Published on September 30th, 2021 | by Sunit Nandi

Why IT audit is important

Information technologies in a modern enterprise combine many tools, services, and processes that unite them. This includes computers, servers, network equipment, and software, as well as security systems (for example, access system, video surveillance), communication tools, and more. We widely invest in software development not only money but also our time and spirit, but as a result, IT solution does not always provide the expected satisfaction. Ordering an IT audit helps you take an unbiased look at the conditions in which business processes are taking place and get authoritative recommendations for eliminating bottlenecks in your IT infrastructure and software.

Information technology audit is an independent examination of the IT environment (including, hardware and software compatibility and safety of the whole system) in order to obtain reliable information about its current state, which is a powerful tool for strategic company management.

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When developing software, it is always necessary to consider real and potential threats that can lead to a breach of the security of the program and entail damage, both financial and reputational. Software developers should consider security requirements when writing code and developing documentation in accordance with existing regulations.

Any, even the smallest, flaw in software development is a risk of getting huge fines. For example, you have shared site data with Google Analytics or Facebook. To do this, you just need to set 1 pixel on the site containing the tracking code – and now you have already violated the user’s privacy rights.

And if your business is in the field of finance, insurance, blockchain, then errors are simply losses in their pure form due to the vulnerability of the site.

Compliance with protection measures is reduced to ensuring the state of information security of the program, which contributes to the demand and cost of the final product.

An organization needs an IT audit when developing software if:

• there are no qualified and experienced information security specialists;

• you want to provide good protection for your product;

• competitors’ software is protected, you do not;

• at least one software security incident was recorded in the organization using your software.

What is a software development audit for?

The software security audit aims to organize the security of the developed software at the design, development, and modernization stages. Throughout the entire life cycle, the state of software security contributes to the quality of the product, its safety, and therefore value and demand.

Information Technology Audit Objectives

• Get reliable information about the state of the information infrastructure;

• Increase the productivity of the IT service;

• Assess the risks of information leakage, unauthorized access, cyber-attacks;

• Optimize financial and time costs for the maintenance and development of IT infrastructure;

• Assess the availability and reliability of systems and services;

• Monitor the effectiveness of infrastructure modernization;

• Plan the scaling of IT infrastructure to meet the increasingly complex needs of the business.

Content of information technology audit

IT audit is a powerful tool in business development planning. This is the simplest way to determine the quality of the IT services that a business is receiving. For this, they carried out a full check of the information infrastructure:

• Server equipment and storage systems;

• Local network;

• User jobs;

• Software;

• Communication systems and other technical means.

During the audit, we can check the enterprise’s information system for compliance with both corporate and current international standards.

IT audit includes the following activities:

1. Analysis of business processes at the enterprise;

2. Initial and detailed survey of IT infrastructure, selection of borders and objects;

3. Study of projects, work plans, regulatory documents;

4. Investigation of all functional and non-functional demands, tests, bug detection, which means, detect discrepancies between expected and actual results;

5. Search for possible security risks, data leakage, other “bottlenecks” in the information system.

Based on the results of an IT audit, specialists will prepare a detailed opinion on the current state of the information system at the enterprise and give recommendations on its configuration, cost optimization, scaling, and corporate security compliance.

IT audit provides a full range of software security audit services, including various types of analysis and a detailed overview of the functioning of systems. A comprehensive audit of information systems allows you to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the corporate security system, its internal and external environment. As a result of the analysis, you will be provided with a written report on key security aspects at the level of hardware systems, networks, and computer systems.

An audit of backup and disaster recovery processes includes assessing the organization’s policies, procedures, and plans that govern how to respond in the event of a corporate failure. Finally, assessing your antivirus and antispyware software in the context of your antivirus and spyware management policies and procedures will help you protect against external threats.

It doesn’t matter if you develop applications yourself or outsource development; software research at different stages of the life cycle has three goals:

1. Reduce the risks of direct financial losses from attacks on business applications that contain bugs or bookmarks.

2. Increase the security of corporate information systems by controlling the development and implementation of software in industrial operation.

3. Preserve the reputation of the company. The fewer errors in the source code and applications’ operation, the less the risk of crashes, downtime, and negative user experience.

Therefore, if you really want to get a quality product, seek professional help.

Tags: important, IT audit

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.