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AuditNet® Community Sponsor News!
The AuditNet® community has grown by leaps and bounds thanks to your continued support. Yes it is hard to imagine but it has been more a decade since this community was created! Support AuditNet® by supporting our sponsors. Without sponsor and affiliate advertising and contributions from the AuditNet® community everyone would have to pay for use of this site.
This month check out ACL Services Ltd. ACL provides Business Assurance solutions to financial executives and audit professionals worldwide. Combining market-leading software and professional services, ACL's proven solutions enable internal auditors to assure compliance, reduce risk, and minimize loss. ACL's global customer base includes 89 of the Fortune 100 and over half of the Global 500. AuditNet welcomes Automated Auditors as an advertiser. Watch for an article next month on 10 Ways to Detect Accounts Payable Fraud! Remember! Clicking on sponsored ads and visiting their sites helps support AuditNet®. Measuring the Success of Large Application Development Projects By Tom Andreesen
It is not unusual for company application development efforts to languish, run far over budget, be scrapped, or simply fail. In this article, Protiviti’s Tom Andreesen points out that, even in cases where these projects are completed, many companies are not measuring whether their efforts were successful. With the recent publication of Val IT, companies now have a conceptual framework for aligning IT projects with business objectives, as well as for monitoring progress and measuring results. Click here for the rest of the story! This article was contributed by Protiviti KnowledgeLeader, an online service providing tools, templates, and other resources for internal audit and risk management. Free trials available at www.knowledgeleader.com. For a limited time KnowledgeLeader memberships are available for the reduced rate of $595 per year. Tell them you heard about it from AuditNet.org.
Take a Step! Sometimes we’re so stuck in our jobs and careers that any change seems daunting. And yet as the old Chinese Proverb states: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Leslie Levine, author of “Wish It, Dream It, Do It” provides concrete steps that you can easily adapt and implement to get you moving towards your dreams and goals. Click here for the Q&A! Resume Tune-Ups by Robbie Miller Kaplan Lose the
clutter! If a hiring manager only scans a resume, then it’s up to the applicant to prepare a resume that grabs their attention. This isn’t all that difficult. Hiring managers are looking for applicants that have qualifications that match their job requirements. All you need to do is research jobs of interest, list the requirements, and write and produce your resume to demonstrate your desirability. For the rest of the tune-up click here! Get a Free Resume Analysis! AuditNet Adds a New Career Feature: The Resume Tune-Up. Nationally recognized resume expert and author of How to Say It In Your Job Search, Robbie Miller Kaplan will select one auditor resume each month and suggest ways to transform the resume from passable to powerful. If you would like your resume to be considered for a tune-up, please e-mail it to Ms. Kaplan. You will be notified by e-mail if your resume is selected. You will need to make yourself available via e-mail to answer a few questions with a tight deadline. Ms. Kaplan will send a critique and suggestions to the individual selected and a summary Resume Tune-Up will appear in the monthly newsletter column. If selected you give AuditNet the right to display your resume for the column. AuditNet® What's New This Month? Writing for AuditNet? AuditNet Editorial Guidelines Based on the number of articles being contributed to AuditNet we have developed editorial guidelines for future submissions. If you are planning to write an article please review the guidelines before submission. We appreciate receiving material from the global audit community in the interest of sharing knowledge. We are also in the process of guidelines for book reviews and other material submitted for inclusion on AuditNet. New Benefits of Registration AuditNet receives many questions on what kind of audit related information is available on the Internet and where to find it. As a result of my research to find the answers to those questions I discover value added resources that are useful for auditors. In the past these resources would have been added to the AuditNet Links Page (aka KARL). To provide an incentive for auditors to register on AuditNet I will begin loading these links to a special page that is only available to registered users. AuditNet forges new relationships with professional associations and accounting sites to provide auditors with access to audit work programs. Professional Association Access to AuditNet Audit Programs. If you want your professional association (IIA, ISACA, ACFE, ACUA, ACUIA etc) to have transparent access to AuditNet audit programs and other content as a benefit of membership contact your professional association