|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
INDEX |
|||
January, 1998PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 1997 was a good year for the chapter. Our membership exceeded 300 and we had the most successful CACS conference in its history. So where do we go from here? For starters, over the last several months, Lander International has conducted a survey of our members to find what type of training is needed. The board of directors will use this information to help develop future training seminars, conferences and other activities for the chapter. Our membership committee, Hector Massa and Carol Hopkins, have compiled a membership directory that will be mailed out in January to our members. This is the first time in several years that the chapter has produced a directory and Hector and Carol did an excellent job taking the initiative and putting this one together. We hope to create the directory annually for our members. The seminar committee plans to work with the Silicon Valley and Sacramento chapters to sponsor an affordable and timely mini-CACS conference for Northern California within the next year or two. The seminar committee is putting together a low-cost one or two day Firewall Security seminar around May. The chapter is looking forward to another prosperous and fulfilling New Year and we wish the same for all our members. ---Kathleen Arnold
MEMBERSHIP REPORT Please join me and the SF ISACA Board in welcoming the following new Chapter members: Justin W. Gibson Coopers & Lybrand The membership count as of December 1st, in the San Francisco Chapter stands at 311 members"
Eleven International Organizations Join Forces to Encourage Executive Attention to Year 2000 Computer Date Issue While news stories have appeared around the world about the looming computer date problem of 1 January 2000, also known as the millennium bug, many executives are still ignoring the warnings. To bring the year 2000 (Y2K) issue to the top of the agendas in board rooms and executive suites and around the world, eleven financial and technical groups have joined forces to encourage immediate action. These organizations, representing more than 2.2 million financial and information technology professionals worldwide, have teamed to alert the business community to the potential impact of the Y2K problem. Mission-critical computer systems worldwide will perform inaccurate calculations or potentially crash if they have not been properly reviewed and updated to account for dates in the year 2000 and beyond. As a result, many organizations may suffer a financial loss, damage their reputation and credibility, and breach relations with customers, employees, investors, trading partners, regulators and other stakeholders. All senior managers, CIOs, software vendors, process owners, boards of directors, audit committees and world leaders in government bodies need to obtain assurance that the Y2K issue has been addressed internally and with external business and trading partners. Time is of the essence. Organizations should set September 30, 1998, as the target date to update their computer code so time is available for testing in preparation for the nonslippable December 31, 1999, deadline. Although the time, personnel and financial resources required to prepare information systems for Y2K can be extensive, the cost of continuing to ignore the problem may be far more devastating. Organizations should allow at least one full year to fix and test code, with many organizations requiring two or more years to adequately fix and test their code. The cost to update code can range from $1 - 1.50 US dollars per line, and large organizations may have several million lines. Estimates show that the cost could equal 35 percent of the US $1.08 trillion annually spent worldwide on information systems. Regardless of the expense, it is imperative that organizations prepare for Y2K. The Y2K problem exists because in many computer systems the century digits (19) are not present in the date fields. These two digits were omitted to conserve memory space and reduce keypunch effort. When the year 2000 arrives, these systems will assume the date is 1900, causing potentially devastating errors, invalid information and system shut downs. Billions of lines of computer code from millions of computer programs may be affected worldwide. These include new and old applications written for defense systems, power generation and distribution, factory process control, criminal and medical records, mortgages, pensions, insurance, asset registers, debt/credit payments and investment calculations.
