INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 404

The problem faced by Information Technology §departments is the lack of direction in complying §with the Act. Section 404 of the Act addresses the §requirement of effective internal controls regarding §financial statement reporting being in place, and §that external auditors attest that the management §statement stating the existence and effectiveness of §the controls is correct. Companies are struggling §with how to supply management the necessary §assurance that the internal controls are effective.§ The method used in this study was the Delphi §method. This method utilized individual interviews §to elicit the intuitive information that was §available from experts in the analyzed field.§ Each company has its own unique situation in §meeting the compliance regulations of the Act. §Analysis of the data further indicated that IT §departments have the capability to contribute to the §compliance efforts, especially when there was a §clear definition of their appropriate role. Finally, §it was revealed the importance attributed to §compliance with the Act, while investigating some of §the problems experienced.