Matt Sondermann with Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Receives 2012 IDEA User of Excellence Award

Houston – September 4, 2012 – Audimation Services, Inc. has selected Matt Sondermann, IT Internal Audit Manager with Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc., as the recipient of the 2012 IDEA User of Excellence Award. He is being recognized for using IDEA® – Data Analysis Software in resourceful ways to save time, meet regulatory requirements and take a proactive approach to improve internal controls at the corporate level.
 

Sondermann began using IDEA when he joined Isle of Capri Casinos in 2009. He attended basic-level IDEA training as a starting point and then experimented with IDEA’s Visual Script feature to automate repetitive tasks without writing any code or programming. He quickly realized its potential to replace time-consuming tasks. Working closely with the IDEA Help Desk team, Sondermann developed customized IDEAScripts to automate manual tasks, and help the company take a proactive approach in monitoring system access, meeting regulatory requirements and conducting self-assessments.
 

For example, Sondermann created an IDEAScript to identify user access exceptions in the Casino Management System by comparing the data against the company’s system access standards. Using IDEA, he reduced the process from a 16-hour manual review to a 15-minute automated task. Additionally, the team was able to analyze the entire population rather than a sample and found exceptions they had not found before. As a result, the IT operations department began using IDEA to run the same scripts on their own to review access on a regular basis.
 

He has also created an IDEAScript to compare the Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) listing of approved and revoked computer chips for slot machines against the casino’s Slot Master file to verify every chip’s status. The single IDEAScript outperformed the results of other methods used and created a continuous auditing solution to ensure industry compliance.
 

“When I started using IDEA, I quickly realized its capabilities and value beyond internal audit to benefit the entire organization,” said Sondermann. “IDEA’s script capabilities became the gateway to show the rest of the company the value internal audit can add – especially when working with minimal resources. As a direct result of using IDEA, we’re moving from just being able to conduct regulatory audits to enabling the operations departments to conduct ongoing self-assessments that we review together, which frees us in internal audit to focus on more operational improvements. It saves everyone time, and benefits the organization as a whole.”
 

Carolyn Newman, president of Audimation Services, Inc., will present Sondermann with the award during the 3rd North America IDEA User Conference in Dallas in mid-September where he is also presenting a session titled, “Consulting as an Internal Auditor: Implementing IDEA Functionality into Operations.”