The traditional AIS was designed on the paper-based accounting information with the goal of the improved processing of paper-based accounting data. Online financial reports serve to translate the written financial content into the electronic form, satisfying the stakeholders’ demand for saving space and time. The introduction of cloud computing brought significant changes in a way the financial information is gathered, processed, and communicated. It is defined as “a network-based, configurable sharing computing resource and also a convenient model for access per demand,” offering the advantages of low-cost and strong sharing capability (Wang & Zhou, 2017, p. 534). The financial specialists using cloud computing are not tied to the location and have the freedom to use the dynamic cloud data resource pool to communicate and share information with clients, which makes the accounting process more cost-effective and time-saving compared to the traditional accounting.
The demand for employees with skills in both accounting and IT is relatively high, and there is a vast amount of career opportunities to choose from. The profession of systems consultant, for instance, involves the design of new systems, selection of computer software, and optimization of business processes. (Simkin, Worell, & Savage, 2017). AIS students skilled in both accounting and IT become effective systems consultants since they understand how data functions in accounting systems. Another option for AIS students with accounting and IT background is the profession of an information technology (IT) auditor, which involves the analysis of the risks associated with computer-based information systems.
I agree with the following statement, “When we computerize an AIS, we merely change how the data is processed; we do not change what tasks are performed,” because it underlines the idea that an AIS doesn’t change the accounting tasks, but instead, modifies the accounting cycle. The tasks that accountants used to do manually, such as making journal entries and preparing balance sheets, are now performed with the help of an AIS, which saves time and effort while increasing the accuracy of the work. Therefore, the way accountants process data has seen the positive change and improvement, but the tasks remain unchanged in the Age of IT. All in all, the accounting profession is constantly changing and requires its specialists to adapt to the changes by acquiring, for example, the skills in IT.
References
Simkin, M.G., Worell, JL, & Savage, A.A. (2017). Accounting information systems (14th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Wang, S. & Zhou, A. (Eds.). (2017). Collaborate computing: Networking, application, and worksharing: 12th International Conference, CollaborateCom 2016, Beijing, China, November 10-11, 2016, proceedings. New York, NY: Springer.