February, 1998PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE At last, it is 1998 and the Chapter is off to a great start. We are back online - thanks to the help of Chuck Dormann, Past Chapter President, and Hector Massa, 1st Vice President! Yes, the Chapter is on the web again, so feel free to surf! Our address is now easier to remember. – www.sfisaca.org I would personally like to apologize for any inconvenience our members might have experienced due to the recent unavailability of our web site. We have had a difficult time retaining Webmasters, due to their career responsibilities, etc. Hopefully, we have the commitment and resources necessary to keep the website maintained. The San Francisco State University ISACA Student Chapter, headed by Sumit Kalra, has offered its services to help us maintain the website - the SFSU Student Chapter to the rescue, again! Of course we gladly accept their offer. I would also like to thank past Webmasters for all their hard work and dedication which got us online in the first place: Don Ledwith, Dan Ruiz , Jeff Camiel and Peter Walker. Also, we need help and input from our members. If there is something you’d like to see on the website, let us know. Your comments are welcomed, because we are here to serve you. Happy surfing. --Kathleen Arnold
MEMBERSHIP REPORT Please join me and the SF ISACA Board in welcoming the following new Chapter members: Carol Ching Chevron Corporation The membership count as of January 5, 1998, in the San Francisco Chapter stands at 315 members"
ISACA AT SFSU AWARDS BANQUET The SF ISACA Chapter was well represented at the Awards Banquet for San Francisco State University’s Accounting Department, on December 5, 1997, at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco. The Accounting Student Association invited Chuck Dormann, Past Chapter President, to deliver the Key Note Address. Chuck talked about the importance of the students getting involved in professional organizations, thereby earning their place at the table in both professional and business organizations. Victor de Leon, Chapter Treasurer and all around fun guy, and Edmund Lam, Chapter Director, also attended the function, on behalf of the Chapter. Edmund Lam and Chuck Dormann are on the Academic Liaison Committee and will work with Sumit Kalra, President of the ISACA SFSU Student Chapter and with university professors to set up an academic curriculum. The Academic Liaison Committee’s objective is to set up an academic curriculum to encourage more students into the Information Technology Auditing profession. For more information regarding the Academic Liaison functions and activities, contact Edmund Lam From Kathleen Arnold
Change Management, A New Perspective Most experienced auditors are familiar with the importance of auditing the mainframe environment change management process to ensure that it is well controlled. As technology advances, IT management migrates some of the production applications to mid-range and mini system environments. IT professionals should apply the same control standards for auditing mainframe change management to mid-range and mini-computer environments. Dave Lufkin will provide some insight on how to apply some of the controls standards in auditing mainframe change management to mid-range and mini-computer processing environments. Kathleen Arnold
Speaker Biography Dave Lufkin Dave Lufkin is an Information Technology Audit Manager at Bank of America responsible for managing audits that support the retail portion of the bank. Dave is a Certified Information Systems Auditor and has over 25 years in IT (the last 20 years at Bank of America). Dave has an extensive history of auditing and managing audits of IT in both mainframe and distributed environments. He started his career in data center management, and has experience as a systems project manager and a data base analyst. At one point, Dave managed a project to completely revise the change management process at his company, which served him well for his move to IT Audit. Dave has spoken in the past on subjects ranging from security to general controls overviews. He has also published internal newsletter articles on distributed client controls. Dave has been in IT Audit for 12 years, and an IT Audit Manager for the past 7 years, recently transferring from a BofA subsidiary in Seattle, Washington. From Kathleen Arnold
March, 1998PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Next month on April 25, we start the CISA Review Course for the San Francisco Chapter. Lance Turcato, CISA Review Committee Chairperson, Georg Wolfl, CISA Review Coordinator, and Helen Leung, CISA Review Assistant Coordinator, are part of the dynamic team putting together the course. I’m really excited about the course this year because the committee has broken the course down into six meeting dates. The first five dates will cover Domains 1-5, and the last meeting date will be a Practice Exam. The 1998 edition of the CISA Review Manual has undergone an extensive change. The manual is now divided into two separate publications to assist and enhance the study process. The CISA Review Technical Information Manual consists of updated technical and support material and references that have been arranged according to the Domains. The CISA Review Questions, Answers & Explanations Manual consists of a representative sample examination. This sample examination consists of 200 questions and is intended to provide the CISA candidate with an understanding of the type and structure of questions that typically appear on the examination. It also replaces the 1994 Sample Test Booklet. The CISA Review Committee has worked really hard to put together a very comprehensive review course and we hope our members take advantage of it. Many other chapters do not have the resources to undertake such a project, so our Chapter is fortunate to have the resources. Over the years, the CISA Review course has really helped prepare many of our members for the CISA exam. I’d like to thank Lance, Georg and Helen for all the hard work they’ve done and will do for the next six Saturdays -- they won’t be sleeping in! --Kathleen Arnold
