Rationale for the Blog
Life as an Internal Auditor is often varied. Well, I’m obliged to ‘big it up’ initially otherwise no-one would read any further. Anyway, to answer the rhetorical question, why would an Internal Auditor wish to be the author of a blog? In the main, it stems from my foray into internet dating in the summer of 2008. A colleague (now former colleague), was always in hysterics when I recounted the detail of another failed internet date. As we parted company due to the ‘restructuring’ of the Internal Audit department, she was keen to follow my quest for love.
I am at pains to stress that the blog will not focus on entirely on the joy and pain of internet dating but will also comment on the world of employment and whatever else takes my fancy. While many millions may watch Eastenders for light relief, real life is frequently more entertaining, even in the world of internal auditing.
Some details will be obscured to protect my own identity and the dignity of others. Admittedly, there are some who should be named and shamed but I’m not in the mood for Court proceedings for libel. Or to use the audit yuk-speak, ‘litigation is not within risk appetite’.
The other influences for creating the blog are egotistical and external. The Führer (Head Audit Monkey), who was responsible for the restructuring and my own redundancy, decided that the recipients of our Internal Audit reports would prefer ‘bulleted reports’, quite literally a list of bullet points, rather than paragraphs of prose. Needless to say this is all very ‘Janet and John’ and assumes the readers are ignorant. This is pitiful, especially when the report recipients are often responsible and aware of the functionality of the systems which have been audited. More importantly however, my absolute advantage over my fellow auditors, (the ability to write coherent and flowing reports) was diminished. The blog will hopefully keep my literary skills in tip top form.
The external influences are the columnists from the Weekend FT. I’m quite envious of Tyler Brule’s written style and a closet fan of Mrs.Moneypenny’s editorial. If my written style is of a similar standing, it could just be my exit route out the profession. A slim hope but one has to have some ambition.
One item to note. Audit Monkey does not wish any reference of this blog to be reproduced in any form whatsoever in the IIA monthly magazine. It is full of enough dross already and I don’t see why I should contribute additional column inches. If the Editor is pushed for stories, please refer to last year’s file, sorry previous editions for inspiration.
So here it is, my blog which I have been promising or threatening to do for several months and have postponed due to ‘better judgement’, or in truth, sheer laziness.
Audit Monkey's Blog 
I liked the part of not being reproduced in IIA mag. That was great. You’re not stuffy enough for that. Although I have to admit the mag is getting better.
Dude – where’s your ‘Like’ button?
Haven’t got the foggest. To be honest, I’ve always avoided IT audit as I can’t get worked up about servers and bits of copper cable. I’ll have a look and get back to you.
AM,
I’m okay with you not getting excited “about servers and bits of copper cable”, but try running any company without them (or any audit for that matter). There’s a lot more to IT than this….you left out applications, databases, networking, and of course, wireless (look Ma, no cable!).
That would be like me saying that financial audit is just ledgers and dollar figures, which leaves out the complexities of profit/loss, depreciation, taxes, and the like. The difference for me is that I’m fascinated by all the financial stuff mentioned above, as well as derivatives, etc. What pokes me is financial auditors thinking that IT is so simple any idiot can do it (and that does not describe you at all).
To each monkey his own banana, but you got my hair up a bit, although I know you didn’t mean to. If you did, let me know, and then we can have a civilized, digital, glove-to-face-slapping argument. But I’m sure you have more important things to do anyway. 🙂
@ Cow
I think the LIKE button is a default setting; but it only shows when you open a post in it’s own page; if the entire post is displayed on the home page (in other words, you don’t use the MORE tag on a post), the LIKE button is not displayed [like me, sometimes AM forgets to put the MORE tag in each post].
your blog is entertaining. Having a good time in your blog.
We’ve both been blogging a loooong time! Did you start in 2009 also, or earlier?
Not sure if this is directed at Faye or me. Just checking the posts in Admin and September 2009 is when the Blog started. Funnily enough, I’m thinking of jacking it in again as there is only so much you can say about Auditing before exhausting the subject.