By performing an IT audit we are able to assess the automation in the organization and the organization of the automation.
During an IT audit the quality aspects of the information technology are assessed. The primary aspects to be evaluated are: effectivity, exclusivity, integrity, audit ability, continuity and manageability. An IT audit focuses on information and IT management, information systems, information strategy and the operational automation support.
The following six domains, derived from the NOREA publication ‘IT auditing aangeduid’ (IT auditing defined), are included in the term IT auditing.
- Information strategy comprises the whole of objectives, premises and limiting conditions for dealing with information within an enterprise and for organizing the information services.
- IM/IT management has to be in place in order to develop, manage and use automated systems, as well as the conditions to manage these processes. Management has to be able to ascertain whether the organization complies with the goals and limiting conditions formulated in the information strategy.
- Information systems are the automated processes developed to process data. The whole of organization and resources, primairily meant for developing and using of information systems, belongs as well to the domain of information systems.
- Technical systems, implemented in hardware and system programs for controlling purposes. These systems support the automated processes within the information and processystems by controlling the hardware.
- Proces systems are developed to control electronic interfaces and, in doing so, control devices. They are no information systems because they are not primairily developed to process data. Included are all organizations primarily responsible for these systems, as well as the resources employed.
- Operational automation support includes all activities of an organization aimed at controlling and keeping available the technical infrastructure and the managed IT systems (adhering to the agreed standards and service level agreements, as well as the administration thereof). The operational automation support includes installation, management and maintenance of the means of automation placed at the disposal of the end user (including application software).