official and ask them to pursue this with AuditNet. Fraud News Feed Go to the AuditNet Fraud Resource Center and check out the fraud news feed to keep up to date with media reported fraud happenings. Audit Programs The audit programs section of AuditNet requires registration in order to access. New audit program contributions are available only to paid subscribers or on a one-for-one exchange basis. However 181 standard management audit programs were added this month to the free content thanks to Professor Andrew Chambers of the UK. There are over 65,000 registered users. A multi-user subscription rate was added to the individual subscription program to the premium content. Organizations that need more than 2 staff members accessing the service will benefit from this new rate. There are new additions to the premium audit programs available as an alternative for those auditors that are unable to contribute material to AuditNet®. Site licenses are also available for organizations with more than 15 users. The best way to find all the resources on the site is by going to the Virtual Library or use the site search. AUDIT COMMITTEE – PROACTIVE, REACTIVE OR COSMETIC [EFFECTIVENESS]by Gursharan Singh Audit Committees [AC] have been generally established in
various organizations be they Government or Non-Government Organizations,
Commercial or Others. They are established voluntarily or in compliance with
the constitution or under rules under which they are established or mandated
under specific laws of the country. Click here for the author's perspective on how to make audit committees more effective. IIA Technology Audit Guide Series Guide 6: Managing and Auditing IT Vulnerabilities Chief audit executives (CAEs) and internal auditors who want to learn more about managing and auditing IT vulnerabilities are in luck. The IIA has released its sixth guide in its Global Technology Audit Guide® (GTAG®) series, Managing and Auditing IT Vulnerabilities. The 24-page guide was developed to help CAEs and internal auditors ask the right questions of IT security staff when assessing the effectiveness of their vulnerability management processes. The guide recommends specific management practices to help an organization achieve and sustain higher levels of effectiveness and efficiency and illustrates the differences between high- and low-performing vulnerability management efforts. Each Global Technology Audit Guide (GTAG) will be written in straightforward business language to address timely issues related to information technology management, control, or security. GTAG will be a ready resource series for chief audit executives to use in the education of members of the board and audit committee, management, process owners, and others regarding technology-associated risks and recommended practices. Previous Guides:
AuditNet® Fraud Auditing Corner |
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The U.S. Sarbanes-Oxley Act, passed and signed almost five years ago, was a response to a major disruption in the capital markets and the lives of individual investors. Is it working? Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes says SOX lets the "watchdogs be watchdogs" and helps deter fraud. He also comments on the importance of Certified Fraud Examiners in the battle against white-collar crime. |
This article is from Fraud Magazine, the professional magazine
of the Association of Certified Fraud
Examiners
For the rest of the article from the latest ACFE Fraud Magazine click here.
ACFE FraudInfo Newsletter click here!
AuditNet® Conference & Training News
Want to announce your professional association conference to the global audit community? Send us conference name, date and URL details. (A reciprocal link to AuditNet is required). AuditNet supports co-marketing sponsorship agreements for conferences on a case by case basis.
2007 ACFE Fraud Conferences and Training
2007 IIA Conferences and Training
* indicates events where Jim Kaplan is speaking
Need Help in Passing the CCSA Exam? Then check out the CCSA Study System published by Pleier Corporation. Using the "McKeever CCSA Study System" will improve
users' probability of successfully passing the IIA CCSA exam
by teaching users to answer the type of questions typically
presented on the CCSA exam. Additionally, this system helps
users identify CCSA domains that require their additional
study and lists references useful for any additional study. The "McKeever CCSA Study System" is available in 2
versions - a 288-page spiral-bound workbook and CD-ROM (for
those who prefer clicking a mouse to turning pages) - for
details click
here! Opportunities to Share Your Knowledge and Earn Royalties Pleier Corporation is still seeking
additional authors to publish on CD and earn royalties. |
Exceeding Expectations for Internal Auditors
Registered User Free Tools
AMIGO (Audit Management and Information Guidance Software)
SOXERM
AuditNet Monographs
Premium User Tools
Sarbanes-Oxley, IT and Management Audit Programs
The Auditor's Guide to Internet Resources 2nd edition
Procedure Guidelines and Controls Documentation
Coming Attractions!
