A useful overview

How can you resist a book with a title like "The Joy of SOX"? I liked the book - it was the first intelligible or helpful summary of Sarbanes-Oxley I have come across. Using an imaginary scenario it laid out both a plausible current state and accurately described the way in which business change might put the company's IT systems, and SOX compliance, at risk because they could not be changed quickly or accurately enough to respond. The book goes on to lay out how SOA is a key ingredient to building a profitable business that is also highly controlled and where processes are visible both to management and to regulators.

Most of the chapters are very readable, even some dealing with an alphabet soup of standards and standards bodies. A couple were heavier going and a few seemed like they needed to be longer - there was a certain amount of "and then magic occurs" that I am sure Hugh could have addressed in a longer book.

These complaints are, however, minor. For those of you interested in Sarbanes-Oxley or COBIT but not willing to wade through a lot of material, this book is a nice introduction.

Other Reviews

• Joy of Sox
• Little Joy in SOX, but Helpful Understanding
• A useful overview
• A 'must' for any forward-thinking business
• I'm Convinced - SOX is Good for Me