MEMBERSHIP REPORT Please join me and the SF ISACA Board in welcoming the following new Chapter members: Patrice J. Auyong Arthur Andersen LLP The membership count as of January 5, 1998, in the San Francisco Chapter stands at 320 members
LUNCHEON PRESENTATION: IMPLEMENTING AND AUDITING SAP R/3 What’s the big deal about SAP? It’s just a sticky byproduct from trees which ruins the exteriors of cars, right!!! Well, it is also the leading enterprise software application that many of the Fortune 500 companies are converting! The SAP R/3 system is an integrated group of client/server applications which allow organizations to manage financial, manufacturing, sales, distribution, and Human Resources functions, essential to daily operations. SAP is modular, flexible and scaleable. This month’s meeting will provide information about SAP R/3, and the challenges faced in implementing and auditing it. Ron will discuss PG&E's post-implementation audit approach and he will give us some insight on the development and usage of SAP audit tools at PG & E. Speaker Biography Speaker Name: Ron Chen, Acting Director of Information Technology Audits at PG&E For the last ten years, Ron Chen has been a member of PG & E’s Internal Auditing Department. Ron has been involved with the development and usage of SAP audit tools at PG & E. Currently he is the Acting Director of Information Technology audits at PG & E. Ron is a graduate of CSU-Hayward with a B.S. Degree in Finance and Computer Science. Also, he has experience in special investigations, information technology and financial auditing.
CISA REVIEW CLASS PREPARES FOR A DEMANDING CERTIFICATION EXAM In school, no one likes taking exams. But if you get an A, you are happy with the results. In life after school, we still have exams. However, passing these life exams brings more tangible benefits: increased prestige and, in many cases, a salary increase immediately or shortly thereafter. The CISA exam and the associated certification process is respected world-wide. How do you best prepare for an exam like that? Our San Francisco Chapter’s CISA Exam Review Class was highly successful last year. Many of the CISA exam passers in Northern California were participants in our San Francisco Chapter’s Review Course. The instructors for this year's course include professionals from Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., Coopers & Lybrand, KPMG, Bank of America, and Lander International. The sessions will include lectures, practice questions and exams, and classroom discussions. A detailed course information sheet and registration form for the 1998 CISA Review Class is attached to this newsletter. If you need further information please contact Georg Wolfl (E-Mail:georg.wolfl@schwab.com, Phone: 415-636-1273) or Helen Leung (E-Mail: hsleung@pacbell.net, Phone: 510-446-3100)
April, 1998PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE On February 25, I had the honor of addressing the students at San Francisco State for Meet the Affiliates Night. The students were eager for information regarding Information Systems Auditing and they were very attentive. The students at San Francisco State are looking for internships in the field; please contact me for further information. By now our members should have received their very own copy of the Membership Directory! Hector Massa and Carol Hopkins, along with other members worked hard to get the directory to our members. This is our first effort to produce a directory in years, and we hope to improve it for next year. If you have any changes, please fill out the form and send the changes to Carol Hopkins. --Kathleen Arnold
JOINT MEETING S.F. ISACA AND S.F. IIA
Luncheon Presentation Fee $20 for members $30 non-members Presentation/Seminar Fee $30 for members $35 non-members Make reservations by calling Jason Smith at (415) 957-3340 or register on our website www.sfisaca.org. --Kathleen Arnold
MEMBERSHIP REPORT Please join me and the SF ISACA Board in welcoming the following new Chapter members: Charles B. Bauer, CIA Chevron Corporation The membership count as of March 2, 1998, in the San Francisco Chapter stands at 326 members. However we remind those 73 members who have not renewed their membership in 1998 to do so before the end of April 1998 to keep on receiving member’s benefits and avoid dropping from the membership roster". --Hector Massa, Membership Chair
CISA REVIEW COURSE UPDATE Many of you who read about our Chapter’s 1998 CISA Review Course in last month’s newsletter have expressed an interest in enrolling. For those of you who are wondering whether it's worthwhile to do so, the answer is an unequivocal YES. Participating in the review course may be one of the most effective ways to prepare for the CISA exam. Each week, one domain of the exam will be covered. In addition to lectures, there will be plenty of practice questions to get you ready for the exam. On the last day, a mock exam covering topics from all domains will be conducted. Chapter records indicate a high success rate for previous participants. The course will be taught by professionals from Charles Schwab, Coopers & Lybrand, KPMG Peat Marwick, Bank of America and Lander International. If you would like additional information, please contact Georg Wolfl (georg.wolfl@schwab.com; or 415/636-1273) or Helen Leung (hsleung@pacbell.net; or 510/446-3100). Helen Leung, CISA Review Coordination Committee