AuditNet is working with professional associations to provide access to the audit program inventory. Stay tuned!
Coming next month: CAATTs Tests by Area & Industry and Auditor's Guide to Information Integrity. There will be a new section devoted to DATTA or data analysis tools and techniques for auditors.
We will feature an 2 part article by Christy Warner of Automated Auditors on 10 Ways to Detect Accounts Payable Fraud.
There will be a new article on construction auditing.
The AuditNet Monograph Series provides useful guides for all levels of auditors from juniors right up to audit directors. As soon as I can make some time I will be working on new guides for Sarbanes-Oxley, internal controls and Internet for auditors and other relevant subjects. These guides will be available to registered subscribers. If you are interested in developing a monograph on a contract basis, contact us.
Watch for new articles on Sarbanes-Oxley, Information Security, Software Auditing, CAATTs, DATTA and more from contributors. Reviews are in the works for more audit and SOx books. Watch the newsletter for more products, services and tools for auditors. Have an idea for a column? Contact us.
AuditNet® continues adding new specialized resources for auditors. Watch the newsletter and keep checking the Library page for updates and new resources.
AuditNet® CAATT Corner
Generating Savings From a Bird's Eye View of Your Corporate Data
How to use simple analysis of your company's spending to identify bottom-line savings.
by Richard Lanza
Savings opportunities abound at many companies and often take the form of recovery services and prospective savings. Recovery services refer to historical information that is reviewed to identify recoveries of past spending. Prospective savings occur when best practices or vendor changes are implemented to create future savings.
For the rest of the story click here!
Watch for news of Rich Lanza's new Website devoted to cost recovery!
UPCOMING SEMINARS, WEBINARS, PODCASTS
2007 Fraud Detection and
Prevention Seminar Audit Work Programs Corner
Free Access to the Premium Section for New Audit
Programs Shared!
Access to the free audit program section now requires registration. The following audit programs, ICQs, checklists or working papers were added this month. They are available on a 1 for 1 exchange for an original audit work program not currently in the inventory. If you unable to share audit programs then consider subscribing to the premium content which provides you with access free and premium content 24/7/365. For a limited time AuditNet is offering free access to the premium content section. Contribute an original audit work program not currently in the inventory and receive 2 months free access to the premium content. Contribute 5 programs and receive a subscription for one year. (Offer only available for new programs submitted).
E-Book for
Subscribers to the Annual Audit Programs
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Acquiring & Disposing of Personal Information-Gov (June 07)
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Control Environment Department (June 07)
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Control Environment General (June 07)
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Distribution Losses (June 07)
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Engineering Repairs & Maintenance (June 07)
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Human Resources Employers Checklist (June 07)
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Production-Dairy Milk Products & Beverages (June 07)
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Purchasing (June 07)
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Sales Shop (June 07)
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Vehicle Utilization (June 07)
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Windows Server 2003 Audit Program (3rd Party program free with registration)
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Windows Domain Controllers and Active Directory Audit Program (3rd party program available for purchase with discount to AuditNet users)
Ask the Auditor
Each month I select one question submitted to Ask the Auditor and provide an answer using the same digital tools and techniques that I recommend to all auditors.
Q: My current organization has been sold. Would there be written procedures, or examples of processes necessary for closing down an Internal Audit Department?
