 A CITP (Certified Information Technology Professional) is a CPA who is credentialed by the American Institute of CPAs as an information technology professional. There are 1,600 individuals who hold this credential, which means they are recognized for their unique ability to bridge between business and technology and they have achieved a combination of IT-related certifications, degrees, continuing education and business experience providing them with a wide range of documented IT competency.
During 2009, more than 235 new credential holders were added, a 90- percent increase over the number added in 2008. We attribute the significant increase in numbers to the changes that we made to the body of knowledge.
The CITP credential holder possesses a breadth of business and technology experience. The CITP Body of Knowledge is distinguished by five dimensions:
1. Insight (business reporting)
2. Audit (types of IT assurance services)
3. Control (Internal control and IT general controls)
4. Fraud (computer forensics, etc..)
5. Risk (assessment phase or during post-audits)
For more specific detail on the CITP Body of Knowledge, check out:
http://infotech.aicpa.org/Memberships/CITP+Body+of+Knowledge.htm
What is the Value of a CITP within a CPA firm? Given the growing technology needs to effectively and competitively run a public accounting practice, having experienced CPAs that are IT professionals are a must!
Having IT resources on staff is important in helping the firm’s leadership stay current on technology enablement, shaping the firm’s IT strategy and guiding the selection and implementation processes. Hiring a CPA.CITP provides a firm with an IT resource that possesses a combination of accounting and IT experience
CITPs can provide IT consulting services with the CITP credential is a competitive differentiator for the CPA providing consulting services. These CPAs hold both technical and business certifications and are identified as accounting technologists – understanding finance and accounting issues and IT concepts.
As a CPA and trusted advisor to clients, the CITP can offer both sound business advice integrated with strategic technology advice and direction. And in a marketplace where professional standards are inconsistent, a CITP is a trusted professional governed by established professional standards, a strict Code of Ethics and state licensing laws.
The CITP can also be valuable to CPAs in industry because in today’s businesses, all financial information is stored, gathered and analyzed through the use of technology. IT and accounting are critically linked with each other. Having a CPA.CITP on staff provides the organization a resource who can translate technical information into results-oriented business language that key decision makers can understand. CITPs generally have invested a great deal in their education and training and tend to take ownership of their role in the business, with a stakeholder and enterprise orientation.
CITP Credential Benefits
Those who are CPA.CITP holders receive a number of benefits from having this credential. These include the following:
•Automatic membership in the IT Section;
•Networking in an IT community for CPAs with opportunities to share best practices;
•Discussion forum for CITPs;
•Access to CITP marketing tolkit and updates;
•Access to member only social networking communities;
• Valuable resources and content exclusive to CITPs on the IT Center Website;
•Conference discounts and special networking opportunities for CITPs at the annual AICPA Tech+ Conference;
•Access to AICPA IT Section/CITP Webinars, as well as opportunities to participate in such events.
In order to qualify, a candidate must hold a valid and unrevoked CPA certificate issued by a legally constituted state authority and be a member in good standing of the AICPA. Those interested need to complete the CITP application and receive an evaluated score of at least 100 points. A copy of that application can be found at:
http://www.aicpa.org/download/infotech/2790-378_CITP-appl-kit-application-only_06-2009_fillable.pdf
AICPA IT Section/CITP Credential information
Visit www.aicpa.org/infotech
Call 888-777-7077 option 4
Email
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James C. Bourke, CPA.CITP.CFF is chair of the AICPA CITP Credential Committee.
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