May, 1998PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE The elections committee is preparing the ballot for the new board of directors for the upcoming election in June. Now is a good to time to consider being a part of the S.F. ISACA board. There are several committees in various areas, and we could always use the help. This is your opportunity to help us improve the Chapter. The S.F. State University Student Chapter members are a very hard-working, intelligent and enthusiastic group. They are looking for audit internship opportunities. If any of our members have any leads, please contact Summit Kalra, Student Chapter President, at 415-337-8668. Finally, the Chapter has started a scholarship program for Information Systems Auditing students. It is the Chapter’s way of encouraging students to enter the field of Information Systems Auditing. Contact me for more information. --Kathleen Arnold
MEMBERSHIP REPORT by Hector Massa Please join me and the SF ISACA Board in welcoming the following new Chapter member:
(Transfer from Central Ohio Chapter) The membership count as of April 2, 1998, in the San Francisco Chapter stands at 339 members.
"MEET THE AFFLIATES" NIGHT AT SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY The Meet the Affiliates (IIA, IMA, AGA and ISACA) technical presentation was held on February 25, 1998 at San Francisco State University. ISACA's presence was greatly appreciated. Kathleen Arnold, San Francisco ISACA Chapter President, gave an in-depth informative session on the IS auditing field. The presentation included IS auditing, academic and certification requirements. She did a great job in describing in detail the elements of each. Kathleen Arnold, Marcus Jung (past SF Chapter President), and the board members have made major contributions to SF State University's IS Auditing awareness program by helping us develop a Student Chapter. I am thankful to everyone at ISACA for allowing me to represent them as the Student Chapter President at SFSU. Again, thanks to Kathleen Arnold and all the board members for helping make the San Francisco State University Student Chapter a success.
Sumit Kalra, SFSU ISACA Student Chapter President
CISA Review Class Being Fine-Tuned The CISA Coordination Committee met recently with the CISA Review Class instructors and student helpers to discuss the upcoming review classes. The instructors are listed here in class sequence: Richard Tuck, Esther Silver, Ranjita Chakravarty, Ed Ehrgott and Arnita Bowman. Tiffany Wu and Robert Rinauro will assist as student helpers in the classes. It was a very productive meeting, which will help to ensure the consistency and quality of the review classes. The goal of the upcoming classes is to greatly benefit the students' study process. It should also boost the performance on the CISA test of all the students attending the classes. Thanks again for the commitment and excellent volunteer work of all participants helping to make the CISA Review Class successful. Georg Wolfl, CISA Coordinator
NEED TO HIRE AN INTERN????? SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY WELCOMES ALL
June, 1998PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Where does the time go? It seems like only a few months ago I was elected Chapter President and now my term is over. It has been a very exciting and busy year for the Chapter and for me. I could not have made it without the help of my fellow board members. Three of the major areas in which the board had much success this year are Academic Relations, Membership and our Web site. The Academic Relationships Committee--Chuck Dormann, Blair Bautista and Edmund Lam and myself--worked with the students at SFSU to established a Student Chapter of ISACA and we plan work with the other universities this term. In addition, Edmund is also working on establishing scholarships for the students to encourage them to obtaining Information Systems training. Special thanks to Doug Feil and Dan Ruiz for their continued support in this area. This was also the first year in a while that we published a chapter Membership Directory, thanks to the help of Hector Messa and Carol Hopkins. We would like to update the directory annually, but we could use additional help from our members. The Chapter Web site was a hit at last month’s President’s Council Meeting in Chicago because of its reconstruction, so please take time to go out and surf the site to see the changes and tell us what you think! Our site is now interactive because YOU can sign up for courses, fill out surveys, register for monthly seminars and link to other ISACA sites. And, there are more things on the horizon for the site. A very special thanks to Lance Turcato and Esther Silver for all their hard work, time, and dedication. A final thanks to Georg Wolfl and Helen Leung for continuing the tradition of getting up Saturday mornings overseeing the CISA review course. As I join the ranks of the other Past Chapter Presidents, I would just like to say I enjoyed working with everyone on the board and I look forwarding to helping on the various committees next term. --Kathleen Arnold
