Apparity Blog
Read the latest EUC governance related news & insights from our experts.
Spreadsheet Error Causes a $10.5m Mistake
The use of spreadsheets has become a standard in most business processes across the globe. Between the ease of use and flexibility of spreadsheets, they're often used to store, manipulate and analyze data across an entire organization. Whether the software is being...
PHE Under Reports COVID-19 Cases Due to Excel Error
On October 4th, 2020, Public Health England (PHE) reported that 15,841 COVID-19 cases were left out of daily reports from September 25th to October 2nd. The cause was due to the way the agency was using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet in their reporting process. The...
Microsoft Excel Turns 35 Years Old
Originally released on Apple Macintosh computers on September 30, 1985 and then debuting on Windows systems two years later, Microsoft Excel just celebrated it's 35th birthday. Excel has been living large ever since it usurped Lotus 1-2-3 as the de facto spreadsheet...
Internal Audit Still Faces This Challenge 40 Years Later
A search of the internet suggests that the average age of an internal auditor is around 40 years old. That's roughly the same age of the most popular software programming language still used by most organizations today— the spreadsheet. Invented in 1979, the...
Model Risk Management & The Elephant in the Room
A recent paper, authored by widely regarded model risk experts, highlights the often ignored elephant in the room. Models can be, and often are, developed by end users utilizing Excel spreadsheets and other end user tools. “Often deployed in desktop-type environments,...
The Financial Controller’s Biggest Headache
Financial Controllers at public companies know they are responsible for the accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory compliance (e.g. Sarbanes Oxley or SOX) of recorded financial reporting. Financial controllers also identify any discrepancies in the books, figure out...