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AuditNet® Software Review
In today's age of electronic information, there are huge amounts of data floating around. The Internet gives you access to mammoth archives of information. Wire services carry streams of press releases. CD-ROMs contain massive encyclopedias of text. The list goes on and on.
Somewhere hidden in the raw data is valuable knowledge but you must know how to distill the important news from the unrefined bulk. That's where askSam can help.
With askSam you spend less time searching for information and more time putting it to use. askSam increases the value of information by allowing you to present it in a manner appropriate to your specific needs.
From AskSam Users Guide
Why in the world would an auditor need a digital information management program? The answer of course is because of the volumes of information that we capture and use daily in our profession. AskSam is the perfect tool whether you deal with structured information (such as names and addresses) or freeform text (such as Email, Web pages, and correspondence). AskSam stores your information in files (databases) that allow you to search, create reports and more. Imagine putting all your audit findings in an AskSam database and then being able to search or create reports such as a summary of all audit findings directly from that file. The program installed easily. I would recommend using the introductory tutorial as a way of maximizing the utility of this information management tool.
Now as I am not a heavy database user I found the four basic steps for working with AskSam very helpful. Start by creating an AskSam file (database). The fact that they call it a file rather than a database established a comfort level for me. The next step involves setting up an entry form that defines the structure for the information in the database. Information can then be entered directly or imported into the database. The final step covers organizing the information, searching and running reports.
As an added bonus, the vendor regularly converts legislation into AskSam searchable databases. Recent additions include a fully searchable version of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the 911 Commission Report, the 2006 U.S. Budget and more.
The program is intuitive however be prepared for a learning curve to get up to speed on the programs interfaces and operation. As with all new software you can probably utilize 10% of the features without reading through all the documentation but to really take advantage of the other 90% of AskSam, spend time with the tutorial and get yourself organized!
A companion product available from this company is SurfSaver, a program that places information from your browser into a searchable filing cabinet. I used this product to save audit related Web pages offline for several presentations on Improving Internal Audit Using the Internet. It was far more efficient and effective to use SurfSaver to provide a "Memorex" tour of audit resources.
For a free 30 day trial and purchase information for these products click here!
