For any business to survive in this era of digitization the most important aspect to take care of is the IT Infrastructure. The availability of strong data infrastructure is crucial as it not only ensures data availability but also makes sure that the privacy of your data is prioritized. However, even if your IT infrastructure is strong, there is always a chance of internal and external threats.
One thing about technology is that it keeps rapidly evolving. What you see is essential for IT infrastructure may lose its worth tomorrow. And this is the reason why an IT infrastructure audit is so important as it sets you up for the coming threats by understanding what is truly required and what is not. It is a basic requirement for every business and is conducted on a regular basis. It ensures that the systems are uncompromised, and the employees are updated about the world of cyber security. If this is the first time you are tackling an IT audit, this guide will help you understand the basics.
An IT infrastructure audit is a detailed evaluation of an organization's information technology, policies, infrastructure, and procedures. The audit is designed to ensure that IT systems are functioning in a proper and secure manner and that employees are using them safely and correctly.
It depends on the size of your organization whether you want to run a single comprehensive IT audit or want to audit different areas of your infrastructure individually. The aim is to assess the risks associated with your IT systems and to find effective ways to mitigate those risks. It can be done either by solving existing problems, correcting behavior of the employees, or implementing new systems.
Innovative Comparision Audit:
In this audit, the abilities of a company to innovate, and its comparison to its biggest competitors Is deeply analyzed. This means a deep examination of the company’s research will take place during the innovative comparison audit.
Technological Innovation Process Audit:
This audit creates a risk profile for current projects as well as new projects. It may also assess the experience of the company related to the technologies it has chosen in a scrutinized manner. The company’s presence in the current market and the organizational structure are also evaluated.
Technological Position Audit:
This type of audit is done to review the technologies that the business currently uses. Through this audit, the business will be able to decide if it needs to purchase new technology or if it should replace the old one. Different technologies are generally placed in four characterizations: base, key, pacing, or emerging.
Processing integrity monitors data processing to assure the quality of SOC 2 compliance.
Usually, IT audits are conducted by an organization's IT manager, cybersecurity director, or head of operations. The audit is designed to evaluate the efficacy of the infrastructure, there are 5 key areas of an IT audit that need to be taken care of.
Different Categories of an IT Audit are the following:
With timely IT infrastructure audits, you can reap various long-term operational benefits:
Risk Reduction:
As most of the auditing is performed on the cloud, there is a high chance that your information might become vulnerable. When you perform a timely IT infrastructure audit, you will be assured of the lowest possible risks. And you’ll be creating proper strategies to enhance security by understanding risk-prone areas
Enhanced Data Security:
A sense of confidentiality, availability, and integrity of your data is created. An IT audit will be helpful to ensure the safety of any sensitive data and prevent it from encountering threats.
Reduction in IT costs:
When you do IT Infrastructure audits in a timely manner, the cost of IT comes down in the long run. You are more aware about your IT security and spend more carefully in a planned manner.
Ensure Software Compliance
When you conduct an IT Infrastructure, it will give you peace of mind in what technology you are using and where you need to upgrade. It will also help you understand if the system is functioning efficiently and if all the goals are accomplished in a timely manner.
Evaluate Your System
True evaluation of systems is only possible when you conduct an IT audit on a timely basis. This in turn will ensure your backup systems are monitored properly. And you will be able to identify the repetitive problems easily. Along with it, you will also be able to know if you have been investing in the right systems or not.
There are various cases when a business organization can benefit from an IT Infrastructure Audit. Some of the cases are mentioned hereunder:
No matter how your organization is doing, if it is more than 2 or 3 years since you last performed an IT audit, it is time to get one as soon as you can.
The foremost decision for you to take as an organization is whether you want to perform an internal audit or you want to hire an outside auditor to come and give a third-party perspective on your IT systems. Companies that handle personal and sensitive data and are large sized perform external audits. Keeping expenses in mind, internal audits are more common as they are less expensive. The best option is to do an internal audit every year and an external audit every few years.
As soon as you have a general frame about the audit, the next thing you need to do is to work with your audit team to prepare for the audit itself. In this stage you need to figure out the following things:
Keep in mind that the aim behind the evaluation is to get a deep and detailed understanding of the weaknesses of your infrastructure and take tailored steps to rectify the situation. For this, you need to follow a sophisticated IT infrastructure process.
This is a self-explanatory step. If you have performed step two carefully, you are automatically sorted to conduct the audit. Here you need to execute the plan you have created. In this step, you basically find a way around your last-minute obstacles.
As soon as the Audit is finished, the next step is to report the findings along with the auditor’s notes and suggestions. You will need to synthesize the information in an official audit report. Make sure to give down the vulnerabilities the auditor has identified and separate them according to their cause.
As soon as you are done with conducting an IT infrastructure audit, the ultimate step is to follow up on what you have audited. And to be realistic, the vulnerabilities are caused as a result of human error. It is likely to interfere with the solutions that your team will implement. As soon as you deliver your report findings, don’t forget to put a date on the calendar to follow up with each team to ensure that corrections are successfully implemented. It's wise to schedule a few follow-ups throughout the year to check in with each team and make sure that everything continues to run smoothly until your next audit.
This guide on IT Infrastructure will help your business move ahead in the right direction. If you want to learn more about the concept and want to conduct a successful IT infrastructure audit in your organization, Cyber Cops is your ultimate stop. Improve the resilience and efficiency of your business with your reliable cyber security partner – Cyber Cops.