Wen Ting Lu

You are correct that rational databases control redundancy. DBMS approach whereby a pool of related data is shared by multiple application programs. System developers and database designers often use data normalization to minimize data redundancy. Whereas traditional file system duplicate data in separate files. In addition, rational database…[Read more]

Nice summary of independence as an internal auditor. I want to add that the results of internal audit work should be reviewed before they are released in order to provide a reasonable assurance that the work has been performed objectively. Objectivity is a mental attitude which internal auditors should maintain while performing engagements. The…[Read more]

I am not sure if this is a “blueprint”. In the accounting firm I am working at now, we have a ” cheat sheet” that we referring to when clients come to us to open up business. According to the information client provided, we follow the diagram to determine whether it is beneficial for client to register as LLC or C-corporation. After we made…[Read more]

2. In your company, do you use any blueprints as documentation? Why are process blueprints important in the documentation?

A blueprint document records the process to be implemented and the technical details of the implementation.

An IT blueprint is a planning tool or document that an information technology organization creates in order to…[Read more]

Lack of communication is clearly a major issue in Vu’s situation. It can create uncertainty that leads to stress and conflict. In addition, lack of communication can lead to confusion and conflict between team members and the ultimate failure to achieve objectives.

Hi, Vu

Thanks for sharing your experience! I am sorry to hear that the change management isn’t working out for you.
I cannot agree with you more that the culture and people in an organization are very important. It is challenging to work with someone you have no idea who he or she is. Especially when you are still new to the organization,…[Read more]

4. In future weeks we may have the privilege of having real world auditors join us for our discussions. What questions would you like to ask the Auditors to answer for us?

1. What are some tools and skills an auditor must have in order to become successful in his or her career?
2. What is the most challenge part for you as an auditor?
3. How…[Read more]

Hi, Abhay

I agree with you that sales department are the first people that building the relationships with the clients to gather customer’s information. However, I believe the sales department’s main focus should be marketing the product and attracting the customers to purchase the products, Therefore, I believe finance/ accounting department…[Read more]

Hi, Tiesha

Please feel free to add in the lists below for the controls that you think should be implemented.

Some ways the business can ensure that the access is appropriate for these transactions:
1. Set clear information security policies and procedures in an organization.
2. Implement segregation of duties.
3. Have multiple layers of…[Read more]

Hi, Vu
some other impacts I can think of when data is not entered accurately can be when the amount of inventory is entered incorrect, and the inventory on hand is not enough to meet the demand of the customer needs. In this case, the company not only losing the opportunity to make profit, but also make the customers unhappy and they might find…[Read more]

I agree with you that in order to assure that everything is working properly segregation of duties is very important. I like how you point out that the person entering the data should not be the same person who has the access to use the data. It can be tempted to commit fraud if the person who has both access to entering and using the data. As you…[Read more]

Which transaction do you believe is the most ‘Sensitive’ and therefore should have extra focus in an SAT (Sensitive Access to Transaction) audit? Explain

By doing some research online, I believe that transactions like FS00 (G/L Account Creation) that enable users to create, modify or delete GL accounts should have extra focus in SAT audit. The…[Read more]

2. Which department or person should play the key role in defining master data and assuring its quality?

The quality of the data is very important because missing, incorrect or inconsistent master data will leads to processes with errors and standard analyses containing unreliable information. I believe the finance/ accounting department should…[Read more]

I agree with you that excessive repetitive data problem is easier to resolve compared to the inaccurate data. With inaccurate data, there are so many negative impacts associated with it. I also like your example, it is always not a good sign to have deficient inventory because if customer didn’t get what they wanted, they are most likely turning…[Read more]

3. Which is more of a risk to a company: inaccurate data or excessive repetitive data? Explain

I think inaccurate data is more of a risk to a company compared to excessive repetitive data. In twenty-first century, data and people are the most important asset to a company. The company can lose its physical assets and still remain in business;…[Read more]

Half of UK Banks Slammed for Poor Customer Security

The article I read this week is about a consumer rights group in UK has claimed more than half of the UK’s major high street lenders are still failing to provide customers with two-factor authentication to help protect their accounts. These banks include First Direct and HSBC at topped the l…[Read more]

Shahla,

You made a great point. As human beings we value our privacy and we want to have some control over ourselves because we don’t want share our private information to anyone at anytime. However, as the fast growing of information technology, the control that we have on our personal information has become limited. In addition, as a result…[Read more]

Very nice explained, Paul !

You guys are absolutely right. I wish we had learned about Identity and access management before the lab challenge for Enterprise Architecture class. It make so much sense to me now for what we did in the past weeks.
I can’t agree with you more that both identity and access management are extremely important for…[Read more]

Hi, Said.

Thanks for sharing! I found this website has a great check list of what an IT administrator should do when an employee is terminated:

1.Retrieve or disable all company-owned physical assets.
2.Disable all internal user accounts to which the employee had access.
3.Change any shared passwords the employee knew.
4.Disable access to…[Read more]

You are right that big data has become very powerful. Big data security analysis tools usually span two functional categories: SIEM, and performance and availability monitoring (PAM). Analysts have a strong ability to focus on what’s important and this is a important skill desired in any employee or team member. A person should be able to pick o…[Read more]