MENLO PARK, Calif., April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Protiviti Inc. (www.protiviti.com), a global business consulting and internal audit firm, announced today that it scored a "Positive" rating in Gartner's MarketScope for Global Enterprise Governance, Risk Management and Compliance Consulting Services(1). Protiviti is one of six global consulting firms that Gartner evaluated in the report, which analyzes each firm's relative capability to "deliver top-down strategic enterprise GRC consulting and their ability to bring an enterprise point of view to any GRC-related consulting."

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"We believe Protiviti's evaluation and rating in Gartner's 2011 Enterprise Governance, Risk Management and Compliance Consulting MarketScope report is a reflection of our holistic and integrated approach to GRC," said James Pajakowski, executive vice president, Global Risk Solutions, Protiviti. "Most organizations today are facing a volatile and increasingly complex operating environment due to a variety of factors including the scale, pace and impact of globalization, competitive threats, recessionary pressures, toughening regulatory demands and the continued surprise of unexpected events. These factors are making the simultaneous execution of strategy and management of performance and risk extremely challenging. In our view, the development of more reliable forecasts, improved transparency with what is happening in the organization, and better alignment with overall business strategy are all vital not only to managing enterprise performance and risks but also to governing the business as a whole."

The Gartner report recognizes the value of a comprehensive approach to GRC. According to the report, "Most enterprises will seek help with a specific GRC-related issue, such as establishing an enterprise risk management (ERM) program, responding to a specific regulatory requirement, or improving the management of internal controls. Rarely will an integrated GRC initiative be the primary reason for engaging a consulting firm for its GRC-related services. However, corporate, finance and IT governance, enterprise, IT and operational risk management, and compliance are all closely related, and none can be engaged without impacting the other; hence, an understanding of those GRC relationships, the ability to help an enterprise manage them, and how to best employ GRC technologies are important elements in selecting a consulting firm for any GRC-related services."  

As part of its comprehensive, global enterprise governance, risk management and compliance consulting services, Protiviti partners with management, board members and outside counsel to help organizations comply with regulatory requirements, respond to situations of noncompliance, and improve the processes around information systems supporting GRC. Protiviti helps clients take a disciplined approach to managing credit, market and operational risks through a combination of assessments, process improvement, and model review and validation.

(1) Gartner "MarketScope for Global Enterprise Governance, Risk Management and Compliance Consulting Services" by Jacqueline Heng and French Caldwell, March 16, 2011.

The MarketScope is copyrighted March 16, 2011 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The MarketScope is an evaluation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the MarketScope, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest rating. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Protiviti

Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global business consulting and internal audit firm composed of experts specializing in risk, advisory and transaction services. The firm helps solve problems in finance and transactions, operations, technology, litigation, governance, risk, and compliance. Protiviti's highly trained, results-oriented professionals provide a unique perspective on a wide range of critical business issues for clients in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East.

Protiviti has more than 60 locations worldwide and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half International Inc. (NYSE: RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half International is a member of the S&P 500 index.

Protiviti is not licensed or registered as a public accounting firm and does not issue opinions on financial statements or offer attestation services.

SOURCE Protiviti Inc.