New guidelines for auditors of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance could take effect later this week, lowering the cost of SOX initiatives and reducing companies’ dependence on auditors to interpret SOX requirements. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) — a private, nonprofit entity that gives guidance to the many auditors who evaluate SOX compliance — on Thursday is scheduled to vote on a range of new recommendations, many of which will make it easier and less expensive for companies to meet the legal regulations. “These changes could have a very profound effect on the whole compliance effort,” says Chris Davis, manager of compliance knowledge management at Cybertrust, which offers security and compliance tools and services.