Workiva Simplifies SOX Compliance for AAON
MAY 31, 2017
Heating and Cooling Manufacturer Uses Wdesk to Improve Accuracy and Accountability
AMES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Workiva (NYSE:WK), a leading provider of solutions for enterprise productivity, announces that AAON Inc. (NASDAQ:AAON) uses the Wdesk platform to streamline its Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) and internal controls processes.
“My favorite feature in Wdesk is its data linking,” said Rebecca Thompson, Chief Accounting Officer at Tulsa-based AAON. “Our previous system was largely manual, so we had accuracy issues. But with Wdesk, I don’t have to worry about missing a number somewhere in a document or spreadsheet because all of our data is linked together.”
“Before Wdesk, we always had issues with updating our SOX narratives, control matrices and testing, and it was difficult to track and review the testing,” she said. “Now, I can track the progress of my colleagues and our outside consultant in Wdesk.”
Thompson also has better control over the process because Wdesk permissioning enables her to grant access to selected users with a full audit trail of every change. “This kind of control provides accountability, so nothing slips by me that I don’t know about,” she said.
Wdesk also has enabled AAON to reduce its reliance on outside consultants. “As we bring more of the process owners’ reports, documents and testing into Wdesk, we’re benefiting from many new insights into our SOX process,” said Thompson.
Thompson also raves about Wdesk’s black-line feature and audit trail. “It has really worked out well with our auditors. They are able to post and close all comments directly within shared Wdesk documents. Everyone is working on the most up-to-date version, and I always know what has been done and what is left to do.”
The efficiencies gained with Wdesk free Thompson from tedious administrative tasks, giving her more time to analyze data and reports.
Thompson said AAON’s transition to Wdesk for SOX reporting was seamless. “Workiva’s platform is intuitive, so the learning curve is not too steep. It also helps that our customer success manager is very responsive.”
She intends to continue transforming AAON’s paper-based processes into digital ones. “With all of Wdesk’s excellent features, it’s easy to see how a company could use the platform to streamline any sort of business process,” Thompson said.
About Workiva
Workiva (NYSE:WK) delivers Wdesk, an intuitive cloud platform that modernizes how people work within thousands of organizations, including over 70 percent of the Fortune 500®. Wdesk helps mitigate risk, improves productivity and gives users confidence in their data-driven decisions. Workiva employs more than 1,200 people with offices in 16 cities. The company is headquartered in Ames, Iowa. For more information, visit workiva.com.
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About AAON
AAON Inc. (NASDAQ:AAON) designs, manufactures and sells semi-custom heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment (HVAC) for commercial and residential use. AAON is a world leader in creating comfortable and healthy indoor environments, efficiently, through the manufacture of premium HVAC equipment.
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Source: Workiva
Workiva Inc.
Kevin McCarthy, 515-663-4471
press@workiva.com