Twenty-first century assurance

Every aspect of the accounting profession is being pervasively affected by advances in information technology (IT). IT shifts power from producers (such as accountants and auditors) to consumers (such as investors, creditors, and other information users). Present and potential users of accounting and auditing services have increasing needs for relevant, reliable, and timely information, and IT provides the means to meet them. But responding to these needs will require changes in virtually every aspect of auditing-where it is applied and how it is produced and distributed, for example, as well as the profession's relations with assurance users. This article explores some of the principal changes in the audit paradigm that will be necessary in order to meet assurance-user needs in the future.