With October being Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it’s a great time to evaluate your existing security programs and assess what you could be doing differently to better protect your business. Cyber threats are rapidly evolving, so you need to consistently review and update your security measures to mitigate new risks. This is why conducting regular IT audits is good for your business.
An IT audit involves an extensive evaluation of your technology infrastructure, network security, policies and procedures, and other operations. Through this detailed review, you can identify and remediate security gaps or outdated systems to safeguard your data and ensure ongoing compliance with regulations.
In this blog post, we provide an overview of IT audits. We also checked in with our Director of Risk Management & Audit, Brian Brunelle, on why businesses should conduct regular IT audits.
what is an IT audit?
An IT audit is an in-depth and objective review of your IT infrastructure, control configuration, and regulatory compliance. The goal is to ensure that your systems and controls are functioning as intended and comply with applicable regulations.
IT audits typically cover a range of areas, including:
- Controls relevant to management and oversight
- Controls related to managing risks from third-party vendor relationships
- Application controls and efficacy
- Policies and procedures, including incident response and disaster recovery/business continuity
- Network security and general system controls
from the cybersecurity expert: Here’s why businesses should conduct IT audits
By identifying security weaknesses, ensuring compliance, and fostering continuous improvement, IT audits enable your business to stay ahead of potential threats. Look at IT audits as an investment in your business’ growth and stability.
Having worked closely with clients on myriad IT audits, our Director of Risk Management & Audit, Brian Brunelle, understands the security benefits of these assessments for businesses. So, we asked Brian for his insights on the importance of IT audits for businesses.
Here, Brian shares the top 3 reasons why businesses should proactively conduct IT audits:
Risk Management
All business decisions are about managing risk vs. reward. An IT audit assesses how well you identify and manage risks as it pertains to your operation. Therefore, an effective audit will provide assurances as well as areas to improve risk management practices. IT Audits can include a wide area of subject matter from business continuity and incident response to vendor/third-party management, to vulnerability management and data governance, management & oversight, etc.
Regulatory Compliance
Most likely, your company is subject to information security/cybersecurity standards and other regulations. Even if not in a regulated industry, you still must comply with state and federal privacy laws. IT audit is a required activity under many regulations and ensures compliance with the standards/regulations.
Protection of Company/Stakeholder Interests
connect with us for your next IT audit
GraVoc has a team of experienced, certified auditors that can perform comprehensive IT audits to help your business uncover security risks, maintain regulatory compliance, and safeguard your data. Click below to explore our IT audit services or contact us today to get started!
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