How an IT Audit Keeps Your Tech Evergreen

It doesn’t matter what industry your organization is in — keeping up with advancing technology is a constant challenge. If you’re in finance, you want to get the most out of your technology investments. If you’re in procurement, you want to control costs, reduce risk, and have your ducks in a row for any IT audits you may soon take part in. And if you’re in IT, you’re probably busy keeping up with daily demands and trying to stay abreast of new technologies.

The problem? No matter which hat you wear, tech is changing so quickly that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Just look at cloud computing alone: Cloud adoption has gone beyond expectations; the pandemic was a huge driver. In 2020, an amazing 83% of the business workload was resident in the cloud. Revenue from the public cloud was at $175.8 billion in 2018 and jumped to $331 billion by 2022.

Throw in major advancements like AI and it’s no wonder that most of us get dizzy trying to keep up with technology. Business leaders should narrow down their priorities and conduct IT audits to filter out systems that are holding them back in order to make way for more modern ones. 

There are several key technology advancements that you need to address to ensure you’re making the best decisions for your business. Read on to learn more about these advancements, understand the different types of IT audits, and grasp the ways an IT auditor can help you modernize without overspending. 

A Closer Look at Key Technology Advancements

The three technologies discussed below are evolving rapidly. Keep them front of mind as you consider how you’ll handle the technology you currently use and how you plan upgrades.

Cybersecurity

As you’re planning your upgrades and getting your IT audit checklist together, make sure your team pays ample attention to cybersecurity and mitigating IT risks. Per TechTarget research and a trove of supporting data, the risks and costs are simply too big to ignore: 

• On average, security teams take 287 days to identify and contain a data breach.
• The cost of dealing with cyberattacks is estimated to reach $10.5 trillion by the end of 2025.
• The World Economic Forum reports that existing cybersecurity plans are increasingly becoming obsolete because cyber criminals themselves are getting more sophisticated all the time.

It is difficult to identify and contain attacks, and the costs associated with suffering a risk seem like they’re always increasing. Because cybercriminals are always getting better at what they do, failing to stay up to date is a guarantee you’ll become more and more vulnerable as time goes on. 

Cybersecurity has become an even larger issue in the wake of the pandemic. Overnight, IT teams had to support the entire business going remote at scale — despite significant gaps in cybersecurity the practice still exposed. With more companies planning to establish permanent remote or hybrid workforces as a result, it’s important to pay attention to how remote work might impact your cybersecurity (and how your practices will reflect in an IT audit).

Mobility

In the past, it wasn’t difficult for traveling employees to stay in touch: For instance, they could stop into a remote office to check the status of their work using company devices and networks. Or, they had a secretary or assistant who could access company systems and report back. But unfortunately, the days when everyone had a secretary or assistant are long gone.

Nowadays, employees want to be able to work on their own devices, including desktops, laptops, and smartphones. As a result, business systems need to provide access to the same networks, data, and applications that users would access in the office on something as small as a smartphone to let businesses continue to operate effectively.

With cybercriminals targeting mobile devices more frequently via attacks like malicious mobile apps, security will remain an increasing concern for modernizing companies looking to stay mobile. While supporting mobility is critical, it must be done securely.

The cloud 

Gartner says spending on public cloud services grew to $494.7 billion in 2022, an increase of 20.4% over the previous year. Companies are moving to the cloud to maintain or improve their competitive advantages, with several driving motivations:

• The cloud offers better backup than most on-premises systems, giving you peace of mind that you’ll be able to continue operating in the case of an emergency.
• You can reduce capital expenditures by letting your cloud provider acquire, maintain, and upgrade a leading-edge infrastructure.
• You’ll save on operational costs that you’d normally expend to administer your own infrastructure, manage patches, and more.
• Cloud systems can be quickly scaled to meet your requirements, while on-premises systems aren’t as agile.
• Your cloud provider is responsible for the security of the infrastructure so that you can concentrate on securing your applications.
• You’ll have access to the latest technology because your cloud provider will keep their architecture up to date.

You’re probably aware of just how impactful technologies like the cloud could be for your business. But like any business, you’re likely also still facing the issue of budget. How do you maintain your current investments and continue to innovate? To find the information you need to make these decisions, consider getting an IT audit. 

The IT Audit: Your Answer to Stronger Tech Budgeting

It is fully possible to get the best technology from your business, while acquiring it from the best possible provider for your needs. All you need is an expert like PAG to help guide you to the solutions and providers that are right for you. With a PAG IT audit, you can make optimal technology decisions based on in-depth information about your current and future technology usage. 

Cybersecurity audits

A cybersecurity audit helps determine whether the controls, policies, and procedures you’ve established are working correctly. The audit is conducted by a third party to ensure you have a fresh set of eyes looking at your overall cyber security posture. It will identify whether there are gaps in your security infrastructure, point out any weaknesses, and provide direction for you to correct anything that is of concern.

Technology audits

A technology audit helps you to identify any issues that may exist with your current service and find opportunities for improvement. The audit will allow you to eliminate legacy technology and migrate to the cloud, where you’ll have more features, better benefits, and significant IT savings.

During a technology audit, your auditor will also evaluate your policies, procedures, and the applications you are using. Typically, the team will further identify technologies that you can use to improve agility and keep up with advancements.

Telecom audits

Telecommunications billing systems are hugely complex and notably difficult to oversee. It’s easy to get charged for services that you aren’t using and pay for errors in the billing itself. A telecom audit uncovers these costly issues and helps you resolve them. Under a telecom audit, the savings usually come from eliminating contract compliance issues and billing errors, while optimizing pricing and service.

In addition, a telecom audit will help you determine whether your current solutions are a fit for hybrid work environments. Very often, you can provide your remote and hybrid the exact tools they need without sacrificing security to get there. 

What is an IT auditor? 

As a final note, keep in mind that the IT auditor service you choose can have a major impact on both the amount and quality of information you receive. A trustworthy service will provide skilled IT auditors and a broad selection of audit types to give you the fullest view possible of your estate and its operations. Reputations matter — so make sure to work with a group that understands what you’re trying to achieve. 

Future-proof Your Business Technology With an IT Audit

PAG has the expertise and resources to perform risk-free IT audits that will find you opportunities to save. We can also point out how you can uncover the funds to acquire the advanced technology you need for your business. Learn more about our audits or contact us to discuss how we can help you cut costs, improve operations, and streamline your telecom and IT spend.