A: A very interesting question given the number of mergers, acquisitions etc. Obviously closing an audit department is not advantageous for an organization or the existing auditors. The co-sourcing of smaller audit departments is far more advantageous than total outsourcing. The Audit Committee (if one exists) should have a role in the process. Prior audit report, work papers and audit programs should be archived in accordance with disposal/retention guideline as well as statute of limitations for the jurisdiction.
I don't know of any formal audit guide or procedures for an audit department however I did find procedures for closing a department.
If anyone cares to develop an audit program specific to auditors please consider sharing it with us.
Lots of Inquiries but No One Stepping Up to the Plate
AuditNet is interested in developing a series of SOx or industry related audit programs for organizations. If anyone is interested in writing audit programs, ICQs, questionnaires, or control matrices on a work for hire basis please contact me. If you may know of anyone who would be interested in this as well please pass along my contact information.
Global Best Practice Papers
Click here for Best practices for treasury and working capital management. |
Subscription Promotions through June 30, 2007:
1. Any new subscription includes three months additional --that is, 15 months for the price of 12. Details are available through the GBP home page.
2. Special offer for PwC TeamMate subscribers: Special pricing
for new and current TeamMate/GBP licensees.
New benchmarking:
Global Best Practices announces Phases IV and V of its five-part finance
effectiveness (FE) benchmarking series are now open for participation.
During this initial data collection period, there is no charge for
participation. All companies that complete a questionnaire receive a
customized report.
The FE series examines more than 250 key finance measures from leading organizations to assess effectiveness and efficiency. Phases I, II, and III focused on overall finance, development of finance personnel, performance management, and order-to-cash. Phase IV assesses the overall purchase-to-pay, purchasing, accounts payable, travel and entertainment accounting, overall hire-to-retire, payroll, benefits administration, and systems and tools processes. Phase V focuses on the tax, treasury, and process controls and compliance functions.
For more information contact GBP or click here!
AccountingWeb News
80% of companies fail to retain older workers
A manpower survey reports that four our of five companies are failing to implement retention strategies to keep older workers participating in the workforce.
The survey was conducted on more than 28,000 employers in 25 countries, and specifically regarded the recruiting and retention of older workers.
"Older workers have different needs than younger workers, and in order to meet those needs, their job preferences, personal interests and preferred work-styles must be assessed," said Sharon Birkman-Fink, president and CEO of Birkman International. "Retaining older workers is incredibly important for companies who wish to retain the skills and embedded knowledge base of their senior employees."
For the rest of the story click here! (Registration required) (Also see the article on Shortage of U.S. Workers Part 9 Public High School Teacher Shortage Looming)
To register to receive AccountingWeb news click here! (Editors note: AccountingWeb rAuditNet Internet Portal for Auditorsegistered users now have transparent access to the AuditNet free audit programs)
Public High School Teacher Shortage Looming
By Tom Crouch, CPA, CIA, CISA, and Attorney
A study issued in August 2005 said 50% of US high school teachers will retire by 2010. The pipeline for public high school teachers is not producing enough new high school teachers. About 50% of new teachers leave the profession during the first 5 years. Long term economic development will suffer if proactive steps are not taken. Has each school district begun to do workforce planning related to high school teachers?
For the rest of the story click here!
(Note: this is part 9 of a series of articles written by the author. For links to the previous articles click here)
AuditNet Sarbanes-Oxley News
Low Cost SOX Compliance Readiness Tool
Exclusively for AuditNet
Looking for a low cost ($100) solution for SOX compliance? The Compliance Readiness Tool™ allows organization’s to evaluate the effectiveness of their information technology environment and controls in relation to section 404 of SOX and the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) internal control framework.
For more information click here!
There are plenty of articles in the news on the topic of Sarbanes Oxley. Here is a link to a site that does the research and provides you with links to all the relevant stories.
AuditNet Career Center
Auditors Looking for Jobs!
Companies Looking for Auditors!
The Matching Service for Auditors!
