jonahrubin

What skills and educational background is required for IT audit at a Big Four firm? Is it primarily accounting with a little MIS/IT/whatever training or mainly MIS/IT or what? For the financial auditors is there much value added by knowing a little SQL(or whatever else)?

TheWhitemagic

Big Four IT audit supports financial audit work in that it helps evaluating accounting system design, identify risks, test of IT general controls and application controls (That is G/L system and related subsytem), and perform IT substantive test which significantly requires IT skills such as understanding data flow diagram, source code, etc. Therefore, it requires primarily MIS/IT with little accounting.

For financial auditor, I think there is "little" value added of knowing SQL because Big4 financial audit will normally outsource this kind of work to IT audit department and then share audit fee to each other.

However, it might be helpful if you have basic IT knowledge such as understanding of IT Configuration, ERP system, Database system, and GAS (Generalized Audit Software). They will help you when performing test of controls and substantive test. ^_^