Steve;
here you go:
Wednesday December 10, 3:36 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Internet & Year 2000 Top List of Critical Technology Issues For Business in 1998
NEW YORK, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Internet is increasingly becoming a way for businesses to interact with their customers, according to a recently released survey from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Also on the AICPA's annual ''Top 10 Technology Issues'' list this year is the Year 2000 issue, which is predicted to cause operational problems as computers fail to ccurately process year/date data beyond the year 1999 -- a situation that could potentially impact a large majority of business and government omputer systems.
The AICPA's ''Top 10 Technology Issues'' poll identified and ranked by order of importance current or future technologies, issues or concepts anticipated to affect business over the next year, based on their impact on revenue, organizational and personal productivity and fficiency, and exposure to various risk factors. Through a progressive electronic brainstorming meeting, the poll is conducted among CPA experts who advise businesses on managing information technology.
''The common thread between information technology and the CPA is information, '' said Ev Johnson of Deloitte & Touche and a member of the AICPA Information Technology Executive Committee. ''CPAs have been in the information business for a hundred years or so. And we've broadened that information beyond financial statement and accounting information to some very sophisticated technology ideas and tools.''
The Top 1O Technology Issues for 1998 are:
1. Internet, Intranets, Private Networks and Extranets -- The basic
Internet has expanded into an internal system (Intranet), private
networks (LANs) and, now, extranets, allowing the public or external
audiences access to internal systems (i.e. giving a company's
shareholders access to a company's internal Web structure).
2. Year 2000 Issues -- Financial calculations that use dates (i.e.,
mortgages, retirement plans, interest calculations, loan balances,
mortality rates, etc.) may be incorrect because databases were
programmed with ''two-byte'' year-fields. The computer will therefore
read ''00'' in the year-field as l9OO, ''Ol'' as l9Ol, and so on.
Year 2OOO issues deal with ensuring that systems adapt seamlessly to
the beginning of the next century with respect to data transmission,
including e-commerce and other transactions.
3. Security and Controls -- The processes a company or organization uses to protect information and restrict access to information systems to appropriate or designated users.
4. Training & Technology Competency -- The ability to remain proactively competent and knowledgeable about new and emerging systems, programs and other technology areas.
5. Electronic Commerce -- Web transactions that use computer and
communications technologies to link and integrate the business
processes of more than one company or concern. This widely used term
applies to many arenas, including intra-company applications, external
customer payments and transfers, and online banking.
6. Communications Technologies (General) -- Applies to packaging and
transmitting data, text, voice and/or video information among users,
Modes/tools could include e-mail communications, wireless LANs (local
area networks), ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) lines,
cellular communications and Web TV.
7. Telecommuting/Virtual Office -- With more employees working from their homes, many technology issues arise, including remaining, efficient and effective with today's technologies, the use of the Internet and Intranets, and other communications-based issues.
8. Mail technology -- Using technology to shorten response time and
enable businesses to be more timely and efficient, such as through
e-mail, voice mail, video mail and two-way paging,
9. Portable Technology (Notebooks/Palmtops) - Integrating desktop
technologies into smaller, efficient modes, including hand held
computers with pen-based entry and wireless transmissions to cellular
service or desktop systems. PIMs (personal information managers)
combine loosely structured information, such as word processing,
database and desk-top accessory programs that organize a variety of
information.
10. Remote Connectivity -- The ability to effortlessly send and receive e-mail, voice mail and other communications while traveling or away from the company/home office.
A comprehensive book, ''1998 Top 10 Technology Opportunities: Tips and Tools,'' is available by calling 1-800-962-4272 and requesting product number 042300. Cost is $19.95 for AICPA members and $24.95 for non-members.
The AICPA (www.aicpa.org) is the national professional organization of CPAs with more than 331,000 members in public practice, business and industry,
government and education.
SOURCE: American Institute of Certified Public Accountants |
