RALEIGH -- North Carolina's State Auditor says her job is being made more difficult by a system of technology in agencies that is outdated and disjointed. Beth Wood says, for example, there is one case where her office cannot complete an audit because an agency has data stored on a system where it cannot be retrieved. She says the Tar Heel State is not alone with this challenge.

Wood says, "Technology is an issue when I attend these national conferences. Technology is an issue across the United States. I can't name a state that's, really, on the cutting edge of having done it well."

Wood says increased information technology will also result in, not only increased productivity, but, an increase in savings for the government due to more self-managed agencies.