional designations like a CPA, CIA, or CISP would certainly take precedence, over this brand new SOX certification which is relatively unknown in the industry. I equate the CPA designation to being like a secondary college degree from an academic standpoint.
    2. From the viewpoint of a professional wanting to acquire skills, I see this as enhancing success in landing a job, but it’s not the ‘all-in-all’. This SOX certification program might still attract the designation of a potential employer who needs members on the SOX compliancy team. It’s focused knowledge but it certainly wouldn’t provide the skill set of a CPA.
    3. From a company standpoint, it looks like a good training program to me 🙂 I firmly believe in training and if folks know better what to do, it can save a lot of wasted and mis-directed efforts.
    4. As a firm believer in continuing education, I have many professional designations, e.g., it would look like ‘alphabet soup’ if I listed all 10 of these at the end of my name 😉 Many of them have continuing professional development programs and fees/dues to support the continuance of the sponsoring association. In many cases, folks don’t participate in paying dues if their company can’t support it. Thus, one would need to weight the viability of the SOX institute in continuing. It might indeed surivive but there’s always a chance that certification programs can become defunct (as 2 organizations have for programs I completed many years ago).


  • Hi Harry,
    I suggested that the economically-challenged student consider spending his or her hard-earned money on something more meaningful (CPA, CISA, CIA), instead of the SOX certification.
    Given that no organizations, if any, seem to place value on a formal SOX certification, the training and annual ‘membership’ costs could be better invested elsewhere.
    Proper education, relevant training, and/or a combination of work experience are necessary for success on a SOX implementation. However, the materials and resources that can be used to train for a SOX assignment can be obtained at little to no cost.
    The online resources available from the PCAOB, Audit Standard No 2, and wealth of materials about SOX collectively, are ideal for use in a learning situation. Hence, my resistance to invest in a ‘SOX Crash Course’ or enroll in a program leading to a specialized ‘certification’ that is generally not recognized in the industry.
    Respectfully,
    Milan



  • There is also the Sarbanes-Oxley Certification Institute.
    Certification is important when being considered for a promotion or other career opportunities. :roll:



  • I’m going to suggest an alternative to pursuing a so called SOX certification, because IMHO until the PCAOB and ISACA team up and sponsor such a certification program, I put little value in any alternative certification program. From my view within the industry, it just doesn’t hold any water right now.
    For now, I think better strategies include pursuit of the CPA, CIA and/or CISA in spare time, coupled with entry level experience in the SOX industry as a consultant. I think most firms in the SOX industry will recognize that there just isn’t a wealth of experienced labor standing around and many will take a chance on a person as a contractor initially as a test of how quickly one can learn and get tasks accomplished.
    Once you are in a firm, I’d suggest that you seek out the wisest person in the firm as a mentor, be prepared to work hard, and seek answers to technical situations which you are not very familiar. The breadth of knowledge that makes a superior SOX consultant is tremendous, but it doesn’t have to be learned overnight. One can do quite well working hard by day and studying by night/weekend and other free time to gain proficiency.
    Recently, the PCAOB and SEC conducted a roundtable and one of the main action items was that more specific SOX directives are needed. Folks, now is great time to keep your ear to the regulatory barrel because professional guidance and standards will be revised and everyone with interest can become technically up to date with some effort.
    Good luck.
    Bob


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