Information Technology Blog

Because the people asking do not know about the changes that have been made.

On June 15, 2011, SAS 70s were broken into two different standards. A new standard (SSAE 16) and an existing standard (AT 101).

These two different standards are used for two different reasons:

Over the weekend, a security breach at Epsilon, an online marketing unit of Alliance Data Systems Corp., exposed millions of people to phishing attacks. Epsilon’s customers include well-known and large companies such as Citigroup Inc., Capital One Financial Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co., U.S. Bank, Barclays Bank, Ameriprise Financial Inc., Walgreens, Kroger Co., New York & Co., Verizon Communications Inc., TiVo Inc., the Home Shopping Network, Hilton Hotels, Best Buy, Disney Destinations, Kraft...

Microsoft has recently announced three offers for its Microsoft Dynamics ERP systems, valid from now until June 24, 2011.

New Microsoft Dynamics Customers

With the “Buy 1, Get 3” offer, growing and medium-sized businesses can take advantage of the rich functionality, low cost of ownership, and rapid deployment offered by Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Microsoft Dynamics GP. This promotion allows a customer purchasing either the Advanced Management (AM) or Business Essential (BE) Foundation Pack...

Mainstream Support for Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 will End January 11, 2011

Mainstream support for Microsoft Dynamics GP 9.0 will end on January 11, 2011 per the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy. Click here to find out when your GP product's support ends.

Green Tip: Download Your Software

Instead of shopping for software at the store, simply download what you need directly from those clever folks on the Internet. You'll save resources, as well as time and fuel.  CDs are made out of nonrenewable...

When companies receive a request for a SAS 70 audit, their first question is often, “What is this, and why am I being asked for it?”

A SAS 70 audit (statement of auditing standards no. 70) is one function of auditing that assesses the internal controls of a service organization. When a service organization has access to important information, such as employee banking information, social security numbers, etc., it needs to be determined that the manner in which this information is stored and...

CPAs are increasingly being asked to solve the information technology problems of their clients and prospective clients, according to a new survey by the American Institute of CPAs.

This year, the AICPA’s Top Technology Initiatives Survey asked AICPA members to rank a list of questions heard most often from audit committees, chief financial officers and chief information officers. With a renewed focus on IT-related issues, the survey makes it clear that CPAs need to understand information...

In June 2011, the SSAE No. 16 will replace the SAS 70 as the standard for reporting on service organizations.

Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) No. 16

The SSAE No. 16 was finalized by the Auditing Standards Board of the American Institute of Certified Public Acountants (AICPA) in January 2010. It was drafted to replace the SAS 70 as a more effective standard for reporting on service organizations, and to update the US service organization reporting standard so that it fits...

Microsoft currently offers three Corporate Performance Management (CPM) programs: FRx, Forecaster and Enterprise Reporting, which aid businesses in the areas of financial reporting, planning/budgeting/forecasting, and consolidation. Starting in May 2010, the capabilities of these CPM programs will gradually be combined into one program, Microsoft Dynamics Management Reporter, as part of an integration process that will take place over the next four years.

May 2010 marks the first step of the...

When you read something that says you should secure your network, most business people assume their IT people are taking care of this.  How can you be sure? Answer – you trust them.  Great, but what if they aren’t staying current with technology and are using old techniques…

You may trust them, and they may be doing what they know how to do, but you still have vulnerabilities. In a recent article in InformationWeek magazine – Greg Shipley, Tyler Allison, and Tom Wabiszczewicz write about five...

Identity thieves are now taking advantage of information publicly posted to social networks to make it easier to steal social security numbers.

According to a recent study, an estimated 10 million Americans publish their birthdays in online profiles or provide enough information for their birthdays to be inferred. Depending on the state, the accuracy in which SSNs can be guessed based on the date and place of birth in 100 attempts varies from .08% to over 10%. Combined with a computer program...

In the information technology world, there are such a variety of professional certifications available that after a while it all starts to look like alphabet soup. SC Magazine, the magazine for IT security professionals, sorted through the clutter and named one certification best of the best – the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) credential.

According to SC Magazine, “the technical skills and practices that CISA promotes and evaluates are the building blocks of success in the field....