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Accounting Procedures for Internal Control
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AuditNet: A Decade of Change a Future of Opportunity

August 1, 1994 I started distributing a list of electronic resources for auditors via the Internet. What changes have taken place over the past 10 years and what observations can citizens of our cyber community make about the past and the future of the electronic information network for auditors? Following are some thoughts from various members of the AuditNet community about a decade of change and a future of opportunity.

Thanks for providing a central resource for internal auditors. We have so much information available from so many sources that it's quite a time saver to have one place to look to for ideas and an understanding of what works.

Ten years ago I would have to search through dusty binders to find this information. I would not have other industries to compare my work to unless I had an insider contact. Now, this information is at my fingertips.

In the future, I believe we will see even more focus on best practices and what truly adds value to our customers. We may even find more of our work is facilitated online.

Tina Jansen

It has been a privilege to be a part of the august list. The effort of yours have helped the audit community transform itself from a paper based profession to a tech-savvy profession. The professional opportunities increased and it played a great role in promoting new auditors and audit forms who was otherwise trying to make their mark among the reputed firms worldwide.

Wish you efforts all the very best,

Regards,
Arif Ahmed
India

Over the past 10 years, I have gone from Financial Institution Examiner to EDP Financial Liaison to IT Auditor. I started out in the financial world with a bachelors degree in Business and now I am finishing my Masters In Computer Information Systems in the next few months. So much has changes
over the past ten years for me it will take me some time to compile it all. Give me some time and I will think of some of the more interesting stories and issues that have effected me in the financial community. I can tell you that we have gone from a paper world to paperless audit programs.

Take care,
Chuck Martier

Charles D. Martier, Jr.
VP Internal Audit
Commerce Bank

Whether it is the Internet or Intranet, controls over security are usually playing catch-up. Companies might spend money on firewalls, intrusion detection, anti-virus and spam prevention and then get hit by setting an Intranet web that has limited or no security access.

Many people trained to create web pages do not evaluate what that page contains or references. It might have sensitive content that is no longer protected.

Portals reserved for a particular service, may also be used for another service. There needs to be more automatic diligence on use of Internet services and usage of portals.

Due to the volume of some transactions, reviewing system logs is usually not done. If something severe happens, then logs are used as a last resort to detect events that happened over 24 hours ago.

Many companies use the e-mail application for more than just e-mail.  It can become a repository for project documentation, or for inter-company authorization process. Employees may use it to send video downloads of their favorite movie trailer. There is an old saying that trying to use e-mail for large attachments, is like trying to FEDEX a refrigerator. While possible, it impacts band width, is expensive, and can cause system blockages.

Regards,
Dave Shelton
CISA

I am an Information Technology Auditor for a national bank and have found AuditNet to be an invaluable resource in my audit activities. Thanks for everything and I look forward to contributing in the future.

Best Regards,
Patrick Barnett
IT Auditor
Community Bank, N.A.

I can only speak to the recent past.  AuditNet was a great help for me as a brand new internal auditor starting an Internal Audit department from scratch.  Thank you!

April Holmes, CPA, CIA
Internal Auditor/Compliance Officer
Southern Illinois Healthcare