I just returned from a trip to Dallas for an AICPA instructor confab last Monday and Tuesday. We had a day of training by the Bob Pike Group, followed by a group discussion of the current state of training materials, etc. - good stuff. I also learned that the lovely and talented Connie Drannon is leaving AICPA - and going to work for a lawyer nearer her home. I know the commute is rough, but so are most lawyers I know....
I am working on a seminar on Small Business Internal Control. It seems like everyone has good answers on what AT&T (or should I say IBM's) internal control should be, but noone has much in the way of material related to the tradeoffs being made, and the integration with good HR policies (which BTW are more often than not worse than those in big companies). I'm hoping to have something that I can do live in 2005-2006 to test, and have a full day of material in the field by 2007.
I'm also working on an updated course on computer crime. I currently teach a computer fraud course, and see so much more material available out there which is really not being addressed in most of the seminars I attend. This is particularly true in the small business environment, where firms are using Quickbooks and Peachtree (both of which have security vulnerabilities and cheap password recovery utilities). Additionally, copies of the files from these programs can be made easily, and then dissected remotely. While the functionality and initial price are a value for the average small business, if other steps are not taken to make the PC "hardened" to security risks, these can turn into a thief's best friend.
One example of these security weaknesses is illustrated in a recent post from Susan Bradley, the goddess of SBS (another CPA.CITP)...
