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Welcome to the Risk Management & Audit Services Web Site |
 Our Mission
To assist University management and governing boards in identifying, managing and mitigating risk and ensuring risk management processes are integrated into the University’s business practices andacademic and research activities.
Message from the Director
Welcome to the Risk Management & Audit Services (RMAS) Web site. Our Web site is designed to give the Harvard Univeristy community a better sense of who we are, what we do, as well as tools and best practices that we offer. As our name indicates, we focus on risk. Our objective is to improve the effectiveness of risk management and control processes at the University. We consider risk broadly and include within our scope all activity posing financial, operational, technological, regulatory and reputational risk to the University.
With our audit and insurance services we partner with management in evaluating risk mitigation practices, safeguarding of assets, compliance with laws, regulations and policies and reliable information. We serve the University by upholding the highest professional standards, recruiting and training professional staff and communicating best practices in internal controls.
We hope that the information provided on this site provides useful information and tools. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us directly or use our "Ask a Question" feature.
Gail McDermott
Director of Risk Management and Audit Services
Provides objective and professional evaluations of the University's systems of internal control through financial, operational and compliance audits.
Performs specific audits of computer applications and of information technology infrastructure.
Responsible for and administers the insurance and self-insurance plans of the University, separately incorporated entities and various affiliates.
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Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – Red Flag Rules
New regulations, known as the Red Flag Rules, require financial institutions and creditors to develop and implement written identity theft prevention programs by May 1, 2009. These progrmas must provide for the identification, detection and response to patterns, practices or specific activities (“red flags”) that could indicate identity theft.
IT Security on Portable Hardware
By now most of us are aware of the importance of keeping confidential information secure. We use complex passwords and lockout periods to help prevent unauthorized access. But what about the hardware itself? What happens if you lose the computer you use to access confidential information?
Protecting Your Identity
Our new brochure provides steps to help protect you from identity theft, one of the fastest-growing types of crime. Identity theft is the fraudulent use of personal data such as your Social Security number or passport information. If thieves obtain this type of data, they could take out mortgages, unsecured lines of credit or other large credit instruments using your identity.
RMAS Fiscal Year 2009 Focus
Through our annual risk assessment process, we identify business objectives that create risk for the University. The focus of our FY09 audit plan is aligned under these risks.
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