The term compliance stands for the fulfillment of statutory and enterprise-internal regulations for handling electronic data. But today compliance means a great deal more than just obeying the rules. An enterprise that successfully implements compliance measures simultaneously optimizes its processes and gains efficiency.

Meanwhile many enterprises come to realize that compliance not only guarantees legal certainty but also entails cost-saving effects and allows staff to work together in a more harmonious and orderly way. Compliance can also increase the market value of the enterprise because it builds trust among customers, suppliers and shareholders.

Compliance thus means greater success overall, but only if the rules are well defined and well implemented.

But for many IT decision-makers, the term compliance still has mostly negative connotations. The large number of rules and regulations is confusing and there may be insecurity as to who is affected by which provision. In addition, many enterprises are unaware of the extent to which compliance is in fact an IT issue.

The answer is: IT is at the heart of the matter in terms of making data accessible and opening processes to scrutiny. And never mind the mountain of rules and regulations: compliance doesn’t have to be complicated if you have an advisor at your side who:

• knows your enterprise terrain and can therefore separate important and unimportant matters
• knows how to orient himself quickly in your enterprise and therefore asks the right questions
• combines technical competence and experience in process optimization.