ABSTRACT
When validating internal controls with a client, an auditor hears about vendor approvals automated using the Software as a Service (SaaS) at hand. There is no greater credibility than having an internal cross-functional team work through the challenges in a software implementation, and with the configuration rich capability that can be unpacked, perhaps therein lays a greater opportunity at hand for SaaS customers. Had the software been on-premise and a local installation with little public visibility, the rate of response from its vendor would have been likely lower. And in this respect, SaaS is truly a utility computing of sorts. Yet compared to an on-premise software, it can weigh in more heavily in other ways, challenging us to step outside our ascribed role whether that be customer, vendor, accountant, auditor, entry clerk, planner, developer, support, human resources, sales, marketing, or other functions within the organization.