Go to the AuditNet® Career Center now for the latest job opportunities and career-related information and tools. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week you have the ability to not only look at available jobs, but you can also post your resume, apply for open jobs, research companies and obtain career advice. If you are in the market for a new job, make AuditNet® your first stop to check out what's available.
If your company has any audit job vacancies that you are looking to fill, have your HR people contact AuditNet® to post the job and search for candidates.
This is just another benefit of using AuditNet® as your one stop shop for all your audit and career resources.
AuditNet® Book Reviews
AuditNet® Software Compliance Audit Corner
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Hasta La Vista This will make life interesting for some and a nightmare for the IT Audit team and the IT HelpDesk. “Register within 30 days or the lights might go out on your career if you don't have a valid version ............ “ For a career limiting move make sure that you don’t let staff install Vista in your office hacked and cracked. If you do then see how long you survive in the IT industry!” For the rest of the story click here! Monograph on Software Compliance Auditing: Looking for a Career Change? Registered users can read the complete monograph by clicking here! Registered AuditNet users can send for 20 free software compliance articles. Login to your account and click on the link to receive the articles by email. Also the following articles should interest you! Microsoft has started a program recently in UK that has wide reaching implications for smaller and medium sized organizations, that auditors need to be aware of to minimize risk. More details can be seen by clicking here! |
Your Secret Weapon in the War on Fraud
White-Collar Crime Fighter brings you expert strategies and actionable advice from the most prominent experts in the fraud-fighting business. Each month you’ll learn about the latest frauds, scams and schemes... and the newest and most effective fraud-fighting tools, techniques and technologies you can put to work immediately to protect your organization.
Click here for the latest e-newsletter and subscription details.
The AuditNet® Audit Bookstore Corner
Looking for books on auditing related topics? We suggest using the AuditNet® bookstore. The bookstore focuses on Internal Audit but includes other related subjects as well. AuditNet® uses Amazon to power the bookstore so each purchase you make through this link helps support AuditNet®.
How to Say It When You Don't Know What to Say The Right Words for Difficult Times
By Robbie Miller Kaplan
As auditors we constantly interact with diverse stakeholders such as colleagues, managers, employees and others. Frequently we encounter people dealing with challenging and difficult times that may or may not be related to work. Our reaction to these situations is conveyed in our behavior both nonverbal and verbal.
For the rest of the review click here.
FREE! The Auditor's Guide to Internet Resources 2nd Edition
Interested in a free copy of The Auditor's Guide to Internet Resources, 2nd Edition? Write an article for the next newsletter on how you are integrating the Internet in auditing. If your article is selected, I will send you an electronic copy of the book. Contact us for details.
AuditNet® Vendor News
Check here for the latest news from our AuditNet® sponsors!
Paisley Consulting press releases
Dan's Internal Audit Corner
Each month Dan Swanson, a senior security and internal audit professional will provide his list of recommended resources for AuditNet readers. You can reach Dan at his website or by clicking here.
Board Oversight of IT Is Needed
Traditionally, and rightfully so, the board has focused on governing the organization, that is, the board is ensuring the right CEO is in place, that the right business strategies have been developed, that performance is reported regularly and trending properly, and that the right questions are being asked of management. Nowadays, the board also needs to ensure that the organization's human resources are being positioned for future requirements, that digital information and assets are being appropriately protected, and that the organization is always progressing!
For the rest of the story and the links to Board oversight resources click here!
AuditNet® Resource List
Please let us know of links that are not working!
Click here for the latest update!
Sustaining SOX Compliance
Tripwire has made available for free download it's Whitepaper on implementing IT controls that deliver long-term competitive advantages and SOX compliance. There are also other documents available for download on this page however they require registration.
Click here for the link page!
Fraud News
Need to keep up with fraud news and happenings? There are several options available. One is to subscribe to the free ACFE FraudInfo E-newsletter.
Another free resource is the Auditing & Fraud News. Service for research professionals. Constantly updated news and information about Business & Companies. Go to FraudNet and click on the link Click Here for Fraud News.