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Case Study : PricewaterhouseCoopers

Colligo provides audit team productivity solution for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the world's largest professional services organization, helps clients ensure compliance with accounting standards and meet regulatory reporting requirements..

The Challenge

At PwC, teams of four to eight accountants carry out time-sensitive audits at their clients' facilities. Working together, each team member is individually responsible for preparing a section of the audit (e.g. accounts payable, inventory, assets). Their work must be replicated regularly so that all team members have the latest information.

Before adopting Colligo's solution, audit teams used a variety of methods for data replication, including:

  • Establishing a temporary network in the field using an Ethernet crossover cable or a small network hub,
  • Aligning laptops two at a time for infrared (IrDA) communications,
  • The laborious task of disk swapping or,
  • Individually dialing up to the corporate server to update their files.

These methods required multiple and redundant steps to ensure all audit team members were working from a common dataset. Regardless of the specific method used, the overall process was inefficient and frustrating. Furthermore, the potential for different copies of audit data to be held on various laptops at any one point in time introduced legal liability risks.

To eliminate complexity, increase productivity and minimize risk, PwC required a solution that allowed mobile workers to share and synchronize information with ease and efficiency, regardless of location, and without the need to connect to their corporate network. Most importantly, the solution had to be easily deployed and maintained.

Looking for a solution that would guarantee the secure exchange of data, without the need for training and minimal IT support, PwC turned to Colligo.

The Solution

Colligo provided a peer-to-peer infrastructure and a set of collaboration tools that integrated with PwC's existing audit system.

Colligo's software uniquely addressed the challenge of sharing information at an off site location by giving PwC's remotely disconnected groups the ability to:

  • Instantly create a secure, ad hoc LAN,
  • Collaborate with messaging and file transfer, and
  • Perform serverless local database replication.

Equipped with Colligo and a wired or wireless LAN (802.11) connection, remote teams were given the ability to directly and securely communicate amongst each other. In addition, Colligo’s software was integrated with existing audit workflow systems. Thus, PwC was able to continue using its existing proprietary applications in the field without the need for frequent access to the corporate LAN.

The Results

Tapping into the power of Colligo’s software, PwC increased audit team productivity and reduced the risk of litigation by minimizing out-of-date and potentially conflicting data. With a single mouse click, field auditors now know that there is no conflicting information in local copies of the database.

Colligo eliminated the time-robbing and frustration-inducing need for sequential replication. Furthermore, Colligo’s intuitive design also eliminated the need for user training and minimized IT support. PwC has implemented in the United Kingdom, and the United States, with plans to roll out worldwide.

Colligo’s solution improves PwC’s audit team productivity by:

  • Providing security for their data: all field copies of audit data contain only the latest data
  • Saving connect time: only one user needs to dial in for the whole team to update the master corporate database
  • Saving replication time in the field: connect once, and everyone is updated simultaneously
  • Saving replication time at the office: auditors moving from one site directly to another can obtain the most recent field copy of the data from any team member without having to download data from the server
  • Providing a means for managers to review the audit remotely: managers can request a complete data replication to review progress, either on site, or at the corporate office
  • Protecting against hardware failures: every team member has a complete copy