Establish processes to prepare your employees for the audit.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\nThe auditor may need to speak with different employees and team managers to learn about your company’s IT workflows. Therefore, it is essential to schedule the audit at a time when your employees are not swamped with other work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IT Audit Preparation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Once you have a general time frame set, you will need to collaborate with your audit team to prepare for the audit itself. This stage entails figuring out several things, including your audit objectives, the scope of the audit, how the audit will be documented, and a detailed audit schedule specifying which departments will be evaluated on different days and how much time departments should plan to dedicate to the audit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Please note that merely having a checklist is not enough internal documentation for an audit. The purpose of this evaluation is to gain a thorough understanding of your infrastructure’s weaknesses and to develop tailored, actionable steps to remedy them. To accomplish this, you will need a more sophisticated system than a paper and clipboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IT Audit Process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Conducting the audit is just the third step in a five-step audit process. This step involves executing the plan you created in step two. However, it’s important to keep in mind that even the most well-planned audits can encounter unexpected obstacles. So, it’s essential to allocate enough time to navigate around any last-minute hurdles. Rushing through the process can cause you to overlook crucial elements during the audit, which defeats the purpose of conducting it in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reporting the IT Audit Findings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Once your audit is completed, you should have comprehensive documentation that includes your auditor’s notes, findings, and suggestions. The next step is to consolidate this information into an official audit report. This report will be kept for future reference and to help plan the next year’s audit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Afterward, you will need to create individual reports for each department head that was audited. These reports should include an overview of what was evaluated, items that do not need changes, and the department’s areas of excellence. Additionally, the reports should summarize the vulnerabilities that the auditor identified and categorize them based on their cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Risks that are caused by poor adherence to established procedures will need corrective action. Risks that were previously unknown will require new solutions. Risks inherent to the department’s work may not be eliminated entirely, but the auditor may suggest ways to mitigate them. For each item, explain the next steps for addressing identified risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fixing and Monitoring Process<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Infrastructure vulnerabilities are often caused by human error. This means that even if your team implements solutions to correct the risks identified by the audit, human error can still interfere. To ensure that fixes are implemented successfully, schedule a follow-up with each team after you deliver your report findings. It’s a good idea to schedule multiple follow-ups throughout the year to make sure everything continues to run smoothly until the next IT audit process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Does an IT Auditor Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n An IT auditor plays a crucial role in analyzing an organization’s technological infrastructure to identify inefficiencies, manage risks, and ensure compliance. Their expertise extends beyond physical security controls, encompassing business and financial controls within the IT system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When hiring an IT auditor, it\u2019s important that they have a comprehensive understanding of five key areas: the business and its industry, outcomes of previous audits, recent financial data, regulatory statutes, and risk assessment results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The IT auditor’s job involves identifying and documenting issues, summarizing their findings, and presenting these to shareholders, along with any recommendations for improvement. They also focus on business ethics, risk management, business processes, and governance oversight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regarding the IT Auditor certifications, two prominent ones are the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM). The CISA, offered by ISACA, targets IT auditors and professionals in information systems, requiring at least five years of professional experience. The CISM is geared towards information security managers, emphasizing the design, building, and maintenance of information security programs, and requires a combination of general IS experience and specific experience in security management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IT Audit: Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhat Does an IT Audit Do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n An IT audit is a comprehensive evaluation of an organization’s information technology infrastructure, policies, and operations. It ensures that IT systems are effectively managing and protecting data, supporting business objectives, and complying with regulatory standards. Key functions of an IT audit include assessing system security, verifying data integrity, evaluating risk management practices, and examining IT management processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is an Example of an IT Audit?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n A typical example of an IT audit is a security audit of a company’s network systems. This involves reviewing the network’s architecture, analyzing access controls, testing security protocols, examining compliance with data protection laws, and evaluating the effectiveness of cybersecurity measures. The audit may also include penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities and recommendations for improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the Difference Between an IT Audit and a Regular Audit?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n The main difference between an IT audit and a regular audit lies in their focus areas. An IT audit specifically targets an organization’s information technology systems, examining aspects like cybersecurity, data integrity, and IT governance. In contrast, a regular audit (often financial) reviews financial records and business transactions to ensure accuracy, compliance with accounting standards, and proper financial reporting. IT audits are technical in nature, while regular audits are more financially oriented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn About JumpCloud<\/h2>\n\n\n\n JumpCloud provides customers a unified solution of SaaS, IT security, and asset management. With JumpCloud, you can see and manage your IT infrastructure \u2014 including identities, devices, and applications \u2014 in a single pane of glass while getting the telemetry you need to ensure ongoing security and compliance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try JumpCloud for free<\/a> to determine if it\u2019s right for your organization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"According to the Global Technology Audit Risks Survey by Protiviti and The Institute of Internal Auditors, 60% of IT auditors […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":229,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"collection":[2776],"platform":[],"funnel_stage":[3016],"coauthors":[3218,2532],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
What is an IT Audit? A Beginner's Guide - JumpCloud<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n