MEMBERSHIP REPORT Please join me and the SF ISACA Board in welcoming the following new Chapter members: Paul W. Becker, CIA Chevron Corp. The membership count as of May 5, 1998, in the San Francisco Chapter stands at 293 members. --Hector Massa, Membership Chair
Chapter, Business and Professional Growth An editorial by Richard Tuck The end of a chapter year often puts people in the mood to reflect on what has happened over the last twelve months. This is especially true when many people are already in a reflective mood pondering what the new century may bring. The San Francisco Chapter of ISACA began life almost two decades ago. I remember the time well because it was around the same time I started my own business, Lander International. The chapter was small and the volunteer leaders were a determined group of people trying to share information about how to control computer systems and how to gain acceptance from MIS people. My own business was also very small – in fact Lander consisted of two clerical assistants and myself. As the years passed, the chapter grew and matured, and so did my business. The chapter board of directors became larger and took on more responsibility. More organizations in the Bay Area became supportive of ISACA, luncheon meetings became more formalized, and the chapter started putting on seminars to share information. A CISA review course was developed to assist people in learning more about how to perform audits of computerized environments. Now, these many years later, the San Francisco Chapter of ISACA is a bustle of activity. Just in the last year the chapter website has become a professional focus for people serious about learning about the IS audit and security and control fields. The academic outreach effort has reached such levels of success that a student chapter at San Francisco State has taken on a life of its own. Students attend practically every chapter function and are adding their energy and enthusiasm to the proceedings. Although the international ISACA organization has restructured and done away with a regional approach within the United States, the chapters in the west continue to meet twice a year and share information on planning and reaching higher goals. The SF chapter membership has grown in just the last two years by almost 30% -- an astounding rate compared with the stagnant membership rate over the previous decade. I see that growth reflected on the international level as well. At the recent Chicago CACS Conference, of the 85 attendees who were in my session on "Career Development," half were people brand new to the IS audit profession within the last few months. All were eager to learn new skills quickly and make themselves more valuable to their organizations. Over the years my own business growth has been almost parallel to that of the chapter. For over a decade I was content to see my business grow at a measured pace. I really enjoyed getting to know all the people in the San Francisco Bay Area in the audit profession and to see the growth in their professionalism. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the CISA review course take on a more professional stature. A decade ago when I first started to expand my business outside Northern California, I was a bit uncomfortable; I wasn’t sure my career counseling advice would hold true in other parts of the country where the supply and demand factors and salary structures were unknown to me. But this week we at Lander International celebrated our 19th anniversary and the future horizons look quite different than we would have imagined two decades ago. Even as I write this editorial, hammers are pounding in the background. Lander has purchased its own office building and we are in a massive construction phase. We have a 9000 square foot building with an adjacent 7000 square parking lot. The local city officials inform me that we can now accommodate 70 employees, and I’m laughing, wondering if this will be enough space to accommodate us until we reach the new Millenium. When I look back over the same period of time at the audit profession itself, the last decade has also been one of change. A few organizations across the country have made major strides towards re-engineering the very definition of internal audit. "Value-added" and "consultative auditing" have become buzzwords for the direction most people agree audit needs to move towards. Unfortunately although these words have become trendy, the truth is that very few companies are truly making major changes in the way they conduct audits. At Aetna Life and Casualty the General Auditor Larry Harrington helped audit focus on adding value by concentrating on the future and becoming business partners with unit managers. At EDS parts of the audit function have focused on moving entirely away from using audit reports. The work performed by the audit consultants at EDS is on behalf of the business units, not on behalf of senior management. Management has come to realize that audit reports sometimes prevent auditors from truly becoming value-added consultants to the business. When auditors are evaluated for bonuses, they lose points for each audit report they have written. Management feels that an auditor can do more good for the company and bring about more positive changes by not writing reports for senior management. As we approach the Millenium and try to second-guess what the future will bring, it is clear to me that the people who will be happiest and most successful are those who are most flexible and can assimilate all the changes into a positive framework. Those who cling to the traditional ways to conduct audits will probably be the most disenchanted with what the future will bring.
