The Atlanta IIA wishes to thank Grant Thornton for their sponsorship of this newsletter and also recognize their ongoing support for the Chapter.

The use of third-party vendors for key business functions is here to stay. Routine sharing of critical information assets with cloud providers, consultants, business process outsourcers, third-party transaction processors, and others has become standard business practice. Yet inevitably, as data moves out of the organization's protected infrastructure into that of a third-party vendor, a certain degree of control is relinquished. Organizations must remain vigilant and engaged in assessing risks to their data, even though it resides at a vendor location.

How can organizations protect their information assets while entrusting them to third parties? Moreover, how can they ensure compliance with a changing landscape of security and privacy regulations, many of which differ by industry, state and country?

At issue is the fact that many third-party vendors, which store, process or transmit personally identifiable information/electronic protected health information (PII/ePHI) and intellectual property (IP) on behalf of users, may not have appropriate controls in place to secure the data, manage risk, or enable users to meet their privacy and security obligations. Even when an organization outsources data management and processing activities, regulations require that it retain responsibility for ensuring that its data is protected.

The onus is on user organizations to select vendors with an appropriate approach to risk management. In order to do so, user organizations need to carefully vet vendors prior to selection, and then actively monitor their security and privacy control environments throughout the life of the contract. Monitoring third-party data security and privacy risk requires a strong and effective process for ongoing vendor management that starts long before the contract is even signed.

 To read the complete article and download a pdf version, please click HERE.

CIA Exam Preparation Resource

There are a variety of resources to help you prepare for the CIA exam, including the IIA's CIA Learning System's self-study program. This comprehensive training course is designed to provide chapters, members, and the audit community of professionals with information and tools to master the global CIA exam syllabus. This program is aligned with the International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) to ensure you stay current with the global internal auditing profession and are ready for the CIA exam. It combines printed text with online testing tools and online questions. For special IIA member discount pricing please go to: www.learncia.com/chapters .

The Atlanta Chapter is proud to announce those who have earned a certification in the 3rd Quarter of 2011.  

Please join us in congratulating the following:

 CIA Spotlight - Larry Ashmore, CIA, CPA, CISA, CMA - SunTrust Banks, Inc.

Larry Ashmore

Larry Ashmore has 35 years of diversified audit, financial and managerial accounting experience. Larry currently serves as Managing Director and Senior Vice President, Audit Services, SunTrust Banks, Inc. He taught the Becker CPA Exam Review for a 25-year period in Nashville and Atlanta, and has been an adjunct instructor of accountancy and finance at the Keller Graduate School of Management, Belmont University and the University of Tennessee at Nashville. He earned his doctorate in business administration, concentration in accountancy, December 2004, H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business, Nova Southeastern University. Larry earned his CIA in August 2011.

The first annual Internal Audit Case Competition was held on November 11, 2011. 

Please click HERE  for the full article and pictures of the event.

The 6th Annual Student Day Event will take place on Februrary 17, 2012 at Kennesaw State University.  This event is free to all Georgia College and University Accounting students.  Sponsorships are available.  Please contact Barbara Jesup for more information on sponsorships.  Please contact Fred Masci for more information on Student Day.

The CIA Review Course will be presented by Dr. Glenn Sumners in Atlanta Monday, February 27, 2012 - Friday, March 2, 2012.   The course will be held at the Holiday Inn on Chamblee Dunwoody Road.  Parts 1 - 4 will be taught over a 5 day period.  Part 3 is a 2 day course.  The cost is $100 per part per day. Please click HERE for more information and to register.