Providing Continuous Assurance

It has been claimed that continuous assurance can be attained by combining continuous monitoring by management, with continuous auditing of data streams and the effectiveness of internal controls by an external auditor. However, we find that in existing literature the final step to continuous assurance has been left unexplained. In this paper we propose an architecture and procedure for attaining continuous assurance. It consists of a dashboard architecture collecting results of continuous monitoring and continuous auditing, combined with a report generator and workflow system that is able to generate an official assurance report, when required. The proposal is motivated by a case study of a platform for monitoring the security of healthcare Apps. The case indicates that the proposal would be technically and legally feasible. Economic viability has not been investigated

Continuous auditing and monitoring in municipalities

Tools and techniques for monitoring and auditing continuous streams of data are increasingly being used. However, adoption has only been investigated in the private sector. In this paper we examine the feasibility of continuous auditing and continuous monitoring in the public sector, specifically for municipalities in the Netherlands. A multiple case study is conducted about the opportunities and needs of continuously monitoring and assessing financial data concerning the social domain: care-related and social services, which have recently been decentralized from the national government to the municipal level. Interviews were held with representatives of six municipalities, administrative bodies, and an accounting firm. The research indicates that continuous monitoring is feasible, and that there is a need for continuous monitoring in the public domain. The ease of adoption depends to a large extent on the choice of whether and how a municipality wants to collaborate in offering social domain services