2008 Top Technology Initiatives

Information Security Management will be the most important initiative affecting IT strategy, investment and implementation in business organizations over the next 12-18 months, according to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ 19th Annual Top Technology Initiatives survey.

IT Governance moved up the list from sixth to second place this year, reflecting the market’s renewed emphasis on corporate governance and responsibility.
“We believe this year’s list is reflective of our environment, with the top four technology initiatives relating to strategies that safeguard an organization’s assets and ensure its well being,” said Barry Melancon, President and CEO of the AICPA.

“This survey enables CPAs to stay up-to-date on the latest technology initiatives to advise their clients, customers and employers on the strategies they should consider undertaking,” Melancon said. The AICPA poll was conducted in late 2007 with ISACA, the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and the Information Technology Alliance (ITA). Respondents identified the Top 10 most important technology initiatives for 2008 as follows:

• 1. Information Security Management
• 2. IT Governance
• 3. Business Continuity Management and Disaster Recovery Planning
• 4. Privacy Management
• 5. Business Process Improvement, Workflow, and Process Exceptions Alerts
• 6. Identity and Access Management
• 7. Conforming to Assurance and Compliance Standards
• 8. Business Intelligence
• 9. Mobile and Remote Computing
• 10. Document, Forms, Content and Knowledge Management

For a complete list of definitions and more information on the list, visit www.aicpa.org/toptech.

Methodology
In addition to its Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP) Credential holders and IT Section members, the AICPA collaborated with the IIA, ISACA and the ITA because their members share similar perspectives on the top technology initiatives impacting business today. The survey was conducted in Fall 2007 under the supervision of a task force led by David M. Cieslak, CPA.CITP, GSEC, and Chairman of the AICPA’s Information Technology Executive Committee. A selective group of 1,169 finance, accounting and technology participants ranked 29 technology initiatives they felt would have the most significant impact on their organizations in the next 12 to 18 months.

About the AICPA
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (http://www.aicpa.org/) is the national, professional association of CPAs, with more than 350,000 members, including CPAs in business and industry, public practice, government, and education; student affiliates; and international associates. It sets ethical standards for the profession and U.S. auditing standards for audits of private companies; federal, state and local governments; and non-profit organizations. It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination.

Fuente: ISACA

1. Information Security Management
The development and implementation of a comprehensive security framework encompassing people, processes and IT systems that safeguards critical systems and information, protecting them from internal and external threats. Information Security Management is accomplished by analyzing and evaluating risks; selecting appropriate risk treatment options (avoidance, acceptance, transference and reduction); implementing controls (administrative, procedural, personnel and technological); then constantly monitoring overall performance.
The resulting system incorporates the preservation of confidentiality (information is not available or disclosed to unauthorized individuals, entities, or processes); integrity (safeguarding the accuracy and completeness of key data) and availability (systems and data are accessible and usable on demand by an authorized entity) of information. Other properties, such as authenticity, accountability, non-repudiation and reliability, are also factors.