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January February March April - December |
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January, 2000PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE I hope everyone had a joyous holiday season and is ready for the new challenges of the 21st Century. Based on News reports, most company’s Y2K efforts have proven to be successful. No major system related tragedies to report to date. Some people feel as though Y2K was one of the biggest non-events in history. My personal observation is that the Y2K efforts were a benefit. Many companies now have comprehensive Business Resumption Plans, robust Disaster Recovery Plans and the latest version of software and hardware for business critical systems. Many people now understand what they need in the event of a disaster and have disaster supplies in their homes. Some may argue that the cost associated with Y2K was excessive, but many Americans are now better prepared for a disaster, which can save lives and business profits. The December ’s educational sessions on the development of a Data Warehouse went smoothly. I was in Columbus, Georgia on an audit and was not able to attend. I was told by numerous sources that our 1st Vice President, Edmund Lam did an excellent job of covering the topic. We apologize for having to cancel the afternoon session on Oracle due to scheduling conflicts. We plan to cover Oracle in 2000. January’s sessions will be dealing with career planning during the lunch presentation. A fantastic way, in my opinion, for you to start off the New Year. Now that the bulk of Y2K is over many system professionals will be looking for new employment opportunities. Although our career planning session will focus on the audit profession, many of the topics covered are generic. This session may be one you want to share with your non-audit colleagues, family and friends. Did you mail in your ISACA dues? We will conduct a drawing after we receive the list of everyone who renewed by 12/31/99. The prize will be $50.00. Remember our monthly session’s format and pricing has changed. Each session will cover only one topic. The first session will be a high-level overview of the topic. The second session will be a more in-depth look at the same or similar subject. The complete course listing in now posted on our website. We will be enforcing the new pricing at our January meeting. The new schedule and cost are as follows: Luncheon Presentation 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Afternoon Seminar 2:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Cost of Luncheon Presentation ISACA members $30.00 Cost for Luncheon Presentation and Afternoon Seminar ISACA members $40.00 Sincerely, Carol R. Hopkins, CISA
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February, 2000PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE We started the New Year off on a great note. The presentations on Career Development and the Trends in Auditing were succinct, informative and also humorous. Sandy Geffner’s years of experience in the teaching arena was very evident in his presentation. Not only is his company, Valacon, a valued SF-ISACA sponsor but he is also a valuable educator. Thank you Sandy for preparing a presentation that, in my opinion, exceeded my expectations. I also would like to thank Jessie Corcia for helping make this presentation a success. Jessie prepared all of the photocopies for the presentation. This months educational offering will concentrate on IT Audit Best Practices. We will begin with a detailed overview of some of the key factors involved in creating and sustaining industry best practices within your organization. We will continue with a panel discussion where audit professionals will share best practices and different approaches to resolving the issues and challenges found in today’s IT Audit environment. I made two important announcements at the beginning of the January Education Seminar. We have developed the content of the (June) Summer Conference. It will consist of one full day of Unix, NT, Oracle and Internet Technology for a grand total of four sessions. You can attend one, two, three or all four of the sessions. The venue and date are forthcoming. However, we have decided to hold the conference in the San Francisco Financial District near Bart and Muni. We also plan to keep the price reasonable ($175-250 per course) with substantial discounts for taking more than one class. ISACA members will also receive an additional discount. I also announce that I will provide you with at least one additional reading suggestion to enhance your skills in the area covered for the current month. My first choice for personal reading time for this month is "Managing Workforce 2000" by David Jamieson and Julie O’Mara. My second choice is "Defining Effective Work Groups" by Paul S. Goodman. Although these books do not specifically focus on best practices within the IS Audit Community, I think these books capture the spirit of how one can successfully manage workgroups in the 21st century. The workforce is changing. If we are going to be successful in this new environment we have to understand the workforce we are auditing and how to manage the workforce. In particular we have to understand the risks associated with this changing workforce. Additionally, if we also identify reasonable controls for these risks, our value to the company will increase. Both books are available at Jossey-Bass Inc. You can reach them at (800) 956-7739 or on their website at www.Josseybass.com. I negotiated for us to be part of the Jossey-Bass Partner program. You will receive a 20% discount and SF-ISACA will receive a 20% referral reward. Just give them our partner priority code XM161 to receive your discount. I am genuinely concerned about your educational development within the audit profession. It is very important to me that each of you acquire and maintain the skills needed to make you a value-added member of your organization. The Y2K Summer Conference is an opportunity to enhance your knowledge in areas of interest to the IS Audit Community. Helping you identify books that enrich your attendance at our monthly educational sessions is just one more method of addressing my hopes for your educational success. Getting better and better every day in every way by expanding our Educational Toolbox. Sincerely,
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March, 2000PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE The presentation on IS best practices by Rod Verhulp was thought provoking and comprehensive. This presentation was appropriately complemented by the panel discussion that was moderated by our own Education Chairperson Todd Weinman. Thank you to all the participants (Rick Beckman, Maryam Malek, Kelvin Patterson and Rod Verhulp). As expected your participation was a welcomed enhancement to our monthly educational experienced. The afternoon session was well attended another sign of interest and the value of the session to our members. This month’s educational offering will concentrate on Secure Network Communications. As you know network security is an extremely hot topic so make sure you register as soon as possible to ensure a seat at this meeting. To my delight, our meeting attendance is growing and walk-in registration is very limited. We can not guarantee lunch or seating to anyone who does not register in advance. Remember you can register via our website. I will announce the winner of the $50.00 early registration gift at the next meeting. We had over 70% of our members to register before the end of 1999! For those who made the deadline take a bow. YOU helped us make history. SF-ISACA will review its paid member list in early April and suspend the membership of those who have not renewed their membership by the end of March 2000. Renewal is imperative to our future business operations. Therefore, I am taking a firm stand on this issue. Additionally, everyone who did not renew their CISA certification by the end of February may have their certification suspended. Please contact International for more details. Check out our website www.sfisaca.org for International contact information. Our personal reading time for this month is "The Business of Consulting" by Elaine Biech. My second choice is "Dealing with Difficult Participants" by Bob Pike & Dave Arch. Both of these books concentrate on techniques that are invaluable to auditors. These books discuss skills that can take your career to the next stage of development. Both books are available at Jossey-Bass Inc. You can reach them at (800) 956-7739 or on their website at www.Josseybass.com. You will receive a 20% discount and SF-ISACA will receive a 20% referral reward. Just give them our partner priority code XM161 to receive your discount. Our Summer Seminar will be held June 19 to June 22 at the San Francisco Hayatt Regency at 5 Embarcadero. Registration will be available on-line later this month. You will be notified via email or U.S. mail when registration begins. We are giving priority to our membership. The seating is limited and the demand has already started. We are offering concentrated, yet not overwhelming, coverage of our topics (Unix, NT, NT Internet, Oracle, E-Commerce and Internet Security). We want to make sure you take a usable product back to the office. It is going to be a conference to remember. Thank you to our second quarter sponsors Deloitte & Touche. Our sponsors are an important source of funding for our educational efforts. Please consider our sponsors when you are looking for professional services. Getting better and better every day in every way and expanding our educational offerings through our Summer Seminar! Sincerely,
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April - December, 2000No bulletin produced. [Top] |
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