Progress and technology.(EDITOR'S NOTE)

PUBLISHING TECHNOLOGY HAS COME A LONG WAY IN THE LAST 20 years or so. Whereas traditional print publishing was hampered by tedious, manual processes and often clunky production tools, today's software enables content to be produced much more quickly, and at greatly reduced costs. Author-editor communications, word processing, layout, design, and printing are now typically handled electronically--a far cry from the paper-based procedures of the past.

The industry's advancements are even more impressive when viewed in connection with Web-based publishing. News and information providers can now deliver up-to-the-minute reporting on the latest developments via multiple forms of media, offering readers more choices than ever before. Moreover, blogging tools allow just about anyone to engage in the publishing process and take part in public discourse. And with social networking sites like Twitter, users can participate in information-sharing communities and instantly chime in on any topic of their choosing.

At Internal Auditor, we've benefited significantly from these developments--both print and online. Our streamlined, digital production process enables us to produce the magazine more efficiently, and our recently launched Web site (InternalAuditorOnline.org) opens up a whole new realm of content delivery options. We can now offer more content, more often, and in more ways than ever before.

In this issue, internal auditors are likely to encounter technology that enhances their work capabilities as well. "Software Trend Spotting" (page 30), for example, reviews many of the software products used by audit practitioners and examines how these tools have helped increase audit efficiency. In "Leveraging Data Analysis Software" (page 35), author Norman Marks discusses data analysis tools and describes how they enable audit shops to make the most of limited resources. And in "Accounting for Words" (page 40), authors Daniel Torpey and Vincent Walden explore technology that could greatly expand the scope of audit analysis and risk assessment work. Each feature examines the ways in which auditors use these tools to help locate relevant information and better assist the organizations they serve.

Twenty-first century publishing certainly looks a lot different than it did even just a couple of decades ago. Similarly, the approach used by today's auditors represents a far cry from the manual, tick-and-tie methods of the profession's past. The degree to which both professions adopt new technology will likely be an ongoing cost-benefit challenge, and a judgment weighed carefully by those charged with purchase decisions.

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