Audits are a necessary part of doing business and IT audits are no different. IT audits help businesses make sure that they have the necessary IT controls in place and also provide a report of those IT controls to the business, or to others who may require to see it, such as another company that wishes to hire a business for a task. IT audits are a great way to make sure IT is up-to-date and in compliance with protocols or rules.
IT audits can also be used for regular security checks of IT platforms, such as workstations and servers, to ensure that everything is in working order. Let’s take a look at the five different types of IT audits that can be used to help you improve your business operations and performance!
What is an IT Audit?
While you may be familiar with financial statement audits (where the financials of a business are evaluated to ensure they are fair, etc.), IT audits are quite different. An IT audit is the examination of an organisation’s information technology (IT) infrastructure, processes, and operations by a qualified auditor.
IT audits can provide assurance to management on the effectiveness and efficiency of IT operations, as well as compliance with industry best practices or government regulations.
IT auditors use various assessment techniques including interviews, reviews of documentation, and IT testing to assess IT controls, providing a formal audit report at the conclusion of their work. Auditors can also make recommendations to improve IT operations and security. This helps businesses to protect their IT systems, data, and reputation, and ensure that their IT departments are being held accountable for the work they do. There are two categories of IT audit, internal and external, which shall be explained in more detail below:
Internal Audit
Internal IT auditing is the examination of an organisation’s IT systems and processes by its own IT staff. These audits are used to assess compliance with IT policies, determine how well IT operations manage risks, ensure that IT controls are functioning as designed, evaluate service delivery performance from a user perspective and address any issues which may be identified during other parts of the audit process.
The findings of an internal audit are generally not shared outside of the business and are often considered to lead to biased results. However, despite this perception, good internal auditors, such as those at Sydney Managed IT, will audit their processes honestly as it is more beneficial to the business to ensure everything is working correctly.
External Audit
An external IT audit is a third-party examination of an organisation’s IT systems and processes by a qualified IT auditor or another professional service firm, which is independent of the IT function being examined in accordance with guidelines published by relevant industry associations. External audits can be used to meet any one of several objectives, including compliance with government regulations, assurance to management on the effectiveness and efficiency of IT operations, or assessment against industry best practices. Audits of this nature are able to be used for certifications or licensing, as they are less likely to contain bias.
IT Audits are an important part of ensuring your business stays organised, efficient, and accountable!
Types of IT Audit
There are a variety of different types of IT audits, which can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your organisation. Each different type of audit focuses on a different area of IT and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of that area. The most common IT audits looked into by professional auditors include the 5 following types:
Systems and Applications
This type of audit is used to verify the systems and applications of IT being used by the business. IT auditors will review any applications that are being used, as well as test the systems to ensure they are working correctly. They will also examine business processes that use IT in order to provide assurance that IT is being used effectively. System and applications audits can help businesses to identify opportunities for improvement and streamline IT processes.
Information Processing Facilities
This type of audit allows auditors to verify that the business’s information processing facility is able to perform under both normal and situations that are potentially disruptive in an efficient and accurate manner. IT auditors may also examine the business’ contingency plans for potential problems, as well as perform IT testing during their audit in order to provide assurance that services can be restored quickly if any disruptions to the processing facilities do occur. This aids the business as it ensures that the business is able to process any information as it is required, as well as having a margin for additional information processing, in the case of a workload increase.
Systems Development
A systems development audit verifies that any systems that are under development will be able to meet the expectations and objectives of the business. It also ensures that any new systems are developed in accordance with the current, accepted, standards of system development. IT auditors will review the system design, as well as test the new system to ensure that it is working correctly. This type of audit can help businesses reduce risks and improve efficiency when it comes to their systems development projects.
Management of IT and Enterprise Architecture
Management of IT and enterprise architecture is an audit that verifies that a business’s IT environment is controlled, efficient, able to meet both current and future requirements, and has assessed whether or not risks have been identified. This is done by ensuring the business is following an organisational structure and its accompanying procedures. This type of audit can help the IT department of businesses ensure its employees are able to stay organised and on top of the tasks assigned to them.
Client/Server, Telecommunications, Intranets, and Extranets
This type of audit verifies the IT department is able to connect its clients and servers, ensure that telecommunications controls are in place and that the network being used by the business is secure. This aids the business, as by auditing such things, it can ensure that the network and servers are protected against any potential breaches or cyber-attacks.
Why Are IT Audits Important?
IT audits can be important for businesses due to a variety of reasons. IT audit reports often give the most in-depth look into how IT systems and processes are working within an organisation. This information is crucial to ensuring that a business’s IT department continues to meet the requirements and expectations of the business for it, as well as ensuring its performance is both effective and efficient. They help business owners identify opportunities for improvement that will allow IT to continue running efficiently.
Not only this, but external IT audits can provide an objective analysis of the business’s IT department, allowing the business’ managers and executives to determine if their IT is providing value to the company based on industry requirements such as compliance with government regulations, assurance that IT systems are running efficiently, or whether they’re achieving desired results. IT audits can also help businesses reduce the risk of financial and technical losses by highlighting areas such as weak security controls, unsupported applications, or vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
IT audits can help businesses improve their IT department and overall performance by providing a detailed report that points out areas where improvement is needed, as well as helping IT departments provide reports about the state of IT to business leaders. By performing an audit on such things as systems development or management of IT and enterprise architecture, businesses will be able to ensure their IT department is running as efficiently and effectively as possible.
IT audits are important for businesses of all sizes, especially those that operate in competitive markets where there may be a need to reduce costs or risk exposure by using IT resources more effectively. If a business fails an IT audit, it may be at a higher risk of experiencing negative consequences that can have an impact on the company’s reputation.
Getting an IT Audit by Sydney Managed IT
IT auditing is a great way to ensure IT processes are being run efficiently and effectively while identifying opportunities for improvement. Sydney Managed IT provides a range of IT audit services that can help businesses achieve their goals by providing an independent assessment into how well their business’ IT department is being operated. Sydney Managed IT carries out audits in a simple process which includes establishing the objective of the audit, developing a plan to achieve the objectives, collecting relevant data and information, testing the software, and reporting any findings.
Contact Us
If you have any further questions or are interested in getting an IT audit for your business, then be sure to contact Sydney Managed IT today! We would be more than happy to help you out.