The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) has announced that the Information Technology Alliance (ITA) will break away and become a separate not-for-profit association on May 1, 2002. The ITA was originally established in May 2000 as an AICPA membership division.

The announcement reflects AICPA's decision to align its resources more directly to its CPA membership, rather than the larger technology consulting community of both CPA and non-CPA constituencies served by the ITA. Included in the larger community are vendors, value-added resellers, chief information officers, chief technology officers, CPA firms and non-CPA technology consulting firms.

After the separation is effective, the AICPA will become an alliance member of the ITA and will continue to appoint an ITA liaison to its Information Technology Executive Committee and to various technology-related task forces.

As part of the announcement, AICPA outlined some of its most important technology initiatives, which include the credential for the Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP). This credential seeks to establish the CPA as the premier technology professional.

-Rosemary Schlank