Today, data is the key driver of success, and even small decisions can have a significant impact. Therefore, it is crucial for organizations to use powerful analytical tools. Lookback or retrospective analysis provides a point-in-time view of past events, decisions, actions, or outcomes. It involves examining historical data to understand what happened, why, and what lessons can be learned. This type of analysis is commonly used in audits and accounting to improve future decision-making, mitigate risks, and identify areas for improvement.

This article explores the interdependence between lookback analysis and access governance and how it can transform modern ERP audits.

What is Lookback analysis?

From a Segregation of Duties (SoD) perspective, Lookback Analysis is a critical tool in ensuring control effectiveness and mitigating risks associated with access controls. Let’s take the example of creating and paying suppliers within an organization’s ERP system. Segregation of Duties is fundamental in preventing fraudulent activities and conflicts of interest. However, even with robust Segregation of Duties measures in place, there remains a possibility of unauthorized actions or control failures.

In this context, Lookback Analysis is key in providing auditors with evidence that individuals did not engage in activities harmful to the organization. For instance, if an employee is responsible for both creating and paying suppliers, it could raise concerns about the potential for fraud or errors. Lookback Analysis retrospectively examines historical financial data, including supplier creation and payment transactions, to identify anomalies or irregularities.

Access governance is an essential aspect of enterprise security, and it requires continuous monitoring controls and remediation workflows. However, sometimes, these controls fail to mitigate risks effectively, and that’s where Lookback Analysis comes into play. It is a retrospective examination that helps to identify control weaknesses and areas for improvement. This approach is especially important in mitigating materialized risks, including those related to Segregation of Duties violations and provisioned access.

Analyzing past transactions and user activities can help organizations uncover potential security threats and prevent future incidents. Lookback Analysis is a proactive measure to reinforce access controls, enhance control effectiveness, and safeguard the organization’s financial integrity.

Why Organizations Need Lookback Analysis

Regulators are not just concerned with data completeness but are also looking for evidence of effective controls. As organizations go digital, it becomes increasingly important to demonstrate that audit procedures are in place and operational controls are effective when the risk may have materialized by elevated access or untimely remediation or mitigation of access controls. Therefore, audits have faced increased regulatory scrutiny in recent years. As a result of companies becoming digital, you need to do a lookback analysis to determine if risk has materialized.

Lookback Analysis and Access Governance

In addition to the above, it is important to note that Lookback Analysis is a crucial second line of defense after access controls fail. Despite one’s best efforts to create strong access controls, sometimes they may not be enough, and that’s when a Lookback Analysis may be needed. 

Analyzing user activity and behavior over time can detect potential security threats and identify areas where access controls need strengthening. In other words, it’s a secondary line of defense to identify where the potential risk could have materialized. 

If an incident does occur, the Lookback Analysis can capture the details and help prevent similar incidents in the future. In combination with access governance, this creates a powerful combination that can significantly enhance an enterprise’s security posture.

The Significance of Lookback in Audits

In audits, Lookback Analysis is crucial in evaluating the effectiveness of internal controls and risk management practices. Auditors rely on Lookback Analysis to unearth previous instances of non-compliance, unauthorized activities, or control weaknesses within an organization’s systems. By examining historical financial data and user activity, auditors can assess the integrity of financial reporting, identify potential fraud or errors, and validate the completeness and accuracy of data.

Mitigating Risks and Enhancing Security

Mitigating risks and enhancing security through Lookback Analysis is essential. One of the primary objectives of Lookback Analysis is to mitigate risks associated with access control failures and unauthorized activities. By analyzing historical user activity, organizations can identify instances where segregation of duties was compromised, unauthorized transactions occurred, or sensitive data was accessed without proper authorization. 

Lookback enables organizations to detect and remediate control deficiencies, prevent the recurrence of risks, and strengthen their security in financial systems and processes. The value lies in analyzing historical user activity to identify instances of compromised access, unauthorized transactions, or improper access to sensitive data. By leveraging Lookback Analysis, organizations can proactively remediate control deficiencies, prevent the recurrence of risks, and strengthen their financial governance.

Lowering Residual Risk Through Lookback Analysis

Lookback analysis is critical to maintaining robust controls and risk management practices in digital business operations. It involves retrospectively examining data to identify control failures and mitigate risks. This process allows companies to learn from past experiences and make informed decisions to strengthen their risk management procedures.

