CSO

The crisis with "May Day" buzzed on the radio as I drove to attend the Ernst & Young (E&Y) information consulting challenge at the Troy,MI campus of Walsh College.  The sunny day did little to brighten the mood of people that walked by me discussing the recent Chrysler bankruptcy and the challenges faced by General Motors.  Challenge was the theme of a consulting simulation sponsored by E&Y's Assurance and Advisory Business Services.  As an NSA recognized center of excellence, Walsh College is active in the information security community.  They prepare students to excel in IA positions ranging from analyst to CIO.  As part of their commitment, they partnered with E&Y to create a realistic and practical case-based consulting simulation to challenge students.

This year's simulation "$TEAL 'N' NUMBER$" presented a family-owned manufacturing concern suffering a disconnect between sales and revenue.  The student received a data set with which to perform a financial analysis.  This data, however, offered an incomplete picture of the problem.  The business case required students to interview corporate stakeholders played by E&Y advisors.  Their performances included specific character traits and agendas.

Follow-up blog posts will share the experience of the three student teams in the competition.  I will also include interviews with the E&Y advisors.  The challenge was designed to give student a venue to exhibit professional and consulting traits.  These traits will be discussed.