IT Auditing & Inventory Management
Initially IT
auditing can look pretty daunting, especially if you have a
large number of computers to audit, but it need not be as long
as you plan plan plan and only then perform the audit.
Many organisations
for some reason change the scope of an it audit project just
before it’s due to happen, so in many cases I’d choose to lead
and let the client know what they actually need to a certain
extent as opposed to what they think they need, or what someone
else has told them, remember your supposed to be the expert.
There are many
different types of IT inventory management, I don’t think I’ve
ever come across any two IT audit management projects that have
had the same criteria, and I’ve done many over the years.
There’s no point in just rushing in, you’ll need to decide on
the type of inventory management and the level of depth of the
information that you require, to begin with.
Do you require
hardware IT type auditing? Processor Type/Speed, Amount of RAM,
Cards and Other Devices such as CD/DVD drives.
Do you require
software it auditing , Operating system, Applications, Service
Packs and Update Versions.
Ok so you might be
thinking just switch on everything and I’ll just pick out what I
need at the end, well the end may be a long way in coming if
your using any kind of comprehensive IT auditing application,
the rule of thumb is the more you audit the slower it is.
The secret is to keep it as simple as possible, this is even
more important for larger organisations, even the simplest audit
can have you pulling your hair out, but take time planning it
beforehand, I cannot emphasize the planning part enough.
Inventory
Management, compose a list of every single little thing
you’d like to audit, now you can look for suitable inventory
software, there are lots to choose from, but check what hardware
specs are needed, most will need some type of backend database
such as SQL, MSDE.
Make sure the database on the back of the IT auditing
software is not proprietary to the IT audit application or you
may have problems being able to provide your client with
software that’s compatible with their applications so they may
not be able to produce the required reports.
On top of this of course IT audit management software is
pretty expensive so if your client has to then purchase 10
licenses to have multiple people accessing the database how
impressed with an extra IT auditing expense are they going to
be.
Fortunately most IT
audit applications allow you to have a free 30 day test drive,
so I’m not going to recommend one type of pc inventory software
over another as it’s better you find the right one for your
requirements, using the test applications run it over several
test pc’s to begin with.
Once you’ve finished the IT audit project, you now need to
provide the client with a local copy of the database usually in
Excel or Access formats or they will maintain the system you
have put in for them, remember to document everything and pass
this over as well.
Keep a copy of the it
audit management project for yourself, very often the client
will come back to you months down the line with questions or
repeat business and it’s much easier if you already have a plan
to follow. Checkout our other articles to learn more
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