Vu Do

Segregation of duties is a control that splits up task in a business so that not one person is responsible for everything. It prevents fraud and error from occurring. It makes it easier for individuals since they are only responsible for one thing only.
1. Access control should be separated, for example an individual should not have the power to…[Read more]

Hm, good point Yu Ming, I did not think about people not being able to access the statements that were posted for the previous period to commit fraud. That is a good reason for having one posted period quarterly to prevent anyone from making changes. This will prevent people from cooking the books and provide a safeguard for the company.…[Read more]

2. What is the relevance of only being able to have one posting period open at a time for real time postings? What does this prevent from happening?

The posting period is for the quarter that the company is in and it separates it from the rest of the year. The advantage is being able to see the results of how the company did at that time and…[Read more]

1. Do you believe business rely too much on administrators to configure the security protocols in programs like SAP, rather than look for security in the entire network? Explain

No since businesses use program like SAP to administer most of its daily operations from placing orders, making sales, checking inventory, etc. SAP is such an…[Read more]

4. You’ve used various computer systems in your lifetime, career. System security is complex and often maligned as cumbersome, difficult, bureaucratic, etc. Have you seen these problems in your experience? Explain

While working as an Associate Application Developer for Highmark BlueCross BlueShield I was given a laptop in which I was a…[Read more]

Wen, I liked your first point for the risk-outsourcing and how its dubious accessibility. When working as an Associate App developer I faced an issue like that. The outsource team had a project sign out and I needed access to it and also needed to know exactly what they have change to it. I couldn’t get in touch with them since they were sleeping…[Read more]

Wenlin, not sure if I also agree with you on the personal touch for the risk of out-sourcing. It is different and I can see where you are coming from but saving cost is what companies are mostly after and it is true, you can build it in house but that would take tremendous time and will cost the company in all areas. Outsourcing would help reduce…[Read more]

What controls can be implemented to mitigate the risks associated with outsourcing?
Access controls can help mitigate the risk associated with outsourcing. Specifically the access controls that provide users authority to be able to make changes to certain databases. I remember when working as an Associate App Developer I would have to submit a…[Read more]

What are the benefits and risks of out-sourcing?
Benefits
-Cost saving for the company since instead of using their own resources or money to buy equipment, they are outsourcing to an outside company to do it. That way they are saving on storage, equipment, personnel, electricity etc. They are then able to invest that money into something else.…[Read more]

Good point Daniel, the financial/account terms are very important to learn since they must understand what exactly is an A/P and A/R and how it is not related. Very important when transferring or getting information to know what you are reading. Many of the databases contain these financial terms so understanding it is crucial to know what you are…[Read more]

Agreed Fangzhou, it is very important to evaluate the potential risk that can occur first before implementing controls in place to mitigate them. You have to calculate the severity of the risk and check the frequency of the risk. That way you can measure about the importance of what to protect and where to put specific measures in place to prevent…[Read more]

Good reasoning Magaly, agreed they need to have basic understanding and foundation of the ERP functions. They must know the process and understand the flow of how the transaction goes from the beginning to end. Like you said, by having this understanding they are able to understand the risk associated with the process. By having that…[Read more]

2. As we continue to learn about business processes and ERP systems we often discuss financial or account related terms and concepts. How much finance and accounting knowledge should IT personnel supporting business applications know and learn? Explain

IT personnel should have a clear understanding of finance and accounting since everything…[Read more]

Nice attack Fangzhou, that would be a good way to cause negative impact for the company if you got into the companies OTC process. No one would notice you were in there making changes or copying sensitive information that could potentially harm the company. Customers are important to the company and targeting to corrupt there delivery dates will…[Read more]

Nice point Magaly, I chose Sales instead but agreed with all the points you made about Finance being the most important. I can see why you chose it and it made a lot of sense. Finance makes sure the process of collecting the money goes through correctly whether it be using their money, or credit cards. The process has to go through so the finance…[Read more]

Good point Paul, sales wouldn’t be able to process if the sub processes weren’t functioning correctly. Meaning customers will get frustrated since they can’t put their order in and the company won’t be making any money since the sale isn’t going through. It’s a huge issue and there must be measures in place to prevent that from happening. One…[Read more]

1. Assume you’re an outside organization with goal to cause negative things to happen to an organization’s Order to Cash (OTC) process. Where would you attack it? Explain Why and How
I would attack the system that controls the customer’s order. The customers are the most important thing to the company so getting them to turn on the company wil…[Read more]

1. Who in an organization should care more about the collections process – Finance or Sales? Explain

In my opinion, Sales should care more about the collection process since them receiving the money is crucial to the numbers. They do not get credit for it if the sale does not go though. For example, if a customer uses a credit card that was e…[Read more]

Great points Jianhui, VPN gives you the ability to work without being bother and track. You are anonymous online like you said when connected to the VPN and you are safeguard against attackers. It is a good way to work if you do not want anyone monitoring what you do and it certainly helps sometimes to be under the radar. Being able to access the…[Read more]

Daniel good list, I liked the employees being able to access the network without needing to be in the office. At my old job I was given a laptop and was able to login to the companies server anywhere as long as there was Wi-FI. That made it a lot easier to perform my work and access my projects located on the companies server. Great benefit since…[Read more]