BEC IT Flashcards
Checkpoint auto leasing is a small company with six employees. The best action that it can take to increase its internal control effectiveness is
Engage the owner in direct participation in the activities, including financial record-keeping, of the business.
Which of the following characteristics distinguishes computer processing from manual processing?
Computer processing virtually eliminates the occurrence of computational error normally associated with manual processing.
AIS Files (4)
- Source documents
- Data accumulation records (journals)
- Subsidary ledgers (registers)
- General ledger and financial statement records
Comparisons of manual vs. automated systems:
- Segregation of duties- more things combined in automated system
- Disappearing audit trail- can be built into computerized system
- Uniform transaction processing- higher in automated system but increases systematic errors such as inaccurate programming logic
- Computer-initiated transactions- not possible with manual system but should be regularly reviewed
- Increased errors and irregularities- remote access to data, concentration of information, decreased opportunity for review because of decreased human involvement
- Potential for increased management review- can mitigate above risks
One important purpose of COBIT is to
Guide managers, users, and auditors to adopt best practices related to the management of information technology.
Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (COBIT) provides a framework for
IT governance and management of enterprise IT.
COBIT Framework domains:
- Planning and organization- Strategic vision for IT, tactics to plan, communicate and realize vision.
- Acquisition and implementation
- Delivery and support- Operations, security and training
- Monitoring- how to periodically assess IT quality and compliance with control requirements
Information criteria:
Effective, efficient, confidential, integrity, available, compliance, reliability
IT resources
People, applications, technology, facilities, data
An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system has which of the following advantages over multiple independent functional systems?
Increased responsiveness and flexibility while aiding in the decision-making process.
What is an example of the use of the cloud to create software and programs?
PaaS (Platform as a service)
What is an example of the use of the cloud to access software and programs?
Saas (Software as a service)
Enterprise resource planning systems (ERPs)
Provide transaction processing, management support and decision-making support in a single, integrated and organization-wide package. Leads to cost reduction, EE empowerment and best practices. Outsourcing this service provides economies of scale to decrease costs. Also provides scalability and fast deployment.
Components of ERP system:
- Online transaction processing (OLTP)- collect the operational data for the organization
- Online analytical processing (OLAP)- incorporates data warehouse and data mining capabilities
Cloud service delivery model:
- IaaS (infrastructure as a service)- cloud to access a virtual data center of resources (network, computers, storage)
- PaaS- development, creating cloud-based software and programs
- SaaS- remote access software
In a large multinational organization, which of the following job responsibilities should be assigned to the network (system) administrator?
Managing remote access
The position responsible for managing the flow of documents and reports in and out of the computer operations department is the
Data control clerk
Three main functional areas in IT departments that must remain segregated!
- Applications development
- Systems administration and programming
- Computer operations
Positions in applications development:
- System analyst- analyze and design computer systems
2. Application programmers-write code under direction of system analyst
Positions in systems administration and programming:
- System administrators- grant access, manage systems
- System programmers- maintain operating systems and hardware, updating system, can have access to live system (computer operations)
- Network managers
- Security managements- ensure that all components of system are secure from internal or external threats
- Web administrators
- Help desk personnel
Positions in computer operations:
- Data control clerk- controls flow of documents into and out of computer operations, quality assurance
- Data entry clerk- manual data entry (rare)
- Computer operators- should not enter data, just load program and run program to produce output
- File librarian- maintaining control over files not online
Governance is primarily the responsibility of:
The board of directors
Selling digitized products can…
Decrease cost, improve quality
Governance
Process to determine what to do, what is important and hot to do it with the two key elements being strategy and oversight.
Strategy- sequence of procedures to determine long-term goals and identify how to achieve those goals
Oversight- managing and monitoring operations
Digitization
Movement of data to electronic form
Globalization
Integration of cultures and economies due to digitization
Cost leadership
Advanced technologies reduce cost by improving efficiency of production and internet allows for intense price competition.
Problems with IT strategy and governance:
- Lack of strategic focus- IT investments are often bottom-up projects
- Lack of strategic investment
- Inadequate scope and agility
This system is most likely to include external data.
ESS (Executive support system)
The system that most resembles a managerial accounting, budgeting system is:
MIS (management information system)
Which of the following is an example of a non-financial transaction?
Sending a purchase order to a vendor to purchase items for re-sale. Because it does not require an accounting entry.
Which of the following types of systems would you use to record the number of hours worked during the current pay period for each of your employees?
A transaction processing system (TPS).
IT Operational Systems
Support day-to-day activities, often called transaction processing systems (TPS), process nonfinancial and financial transactions, generate debit and credit entries for financial accounts.
Management Information Systems (MIS)
Support routine management based on data from TPS. Periodic management reports, includes Accounting information systems (AISs) that product financial statements and controls reports.
Decision support systems (DSS)
Provide information to mid and upper level managers to assist in managing non-routine problems and long-range planning. Frequently use external data.
Data-driven DSS- process large amts of data to look for patterns
Model-driven DSS- feed data into model to predict outcomes
Executive support systems (ESSs)- forcasting for long-range, strategic decisions, use external data
Group support system (GSS)- facilitate group collaboration (calendars, scheduling, etc.)
Knowledge work systems
Facilitate work activities of professional level employees. Includes Office automation systems (OASs) that provide support for clerical employees (word processing, etc.)
Which of the following is true in regard to data warehouses?
I. The bulk of the data found in a data warehouse comprises historical operational data.
II. Pattern recognition is one of the principal functionalities offered by data mining software.
Which of the following is a critical success factor in data mining a large data store?
Pattern recognition