March 05, 2008 Press Coverage Archive

ICAEW IT Counts site embraces Web 2.0, with Microsoft's help

The ICAEW IT Faculty has launched a new professional development portal called IT Counts to help institute members improve their knowledge of technology. John Stokdyk reports.

From a look at a preview of the site shortly after launch, IT Counts features background information on IT security, software selection, technology trends and office IT tips, including Excel advice from regular AccountingWEB contributor Simon Hurst. The parallels with our own IT Zone are hard to miss, but to give the institute its due, IT Counts is adorned with all the latest Web 2.0 accessories - wikis, RSS feeds and blogs from Hurst and other figures including Microsoft UK finance director Steve Dunn.

The foundation for the site is an online community and content management system called WordFrame, supplied by ITBrix. Web 2.0 entrepreneur and blogger David Terrar is an executive director of the organisation and explained that WordFrame is a flexible system that operates a bit like an in-house version of FaceBook. The system allows users to set up multiple groups and to organise content such as forums, wikis and blogs for different levels of access. This makes it possible to run external community sites like IT Counts alongside intranets.

The Microsoft input is significant, too, as the PC software giant is the primary sponsor behind the IT Counts initiative, which is restricted to ICAEW members.

Paul White, director of Microsoft's Dynamics product group in the UK, commented: "Chartered accountants increasingly have responsibility for IT but report that they don't always feel well equipped to deal with it - or interpret the advice they receive from their IT departments. IT Counts is designed to help chartered accountants bridge that gap."

The IT Counts publicity quotes findings from a survey of 529 chartered accountants, 68% of whom said they have influence over IT purchasing decisions. Word of mouth was the most significant source of information when selecting an IT system, cited by 57% of respondents. Peers (35%) and management consultants (33%) were the next significant group, followed by specialist publications (29%) and websites (27%).

The research highlighted the apparent gap between IT and finance departments, with only 14% of respondents saying they would turn to their IT director or department for advice when selecting a core system. While the IT Counts initiative is laudable, the premise on which it is being publicised is a little shaky, since many organisations and practices with 10+ employees don't have IT departments, and accountants themselves will bear responsibility for technology management.

Respondents to the recent AccountingWEB/National B2B Centre survey on accountants and ebusiness admitted to similar issues about lack of knowledge on this important area of technology. In this study, 25% relied on friends for IT advice - with such "word of mouth" sources rated as excellent by 9% of those who used them.

Specialist websites (such as AccountingWEB, dare we say it) were important information sources for 71% of the ebusiness respondents, 23% of whom rated the quality of such sites as "excellent". In contrast, professional bodies were used as an information source by 43% of respondents, 3% of whom rated the content as excellent. IT suppliers were used as information sources by 37%, with 9% of this group rating suppliers' information as "excellent".

One explanation for the discrepancy was that the AccountingWEB/NB2BC study was based on an online survey carried out among AccountingWEB members, who are already accessing IT information and advice on the net. IT Counts is an attractive and laudable attempt to broaden the ICAEW membership's technology expertise, but as Simon Hurst notes elsewhere on AccountingWEB this week, there are even bigger gaps in the profession's attitudes and institutional support for IT education that need to be addressed.

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