It’s crucial for businesses to be aware of their data and how it adheres to typical regulations and guidelines in the information technology industry. Successful compliance audits can help companies identify and address compliance gaps, prevent paying fines if something is off-kilter, and make sure customer data is safely handled by an IT department, effectively building trust and preventing data breaches from occurring. So, if you’re hoping to pass the check, keep reading to learn what your business needs to do before an IT compliance audit begins.
What is an IT Compliance Audit?
As we’ve alluded to above, an IT compliance audit checks your company’s system to ensure your data and information technology practices are compliant with laws, regulations, and standards in your industry. If these standards aren’t being met, it can potentially lead to legal and financial consequences down the road. An audit can highlight areas for improvement; it's a crucial step in the process of compliance that can be achieved through ongoing refinement and multiple audit cycles.
How to Prepare for an IT Compliance Audit
Preparing for an IT compliance audit is a big deal because you want to ensure you’re handling all of your customers’ personal information in adherence to industry guidelines. That way, you can build trust and prove that you take good care of the data in your hands. To make the process less overwhelming, here are eight ways to prepare for your upcoming IT compliance audit so you can pass with flying colors.
1. Understanding Regulations and Audit Scope
First things first, your company needs to get an understanding of the laws, guidelines, and regulations regarding your IT data and security. Without this step, it’s impossible to know what your IT setup should look like to prepare for the compliance audit. Here are some of the top audit regulations to check for:
- The Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- Gramm-Leach Bliley Act (GLBA)
- The Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)
- Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST)
2. Find a Compliance Audit Partner
Working with an experienced IT company and/or audit compliance partner is a crucial step to getting your company’s data and security in order. Most small and midsized businesses typically lack the in-house expertise to successfully complete a compliance audit. This is why working with a company like Premier IT can be so beneficial; they work with your IT managers and leadership to navigate the audit, develop a compliance strategy, and implement training to better prepare for future audits. This person or team of professionals will help you do everything listed below and can even complete compliance checks for your organization.
3. Complete a Pre-Audit Risk Assessment
Oftentimes, getting an IT audit and utilizing an information technology team are the first steps to ensuring your compliance audit goes smoothly. By utilizing a professional, they can tell you where your weaknesses lie and show you solutions moving forward. That way, these issues are solved before the compliance audit takes place.
4. Organize Documentation and Company Data
Another part of what your business needs to do before an IT compliance audit is to organize your documentation and company data so it’s easier to view and determine a structured file system. That way, the IT compliance audit professionals can understand what’s happening behind the scenes. On top of this, organizing your data makes it easier for you to see if there are any issues before the audit takes place.
5. Review and Update Security Controls
If your security measures are out of date or lacking in some way, this is your time to make updates and ensure everything is good to go. Review the state of your security and try to determine if any areas need a little upkeep.
6. Ensure Training Occurs
For companies that already have an information technology team that handles IT needs, audit preps, and more, ensure that the proper training occurs. Again partnering with an experienced IT company, such as Premier IT can ensure that your staff is informed and trained on the process for a compliance audit and even coach them on what questions they might be asked, so they can answer them adeptly.
7. Create a Response Plan and Test It (If You Haven’t Already)
Part of the IT audit compliance check will test your actions in case of a security breach. A compliance audit partner will work with you and your team to create an incident response plan for potential security issues and make sure that everyone in the appropriate sector knows how it works.
8. Update and Organize Access Controls and Information
Make all the information the IT compliance audit professionals need easy to access and well organized. This includes reviewing user accounts to only contain the necessary people and removing outdated account access.
Where to Find a Knowledgeable IT Expert
After learning what your business needs to do before an IT compliance audit, you’re likely wondering who you can work with to meet your company's information technology and data goals. Ready to get started with a knowledgeable IT team? Partner with Premier IT today to get assistance with all your information technology needs whenever you need them.
Premier IT is a Minnesota based managed IT services provider with a dedicated IT support team that manages all your technology needs. We pay attention to the details so you can focus on what you do best. We provide technical consulting, hosted infrastructure, computer & network support, security, Microsoft support, repairs, network monitoring and more. If your small business needs reliable technical support, contact our team of experienced technicians and engineers.