July, 1998As a member of the San Francisco Chapter of the Information Systems Audit & Control Association (ISACA), you are all cordially invited to attend our Annual Meeting on July 18, 1998. This meeting is being held to:
We urge all of our members to attend this important meeting to express your ideas and help us plan Chapter events for the upcoming year which will meet your educational needs. Please RSVP for this event by July 16, 1998. You may submit your RSVP via this website (Register for the July, 1998 Meeting) or you may call Kathleen Arnold: (415) 291-6722. Each member of the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Chapter looks forward to meeting you at our Annual Meeting. Sincerely, Kathleen Arnold MEETING DETAILS: Date: Saturday, July 18, 1998. From The North: Take Hwy 80 West towards Oakland. After the Barrett Ave. exit in Richmond, watch for the Cutting Blvd. exit on your right. Exit at Cutting Blvd. in El Cerrito. At the bottom of the exit lane, turn left onto Cutting Blvd., cross under the freeway, and stay in the right lanes. Turn right at the stoplight at San Pablo Avenue. Travel six blocks south on San Pablo; turn right at Jefferson Avenue. Make an immediate left into the Lander parking lot. Take Hwy 80 West towards Oakland. After the Barrett Ave. exit in Richmond, watch for the Cutting Blvd. exit on your right. Exit at Cutting Blvd. in El Cerrito. At the bottom of the exit lane, turn left onto Cutting Blvd., cross under the freeway, and stay in the right lanes. Turn right at the stoplight at San Pablo Avenue. Travel six blocks south on San Pablo; turn right at Jefferson Avenue. Make an immediate left into the Lander parking lot. From The South (from Oakland, San Francisco, and places south): Take Hwy 80 East towards Richmond and Sacramento. Do not take the left cut-off to Hwy 580 in El Cerrito; stay in the right lanes, which is Hwy 80. Pass the Central Avenue and Carlson Avenue exits in El Cerrito. Exit at Potrero; at the end of the exit ramp, turn right onto Potrero. Stay to the right, and turn right again at the top light onto San Pablo Ave. Travel four blocks south on San Pablo; turn right at Jefferson Avenue. Make an immediate left into the Lander parking lot. Take Hwy 80 East towards Richmond and Sacramento. Do not take the left cut-off to Hwy 580 in El Cerrito; stay in the right lanes, which is Hwy 80. Pass the Central Avenue and Carlson Avenue exits in El Cerrito. Exit at Potrero; at the end of the exit ramp, turn right onto Potrero. Stay to the right, and turn right again at the top light onto San Pablo Ave. Travel four blocks south on San Pablo; turn right at Jefferson Avenue. Make an immediate left into the Lander parking lot.
August, 1998No newsletter published. This month was reserved for Chapter activity planning.
September, 1998No newsletter published. This month was reserved for Chapter activity planning. Refer to the September, 1998 Monthly Bulletin. 4th Quarter, 1998Open/Download The PDF Version Of Our
Newsletter:
|
|||
|
|||
