CPAs’ Top Tech Question: Is My Data Safe?
This year’s AICPA Top Technology Initiatives Survey is the first to ask AICPA members to rank a list of questions heard most often from audit committees, chief financial officers and chief information officers.
Top 10 most frequently asked questions:
1. Are we ensuring that our data and technology resources are protected against hacking, viruses, or other compromises?
2. Are we considering or implementing organizational security precautions even though we haven’t had a data breach or loss?
3. Are our current internal controls and IT governance policies and procedures effective?
4. Are we receiving the most relevant and current information from our reporting functions (business intelligence, dashboards, etc.) or are there areas for improvement?
5. Have we implemented a sound, appropriate privacy policies and procedures in place within the organization and for our customers?
6. Are we appropriately considering the IT risks associated with the organization in an initial planning of any audit or attest engagement?
7. Are we capturing the appropriate control objectives during the initial planning of any audit or attest engagement to address the IT risks associated with the organization?
8. Should we refresh our core and financial accounting software to leverage technology efficiencies every few years?
9. Can our data remain safe if we utilize cloud computing, or Software as a Service (SaaS) services?
10. Can we deliver on our service and product promises to our customers if we utilize cloud computing services?
Cloud computing/Software as a Service (SaaS) appeared in two questions, reflecting both growing interest in Web-based technology solutions for business and concerns about the new risks that they may introduce. CPAs are providing vendor due diligence for their clients to ensure appropriate controls are in place in SaaS applications and confidential customer information is being protected.
via CPAs Increasingly Asked to Address Information Technology Challenges for Clients.
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Great article. I think that some of the smaller firms are the firms that need to be concerned with their clients privacy. I think at times they feel they can’t afford to really invest in the technology to preserve their clients information. I don’t think they can afford not to. I build websites for CPA’s and privacy and security are always something that I discuss with my clients.