THE EVOLVING ROLE OF IS AUDIT: A FIELD STUDY COMPARING THE PERCEPTIONS OF IS AND FINANCIAL AUDITORS

The study describes and contrasts information systems (IS) and financial auditors’ perceptions of the current and future role of IS auditing within the largest accounting/professional services organizations (the Big Five). We conducted a field study of 20 senior managers and partners among the then Big Five firms in the United States to better understand how the IS audit function is expected to change. We find that IS and financial auditors have different perceptions about the current and future relationship between IS and financial audit and differ in their opinions of clients’ expectations for future audit services.