Are IT audits part of your technology business planning? 5 tips for completing a technology audit on your business

If technology audits aren’t a regular part of your business planning or you’re not sure where to begin, today’s article will include advice on both the process of conducting a technology audit and what your technology audit report should include when you’re done.

Before we touch on those topics though we should cover what a technology audit is in a nutshell and why they’re important. A technology audit is a comprehensive evaluation of your IT infrastructure and systems. During the audit process you can document your equipment, discover shortcomings in your cybersecurity planning, review your disaster recovery processes, and evaluate what steps you should take to improve your technology landscape as a whole.

So where do you begin with the process of conducting a technology audit for your business?

1. Define the Scope and Objectives: Before you can begin the process of the audit you need to outline what items will be evaluated. We suggest the following as a baseline but depending on your business sector and compliance requirements more items may need to be added. 1. Device Inventory (Computers, Laptops, Servers Etc. > 2. Software Licensing > 3. Security Measures > 4. Network Equipment & Subscriptions > 5. Data & Backup Procedures is a good baseline to start with when it comes to categorizing your report.
2. Assemble the Team: Next you will have to determine who is the best team for completing this audit. We find that customers prefer to take a step back from the IT process and “leave it to the experts” but in this case you know your business best and it’s a good idea to work in tandem with your existing IT. You can have them assemble the report and leave the door open to any questions they have as the process progresses.
3. Conducting the Audit: We suggest beginning the audit with a full inventory of your technology hardware, this allows you to take note of devices that are working as expected, devices that could use a replacement and even devices that are still powered on in your office but no longer being used (and could potentially be a threat vector if they’re also no longer being maintained).
4. Continuing the Audit: Next your technicians can segue into evaluating your software licensing (also a great time to eliminate unnecessary tech spending on licenses that are no longer used), as well as your backups and data management.
5. The Final Piece: Finally, they can evaluate your cyber security processes and disaster recovery planning, and if you don’t have a disaster recovery plan in place then creating one as part of your audit process is a good idea.

At the end you should have a report that fully encompasses the full scope of the technology your business uses. We recommend conducting comprehensive audits like these annually for the best results and you will be able to refer to previous years’ audits to better plan for your technology spending year over year.

If the thought of doing this on your own is overwhelming, we don’t blame you. Conducting a comprehensive technology audit is best left to the pros and if you’re a Central Valley business owner, Valley Techlogic can provide this service for you alongside our other preventative technology maintenance at no additional cost. Learn more today.

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This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, leading provider of trouble free IT services for businesses in California including Merced, Fresno, Stockton & More. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/valley-techlogic-inc/.