With a challenging global economic environment, fraud and risks associated with a company's information technology are among the top concerns of internal auditors, according to the latest survey from global consulting firm Protiviti.
Concerns over fraud monitoring, detection, auditing and risk management are growing this year. The survey report noted that while regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley have helped increase corporate transparency, they can't prevent all fraud.
The survey said internal auditors want to improve their knowledge and application of technology that automatically audits business operations.
They also want a better understanding of guidelines related to IT risks and the impact of North America's conversion to International Financial Reporting Standards.
Other issues concerning internal auditors, according to the survey, included improved knowledge about extensible business reporting language (XBRL), enterprise-risk management and information security.