You have been called in as a consultant in the role of liaison between the accounting and...

You have been called in as a consultant in the role of liaison between the accounting and IT professionals. The IT department has put forth a plan for an integrated enterprise system. The plan calls for the accounting database to be integrated into an enterprise relational

database. IT asserts that accounting can be improved when an enterprise system is integrated. An integrated system can improve management decision making.

The accounting department is resisting this change. The accountants have a strong preference for keeping a stand-alone accounting system. They are concerned about the security of the confidential data stored in the accounting database. They are worried that after the integration the accounting database will be vulnerable to access by other employees.

Your job is to facilitate communication between the accounting and IT professionals to reach a resolution regarding the integrated enterprise system issue. Describe how you would handle this situation. (Q1, Q2)

What are the benefits and challenges of an integrated enterprise system?

What IT architecture does an integrated enterprise system use?