In the context of risk management, residual risk refers to the level of risk that persists even after controls have been put in place. Despite an organization’s best efforts to mitigate risks through various controls and measures, residual risk cannot be completely eliminated. It is important for organizations to be aware of and manage residual risk effectively to protect their operations.

Comparing current financial data with historical records is essential for improving financial management in organizations. This practice enables auditors to detect patterns, anomalies, and potential issues. By analyzing historical financial data, auditors can pinpoint areas where risk may have materialized, such as the creation and payment to suppliers. For example, if one individual is responsible for both creating and paying suppliers, it could raise concerns about the potential for fraud or errors. 

Retrospective analysis of historical financial data, including supplier creation and payment transactions, is critical for identifying anomalies or irregularities. By comparing these transactions across different periods, organizations can uncover discrepancies that may indicate control failures or unauthorized activities, enhancing financial governance and integrity.

Integrating Lookback Analysis with access governance can significantly reduce residual risk and strengthen overall risk management efforts in today’s digital landscape. This combined approach enables organizations to proactively address potential risks and enhance their ability to adapt to evolving business environments.

Implementing Lookback Analysis

Ensuring strong controls and effective risk management practices is essential in today’s business landscape. Lookback Analysis is a pivotal tool in this pursuit, enabling organizations to retrospectively review their data, pinpoint control deficiencies, and mitigate risks. Consider, for instance, creating and paying suppliers, where precision and timeliness are paramount to prevent fraud or financial loss. 

By subjecting these transactions to Lookback Analysis, companies can uncover anomalies or unauthorized actions, offering insights into areas for improvement. Furthermore, integrating Lookback Analysis with access governance enhances risk management efforts. 

Access governance, which regulates user access rights and permissions, complements Lookback Analysis by providing a holistic view of user activity patterns over time. For instance, scrutinizing supplier creation and payment transactions through Lookback Analysis can illuminate potential control weaknesses and avenues for refinement.

Best Practices for Lookback Implementation

1. Transaction Controls: Ensuring accuracy and completeness in supplier setup and payment transactions is essential. By scrutinizing these transactions, organizations can detect irregularities indicating fraudulent activities or control failures.

2. Risk Analysis: Assessing elevated risks associated with supplier setup and payments helps organizations determine the scope of Lookback Analysis. Focusing on areas of concern, such as fraudulent supplier creation or unauthorized payments, enables targeted analysis to identify control weaknesses.

3. Design and Build: Developing analytics and tools tailored to the Lookback Analysis process is crucial. For example, designing algorithms to extract relevant data from ERP systems related to supplier setup and payments facilitates systematic analysis to detect anomalies and areas for improvement.

4. Reporting and Prevention: Reporting findings to management and implementing proactive measures are essential for preventing the recurrence of risks and control failures. Based on insights gained from Lookback Analysis, organizations can strengthen internal controls, enhance training programs, and implement additional verification processes to mitigate future risks effectively.

Integrating Lookback Analysis with access governance allows organizations to manage complex requirements, fortify security, ensure compliance, and drive sustainable growth. However, successful implementation requires a structured approach encompassing data quality assurance, governance frameworks, technology integration, and change management. 

How SafePaaS Helps

SafePaaS is an ACTIVE governance platform that streamlines the Lookback Analysis process and enhances access governance. It integrates with existing enterprise systems, including Oracle ERP Cloud, Oracle E-Business Suite,  SAP, and Workday, ensuring efficient and effective Lookback Analysis. 

SafePaaS offers real-time insights into historical data, empowering enterprises to spot patterns, trends, and anomalies as they emerge. With its advanced analytics and monitoring capabilities, organizations can swiftly identify unusual behavior and suspicious activities, minimizing the need for manual analysis and incident management workflow notifications. 

SafePaaS is an active governance platform that delivers clear, concise, actionable outcomes from Lookback Analysis. This gives decision-makers the information they need to drive meaningful change and achieve improved analytical accuracy, data integrity assurance, transparency, and accountability in their Lookback Analysis and access governance processes.

Ready to transform your enterprise’s audit and decision-making processes? Discover the power of Lookback Analysis. Streamline your operations, fortify security, and drive sustainable growth with SafePaaS.