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Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?

Posted by alfarom on 2004-02-24 05:45:42

In reply to phfcpa

Dear Rob,
I appreciate your article, but would like to make a few points concerning your vision on the audit business. I have first hand experience at undergoing IT audits, and have first hand knowledge of the internal workings of some of the leading Audit companies.
With or without SOX, the fact is that most of the large Audit companies have divested their "Information Technology" branches over the last couple of years. This has two important effects on your problem: Most auditors don't know the difference between kazaa and oracle applications. And certainly don't know if I am talking about the database or the application when I talk about Oracle. The second point is that the few people these companies have who do know their stuff (or at least some of it) cannot be charged to the customer for a full days work because the customer won't pay for it. So this usually ends up with a college graduate receiving a list with maybe 5 to 10 questions to take up to the IT department (and get laughed at). Now even if I take this guy seriously and I tell him we are running SAP or oracle applications on an oracle database, we have XYZ backup method, we have abc procedure for ensuring only qualified individuals have access to the erp application, bla bla bla.... he will go out there very happily, and maybe I'll see him next year with the same list. And all the time, he didn't bother to ask me if the server was running windows, unix or linux.
That is the reality, and SOX won't change that a bit. And please explain to me how this graduate is going to get me fired for not changing the backup tapes according to procedure, when he wouldn't even recognize a backup tape....
I wanted to point out one more thing which I find a totally unsatisfactory answer on your part in the discussion above. You claim auditors will be content with software written by a company because you can check the company's procedures etc. Well if you check Microsoft's history and procedures concerning security and stability, I cannot see how you can draw any satisfactory conclusions.
Speaking as a non US citizen, I can only see benefits for non US countries If according to you US companies will need to buy overpriced/underperforming software, just to satisfy SOX. And you wonder why so much IT work is being outsourced...


*	Topic	Author	Date
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	Rob Enderle	2004-02-17 21:02:48
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	beaner	2004-02-24 06:19:24
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 08:20:23
	Re: Can Closed-Source Software Survive an Audit? (was Open)	heron	2004-02-22 20:41:15
	Re: Can Closed-Source Software Survive an Audit? (was Open)	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 08:06:47
	Rob undermines his own opinion.	sgt_jake	2004-02-19 12:59:42
	Re: Rob undermines his own opinion.	RobEnderle	2004-02-20 09:55:04
	I call hypocracy	bangular	2004-02-24 05:33:38
	Re: I call hypocracy	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 08:14:22
	Interesting	sgt_jake	2004-04-15 08:14:40
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	jejones3141	2004-02-19 04:04:20
	Re: Can Rob Enderle Survive Reality?	timransom	2004-02-18 20:44:12
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	ptarra	2004-02-18 14:05:38
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	beaner	2004-02-18 13:27:35
	Playing fast and loose with your terms	shadow255	2004-02-18 11:15:07
	Re: Playing fast and loose with your terms	RobEnderle	2004-02-20 09:25:26
	Re: Playing fast and loose with your terms	cricketjeff	2004-02-20 10:01:04
	Re: Playing fast and loose with your terms	RobEnderle	2004-02-20 11:32:51
	Contradictions	JoeBunting	2004-02-24 04:52:15
	Re: Contradictions	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 07:52:36
	Re: Playing fast and loose with your terms	beaner	2004-02-23 07:23:09
	Re: Playing fast and loose with your terms	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 08:27:26
	Re: Playing fast and loose with your terms	cricketjeff	2004-02-20 16:11:42
	Re: Playing fast and loose with your terms	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 08:48:54
	Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	bangular	2004-02-18 13:04:46
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	bangular	2004-02-19 02:47:43
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	cricketjeff	2004-02-20 06:11:08
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	bangular	2004-02-19 17:18:27
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	beaner	2004-02-19 09:12:37
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	RobEnderle	2004-02-20 08:53:30
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	beaner	2004-02-23 08:08:52
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 08:36:20
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	beaner	2004-02-23 08:00:28
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 09:42:54
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	beaner	2004-02-27 07:01:32
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	cricketjeff	2004-02-20 10:07:40
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	RobEnderle	2004-02-20 11:47:05
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	cricketjeff	2004-02-20 14:34:19
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	RobEnderle	2004-02-20 17:07:52
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	bangular	2004-02-23 14:00:50
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 09:54:11
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	bangular	2004-02-24 10:40:08
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 11:14:21
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	bangular	2004-02-24 13:27:47
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 14:10:10
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	cricketjeff	2004-02-21 06:39:38
	Re: Troll your boat, troll your boat, gently down the streeeeam	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 09:00:57
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	jmpnop	2004-02-18 10:19:40
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	RobEnderle	2004-02-20 07:52:51
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	pasikoistinen	2004-02-26 01:46:13
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	ixnayrox	2004-02-17 21:08:56
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	RobEnderle	2004-02-20 10:30:36
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	beaner	2004-02-23 07:51:47
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 14:33:19
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	phfcpa	2004-02-21 07:19:36
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 09:15:42
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	alfarom	2004-02-24 05:45:42
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 09:27:45
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	alfarom	2004-02-24 13:47:46
	Re: Can Open-Source Software Survive an Audit?	RobEnderle	2004-02-24 15:00:56
	Personally, you're wrong...	DarkProximity	2004-02-25 09:46:24
	Re: Personally, you're wrong...	Smithy2004	2004-02-25 13:23:05
	sorry, I had to leave	DarkProximity	2004-02-26 10:21:45
	hehe... let me explain.	DarkProximity	2004-02-26 05:58:42