The Votes Have Been Tabulated and the Results are In!

Dear IT-Section Members and CITP Credential Holders:

By now you know that the wait is over. The responses to the Top Techs survey have been tabulated and the 2008 Top Technology Initiatives list has been announced. For the sixth year in a row, you and your peers – other CPAs, IT professionals and other decision-makers charged with providing technology-related guidance – have chosen “Information Security Management” as the number one technology initiative for the accounting profession to focus on over the next 12 - 18 months. Information Security Management isn’t the only familiar face on this year’s list. Although the ranking of the initiatives changed notably, there are a number of repeat appearances. Based on your votes, the following were selected as the Top Technology Initiatives for 2008:

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 Exception 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

So the 2008 Top Technology Initiatives list has been determined, now what?

2008 Top Technology Initiatives Master Toolkit

The Top Technology Initiatives (TTI) project serves two primary functions. The first is to identify and build awareness about the technology initiatives that CPAs and other professionals involved in the IT decision-making process feel have the greatest potential to impact IT strategy, investment and implementation within their organizations and the communities they serve over the next 12 – 18 month period. In fulfilling this awareness-building role, TTI helps focus the IT dialogue within the CPA profession and the broader field of financial management, helping to put important IT trends, issues and opportunities on the radar.

To help you educate yourself, and your employers, co-workers and clients about this year’s list, the AICPA has developed the 2008 Top Technology Initiatives Master Toolkit. This valuable resource resides on the IT Center and contains information, content and marketing materials you can use to foster awareness of these important initiatives within the circles you travel, including:

PowerPoint Presentation (Template) – A slide deck with speaker notes covering each of the Top Technology Initiatives. Customize this with your own firm/organization name and contact information.

Previously Recorded Web Seminar – A previously recorded session presented by David Cieslak, CPA.CITP, GSEC. Use it as a starting point for sessions you may be presenting to employees, co-workers, clients or industry groups.

Sample Session Description (Template) – A sample description for use in promoting your Top Technology Initiatives presentation.

Sample Article (Template) – A short Top Technology Initiatives article that can be used in your firm/client newsletter or on your organization’s intranet, website or in-house newsletter. You can also copy and paste the Short Article into an e-mail to distribute throughout your company or to clients or customers.

2008 Top Technology Initiatives Glossary – A PDF glossary with definitions for each of this year’s initiatives. Share it electronically and/or print and distribute it.

How can I learn more about individual initiatives from this year’s list, and begin using them to influence IT-decisions within my organization and my clients’?

2008 Top Technology Initiatives Content Suites and Interactive Toolkit

In addition to fostering awareness, the Top Technology Initiatives Project serves a second and perhaps more important function: to help educate members of the AICPA’s IT community and the broader profession about each initiative; the affect they are likely to have on their practice, and how practitioners can begin to address them and their implications within their own organization and/or those of their clients.

To help support TTI’s educational function and maximize the benefit that you derive from the project, the IT Executive Committee has launched a series of content suites centered on specific initiatives from the TTI list. These suites serve as mini toolkits providing reference materials, informative multi-media and practice aids to help members digest the individual initiatives and formulate game plans for addressing related issues and opportunities. In the past few months we have created in-depth content suites on the IT Considerations in Risk-Based Auditing and Mobile and Remote Computing, and have introduced materials related to Protecting Client Data and Safeguarding Information Assets.

This year we have created a NEW! Interactive Toolkit to encourage your exploration of the 2008 list, and to help you navigate the tools and resources that have been developed in connection with TTI. This Flash website consolidates the components of 2008 Master Toolkit and the existing content suites, and combines them with a stylish graphic interface that is intuitive, fun and easy to use.

Over the next 12 months, we will be adding to the existing content suites and expanding the interactive Toolkit to include new content areas and additional resources. Be sure to keep up with your monthly Links newsletter for important announcements regarding additional TTI content and updates to the interactive tool kit!

We’re always looking to improve the value of your IT Section and CITP deliverables. If you have any suggestions regarding what additional items we should add, or how we might improve these benefits, please drop us a line.

Sincerely,