Figures recently released by IT industry advisory group AMR Research suggest that spending on SOX compliance will remain steady in 2007. After rapid spending in the early years from 2003-2005, investment has remained steady at around the $6 billion mark since then. Spending is however expected to rise slightly in 2008 to reach $6.2 billion.

At that point, companies will have cumulatively spent $32.3 billion on SOX compliance, says AMR. The bulk of that investment (almost $24 billion) has been in people and consulting services, with only $8.6 billion having been spent on technology.

It is not, however, an empty investment. Almost half of respondents admitted that newly streamlined business processes were the primary benefit of SOX, a positive side-effect of governance, risk management and compliance efforts.