Special IT issue as relevant as ever

The economy is the No. 1 preoccupation in this year’s survey regarding IT concerns

By Christian Bellavance, Editor-in-chief

It’s interesting how quickly things evolve. As I write, the Bank of Canada is announcing that it expects the Canadian economy to grow in the current quarter and make a leap forward in the fourth. Quite a shift from its previous statement, which was met with a healthy dose of skepticism.

As relieved as we might be by the forecast, the hundreds of CA•ITs who responded to this year’s CICA Information Technology Advisory Committee survey to identify their greatest concerns regarding IT are unlikely to change their opinions based on this news. The economy is such a concern for CAs in the IT world that it leads this year’s top 10 list. In “The top 10 IT Issues” (p. 20), Gerald Trites writes that CA•ITs worry most about adequate and effective controls in times of economic constraint. This is followed by maintaining security over moving data, the lack of effective IT governance, coping with information overload and the impact of IFRS on information systems. These issues are of such concern that two of last year’s top preoccupations, privacy and outsourcing, did not make this year’s list.

The second feature addresses the lack of IT governance and coping with information overload. According to Deloitte’s Nat D’Ercole, the two are linked. In “Making sense of IT all” (p. 28), he writes that these lead to lost revenue, poorly managed expenses, lost confidence, compliance problems and customer dissatisfaction. He argues that managing information properly is not a luxury: it’s a necessity.

Many CAs and IT specialists wait anxiously for CAmagazine’s annual IT issue. They want to get their hands on our annual enterprise software survey. For the 11th year, Michael Burns probed vendors for an exhaustive list of products and features. In Work in process (p.16), he explains the findings, which are organized according to customer revenue, number of employees and licence fees. The survey is available online at www.camagazine.com/ERPsurvey09.

Our Regulars section also features an IT article. In “Business intelligence for the SME” (p. 46), Mark Canes explains that small businesses need BI tools as much as larger ones to face competition and grow. The section also offers articles on taxation (p. 40), education (p. 43), standards (p. 49) and people management (p. 52).

As for our columnists, Jim Carroll in Netwatch asks — and answers — “Can CAs help save the world?” (p. 14). He refers to Internet applications that allow companies and individuals to monitor and control their energy consumption. Marcel Côté revisits one of his favourite topics. The title says it all: “Rethinking executive compensation” (p. 60).