Our Computer Consulting Division offers a vast range of services suited to current business trends and market conditions. These services are provided by highly qualified and trained personnel with technical know-how and a wealth of experience in business systems requirements. We assist clients in identifying their automation needs in light of their business goals. We help our clients achieve their goals in the most cost-effective way suited to their business environment and culture. The range of services we provide includes:

• Strategic automation planning
• Application software implementation and training
• E-business software development
• Payroll outsourcing
• Training

These services can be tailored to satisfy a client's individual situation and needs. The firm also provides computer risk management services and computer audit services. These services cover the automation of day-to-day operations, management requirements and the e-business needs of an organisation.

Mostafa Shawki & Co. is a business partner with some of the international accounting software vendors that are reputed to be amongst the best in the IT industry. Sage ACCPAC Accounting Software is one such package. We are the representative for Sage ACCPAC Solutions in Egypt. We are also business partners with Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) for Dynamics SL - Solomon Accounting Software and Oracle Financials.

The strongest aspect of our computer consulting services is our ability to provide local support for all our clients. We are always available to provide assistance and solutions to our clients with the technological problems they may face in the implementation of the solutions provided.

The services provided by the Computer Consulting Division include the following:

We recognise that operating an organisation efficiently and effectively requires delivering the right information to the right person. We help clients to define their information requirements. This may include defining the use of new technology or suggesting simple manual control systems. From hardware and software to organisation and training requirements, our plans provide a comprehensive tool to guide management in meeting all their information needs. We have developed and documented specific methodologies to guide this effort.

We start the project by performing functional reviews for identifying user requirements in the different business areas of the organisation. This review is used as a basis for the implementation of the ERP systems. We also depend on our business experience derived from serving many clients in different industries. One of the features that distinguishes us from our competitors is the support we have from other departments in the firm (e.g. Accounting, Taxation etc). The project includes software installation, implementation and training for users and system administrators on the optimum way of using the systems to accommodate day-to-day work and management reporting. One of the success factors for ERP implementation projects is project management.

In very exceptional cases special software systems need to be custom-made to meet the client’s specific needs. We have developed methods for achieving higher productivity and for building systems on time and within budget. When undertaking system development projects we typically divide the work into phases with a major management checkpoint between each phase:

• Systems analysis
• Preliminary systems design
• Technical design
• System implementation

Finally we perform production system support which starts after the development project ends and once the customer has accepted the software. It is necessary to monitor operational performance and to suggest necessary change and upgrades throughout the life of the system.

To respond to a growing market demand for technological outsourcing, our firm is one of the pioneers that provides outsourcing services to its clients. The main areas we provide this service in are payroll and accounting. We use our specialised resources (professional experts, hi-tech equipment and supplies, etc) to process the information we receive in the shortest time possible. We can then present the pre-agreed output reports to clients on a timely basis. Our team of professional computer experts support this service and allow us to customise the outputs to suit client requirements.

We deliver high quality computer training for our clients in different areas of computer technologies including basic and advanced skills. We also tailor computer training programs to accommodate special client requirements in relation to their business needs.

Our computer audit services cover different aspects relating to the organisation's computerized information. Our audit passes through several phases:

• Information Systems Security Evaluation We have developed a detailed methodology for identifying sensitive data resources and evaluating the controls over access to those resources. This methodology goes beyond the scope of controls evaluation typically used for audit support purposes and is specially suited to computer installations which process highly confidential, proprietary or sensitive financial data.
• Information Technology (IT) Controls Review (IT Review) This review is based on a high spot-review scope of the overall general IT controls environment in the company. The objectives of this review are firstly to assess the overall quality of security in key functional areas and secondly to identify specific security and control risks, together with recommendations for improvement. Furthermore, the following areas of control are covered at a higher level:
  1. Organisation and management of IT functions
  2. Application systems development
  3. Application systems maintenance
  4. Communication and networking
  5. Backup, off-site storage and contingency planning
  6. Data control
  7. Internal IT audit
• Contingency planning and disaster recovery We assist our clients in the evaluation and development of plans, which define the risks relating to the interruption of data processing services and methods to mitigate those risks through rapid recovery. The development of contingency plans considers those aspects of data processing and the company's business operations that are most critical to the survival of the company.
• Information Security Management We provide consultation regarding the establishment and maintenance of a broad-based system of information security management. It encompasses logical and physical access security considerations as well as contingency planning and disaster recovery. The management of information security involves the systematic integration of techniques that ensure the security of information systems and the integrity of the data processed. This security management system is designed to be on-going and provide senior management and EDP users with feedback that the system is operating effectively. Such a security management system is particularly beneficial to companies which rely heavily on the integrity and the continuity of processing.
• Application Systems Controls Evaluation We assist clients in the system specification and design phases of application development to ensure the presence of adequate control features. This involves the definition of user and business needs, and their translation into the overall system specifications so that the user/system interface and overall application controls (both manual and automated) are properly integrated. We also evaluate existing application systems to recommend practical and cost- effective methods to improve automated and manual controls and their total integration.

Please contact Ms. Hala Rashed for additional information on any of the above services.