How to
wecope
copewith
withyour
our
financial
financial IT-systems?
IT-systems!
Mark Brocken
Head Financial Department
Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter
The Netherlands
Physics for Science and Society
Contents
• Introduction to FOM
• Financial IT-systems
–
–
–
–
overview
software
infrastructure
responsibilities
• IT-audit
• IT-ambitions
• Discussion
Physics for Science and Society
Introduction to FOM
• Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter:
established in 1946
• Mission:
– to promote fundamental physics research
– for the benefit of Dutch society
• FOM is a combination of
– organisation of research institutes
– research council
• FOM is approved by and accountable to NWO
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FOM in Action
2008
100 PhD students
50 postdocs
60 other
people
2008
M€ 83
money
knowledge
FOM:
• 3 institutes
• 150 university
research groups
• 870 people
people+
knowledge+
2008
83 PhD theses
1256 publications
Physics for Science and Society
Overview financial systems
Changes in
personnel and
salaries
HR reports
Human
resource
Budgets/
Positions
Invoices
Financial reports
Salary
costs
Employees/
Salary scale
Finance
Budgets
Budget
(general ledger)
administration
Proceeds/
Costs
Budgets/
positions
Data
warehouse
Basic systems
Challenge:
new system
implementation
Basic reports
Interfaces
Business Intelligence
Reports
Budget reports
Reports
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Financial systems: software
Changes in
personnel and
salaries
HR reports
Human
resource
Budgets/
Positions
Invoices
Financial reports
Salary
costs
Employees/
Salary scale
Finance
Budgets
Budget
(general ledger)
administration
Proceeds/
Costs
Budgets/
positions
Data
warehouse
Reports
Budget reports
Challenge:
software
updates
Reports
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Financial systems: infrastructure
Challenges:
- security
- data encryption
- server
virtualisation
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Financial systems: responsibilities
Changes in
• HRM department:
personnel and
Budgets/
Positions
Invoices
salaries
– HR system
Financial reports
► 1 application manager
• Financial department:
HR reports
Human
Salary
Finance
Budgets
– Financeresource
and Budget
costs administration
(general ledger)
► 2 application managers
– Data
Employees/
Salary scale
warehouse
Proceeds/
Costs
Budget
administration
Budget reports
Budgets/
positions
► 1 data warehouse manager
Data
warehouse
• IT department
Challenge:
necessary
expertise
– Local infrastructure
► 2 system administrators
Reports
Reports
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IT-Audit
• Risk assessment with respect to:
– application controls
– general IT controls
Conclusions:
• Control of financial IT-systems: above average
• Risks identified currently are addressed by
implemented manual controls
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IT-Audit: recommendations
• Application controls:
–
–
–
–
authorization tables
logging
check sums in interfaces
change management
• Replace manual controls by automated controls
• General IT-controls:
– password policy
– management of user accounts
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IT-ambitions: e-business FOM
• Recently implemented:
– conference system with
web-interface
– web portal for grant applications
• New IT-system primary process
(grant applications processing)
► together with NWO
• e-HRM
– digital pay slips
– mutations in personnel file
– electronic submission and
processing of various forms
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IT-ambitions: financial systems
Changes in
• New (?)personnel
system:
and
salaries
– electronic
invoicing
– workflow
management
Human
Salary
HR reports
– automated
resource
costs
controls
Employees/
– documentSalary scale
management
– time registration
– asset management
– stock control
Budgets/
Positions
Invoices
Financial reports
Finance
Budgets
Budget
(general ledger)
administration
Proceeds/
Costs
Budgets/
positions
Data
warehouse
• Implementation: Reports
before 2015
Reports
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Budget reports
Discussion
• Improve the current financial system or implement
a new one?
• Is it possible to use standard financial software in a
research organisation?
• What are the (dis)advantages of integrated
solutions (e.g. SAP)?
• What are the (dis)advantages of outsourcing?
Your experiences please!
Physics for Science and Society