Definition and Purpose

Auditing refers to the process of evaluating the process and systems of an organization's IT infrastructure to determine effectiveness, security, and efficiency. As a recent study shows, this information is important for organizations to have in order to identify vulnerabilities, obstacles, and areas of improvement in their current infrastructure. This empowers companies to take targeted, preemptive action in properly strengthening their IT processes and operations.

Operations

• Risk Assessment - Determining the impact of potential threats to a system to evaluate the effectiveness of existing risk management protocols.
• Compliance Verification - Ensuring that organization members are following internal guidelines and administrative regulations.
• Systems Development - Editing or establishing new procedures to better suit the organization's goals and ensure compliance with policies and organizational strategies.
• Documentation - Creating a paper trail documenting previous research and findings to provide reference for future auditory actions. Also helps to ensure transparency and consistency.
• Reporting - After conducting an audit, compiling and reporting finding and recommendations to the organization in an audit report. This report is structured but highly variable depending on an audit's purpose.