This new blog post in our ongoing series about the Digital Solutions Economy™ (DSE) looks at how new developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are impacting the ways that companies deploy and manage subscription-based, usage-based, entitlements, ratable, bundled, and other DSE offerings.

Over the past eight years, many episodes in this blog series have focused on revenue recognition and how SAP solutions such as Revenue Accounting and Reporting (RAR) have provided a robust foundation for compliance with ASC 606 and IFRS 15. The evolution of SAP RAR and overall Automated Revenue Management (ARM) capabilities has unfolded along multiple paths to support existing users while also establishing a forward roadmap to some signficant new capabilities in SAP Public Cloud deployments.

Over the course of many projects spanning key areas such as revenue recognition, lease accounting, and subscription-based Digital Solutions Economy (DSE) programs, the Bramasol team of expert consultants has developed a widening range of innovative intellectual property (IP) and unique solutions to both enhance the integration and expand the functionality of SAP applications, including Revenue Accounting and Reporting (RAR), Contract and Lease Management (CLM), and SAP Quote-to-Cash (formerly called BRIM).

FASB has issued an update regarding ASC 842 through its Post-Implementation Review (PIR) process that is intended to respond to the concerns expressed by private company stakeholders about applying Topic 842 to related party arrangements between entities under common control.

Specific issues addressed in the PIR are:

1. Which terms and conditions should be considered when determining whether a lease exists and, if so, the classification and accounting for the lease.
2. The accounting for leasehold improvements associated with leases between entities under common control.

Previous posts in this blog series on the Digital Solutions Economy (DSE) have explored a wide range of issues and solutions as well as deeper dives into DSE implementation in specific industries.  In this latest post, we take a look at data security, privacy protections, and overall cybersecurity issues, which impact all companies, especially those that are implementing new DSE programs.

A previous episode in this blog series gave an overview of How the Digital Solutions Economy (DSE) is Impacting the Medical Device Industry. This new post provides a deeper look at how the leasing of medical equipment along with other bundled services or products presents particular challenges for meshing contracts and lessor accounting with DSE management and revenue recognition.

Previous posts in this blog series on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and carbon accounting have spotlighted carbon accounting as a trend to watch, looked at ESG impacts on M&A, and tracked the emergence of new ESG standards.

As we reach the halfway point in 2023, it is a good opportunity to take another look at over-arching trends, both to update those we have already identified and to add some new ones, such as the unprecedented explosion in generative AI applications.

Several times in the past, this blog series has focused on various big picture issues regarding environmental, social and governance (ESG) programs, compliance and carbon accounting solutions.