IT Audits

Feel like mapping all your endpoints today with an IT audit?

Not really?

That’s okay, because you should focus on growing your company by taking care of your clients.  

Outsourcing your IT audit makes a lot of sense since those endpoints could be a security mess—which gets expensive fast. 

A professional audit bulletproofs your information technology by finding vulnerabilities in hardware, software, and those forgotten components some guy named Jerry installed half-heartedly while watching Superbowl XIV. 

Flag potential information security incidents and look at your performance proactively. That’s what an IT audit does for your firm. 

What is an Information Technology Audit? 

IT audits are the evaluation part of IT management.

An IT auditor scours your IT systems and checks security controls, grading your IT infrastructure, policies, and procedures based on how well your system guards against potential risk. 

Once complete, an IT audit report identifies:

• The issues: an audit will identify red flags in your IT setup.
• The map to fix the issues: an audit provides a framework for improvement.
• An action plan: for implementing internal controls or highlighting the need for systems development to better protect your information assets (the timeline). 
  

Types of IT Audits. 

The audit process covers the following:

1.  Enterprise Architecture: is the technology structured in the best way? 
2. Cybersecurity risk assessment: are servers protected against a breach? Is the telecommunications system secure? 
3. Applications check: are apps approved, safe, and contributing to company efficiency? 
4. All systems go: with new systems development, are compliance standards being followed? 

A glowing scorecard means your system is secure—successful attacks will be less likely.

But if an audit reveals a weakness, timely IT controls should be put in place to protect corporate assets and data integrity in line with IT governance mandates.

IT Audit Objectives.

A systems audit is a proactive measure that finds potential security potholes you should fill to avoid costly reactive fixes down the line. There are three basic checks: 

1. Investigate whether the current protective measures will reliably secure information assets.
2. Point out potential risks and fix flaws in the armour.
3. Check the compliance boxes for IT laws, policies, and standards 

An IT audit is a starting place. 

It evaluates how well the wall around your information technology works against a cyberattack. It looks for vulnerabilities in your IT system and, if detected, suggests measures to mitigate those weaknesses. 

But IT audits are necessary every now and then to follow up on the initial audit and judge how failsafe your IT environment continues to be as your information technology changes. 

Over time, you:

• Get new hardware
• Try new project management software
• Hire new employees
• Gain access to new client files

And any of these changes introduce IT risk at different levels:

• On-site (your day-to-day business processes)
• Behind the walls (internal networks)
• Virtually (cloud architecture)

What are the benefits of an IT Audit?

• Better security: what tools are outdated and should be upgraded?
• Reduced data breach risk: who downloaded an unapproved app without us knowing?
• Increased technology efficiency: what recent innovations could we install? 
• Cost Savings: what hardware/software/services can we do without? 
• Industry regulation compliance: ISO, CIS, NIST, etc.
• Improved decision-making based on data insights: does something not align with company goals?

Who performs an IT Audit?

A qualified Managed Service Provider handles the audit procedure because it’s part of the process to safeguard the system they’re in charge of fortifying. 

Certified Information Systems Security Professionals (CISSP) are IT auditors who have specialized IT systems knowledge and are experts at executing risk management audit plans. 

Audit Frequency?

This is up to your IT provider, but how often you should take a close look at the state of your information technology depends on 

• the size of your firm
• the complexity of your IT infrastructure
• the compliance umbrella that regulates your industry

Rule of thumb, IT audits should power up at least once a year. 

How long does an IT Audit take? And what does it cost?

How big is your firm?  

How complex is the IT infrastructure?  

How well are your systems aligned with best practices and security frameworks? 

An audit takes anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to complete and the cost depends on the scope of the audit, the number of vulnerabilities flagged, and the type of vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. 

If your system has been maintained with annual audits, you’re probably looking at a few thousand dollars to run a system check. But if you’ve never had an IT audit, or it’s been a few years since your last audit, or you’ve switched providers, fortifying your system might be a slightly more costly (but beneficial) investment. 

Should you break-up with some of your office technology? An IT Audit tells you.

An information technology checkup keeps the green lights blinking. As malware gets more malicious and cyber criminals find new ways to breach systems, it’s important to find out if some of your tech doesn’t love you anymore (technology risk) and you don’t even know it yet.  

Interested in choosing PACE? Scheduling an IT audit is as easy as this: 

1. Contact Mike & Tyler today to discuss requirements for your IT audit (905-763-7896 and [email protected]). 
2. PACE will provide a no-obligation estimate. 
3. If the benefits of scrubbing your system looking for cracks that might be too costly to bear if left unchecked sounds like a wise decision, we’ll get you scheduled 

We work hard to proactively safeguard your information technology and the information it protects. 

For a fixed monthly fee, you’ll have access to a dedicated Client Success Manager and a small pod-based support team of 3-4 people to support you whenever you need help—at any time of the day or night. We get to know your pain points and we work proactively to minimize the need for reactive support tickets.