Standards, Guidelines, and Tools and Techniques for IT Audit and Assurance

Standards, Guidelines, and Tools and Techniques - Download (PDF, 2M)

Introduction

The specialised nature of information technology (IT) audit and assurance and the skills necessary to perform such audits require standards that apply specifically to IT audit and assurance. One of the goals of ISACA^® is to advance globally applicable standards to meet its vision. The development and dissemination of the IT Audit and Assurance Standards are a cornerstone of the ISACA professional contribution to the audit and assurance community. The framework for the IT Audit and Assurance Standards provides multiple levels of guidance.

Objectives, Scope and Authority of IT Audit and Assurance Standards

Standards define mandatory requirements for IT audit and assurance. They inform:

• IT and assurance professionals of the minimum level of acceptable performance required to meet the professional responsibilities set out in the ISACA Code of Professional Ethics
• Management and other interested parties of the profession's expectations concerning the work of practitioners
• Holders of the Certified Information Systems Auditor ^TM (CISA^®) designation of requirements. Failure to comply with these standards may result in an investigation into the CISA holder's conduct by the ISACA Board of Directors or appropriate ISACA committee and, ultimately, in disciplinary action.

Guidelines provide guidance in applying IT Audit and Assurance Standards. The IT audit and assurance professional should consider them in determining how to achieve implementation of the standards, use professional judgment in their application and be prepared to justify any departure. The objective of the IT Audit and Assurance Guidelines is to provide further information on how to comply with the IT Audit and Assurance Standards.

Tools and Techniques provide examples of procedures an IT audit and assurance professional might follow. The tools and techniques documents provide information on how to meet the standards when performing IT audit and assurance work, but do not set requirements. The objective of the IT Audit and Assurance Tools and Techniques is to provide further information on how to comply with the IT Audit and Assurance Standards.

Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT^®) is an IT governance framework and supporting toolset that allows managers to bridge the gaps among control requirements, technical issues and business risks. COBIT enables clear policy development and good practice for IT control throughout enterprises. It emphasizes regulatory compliance, helps enterprises increase the value attained from IT, enables alignment and simplifies implementation of the COBIT framework’s concepts. COBIT is intended for use by business and IT management as well as IT audit and assurance professionals; therefore, its usage enables the understanding of business objectives and communication of good practices and recommendations to be made around a commonly understood and well-respected framework. COBIT is available for download on the ISACA web site, www.isaca.org/cobit. As defined in the COBIT framework, each of the following related products and/or elements is organized by IT management process:

• Control objectives—Generic statements of minimum good control in relation to IT processes
• Management guidelines—Guidance on how to assess and improve IT process performance, using maturity models; Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and/or Informed (RACI) charts; goals; and metrics. They provide a management-oriented framework for continuous and proactive control self-assessment specifically focused on:
  • Performance measurement
  • IT control profiling
  • Awareness
  • Benchmarking
• COBIT Control Practices— Risk and value statements and ‘how to implement’ guidance for the control objectives
• IT Assurance Guide—Guidance for each control area on how to obtain an understanding, evaluate each control, assess compliance and substantiate the risk of controls not being met

A glossary of terms can be found on the ISACA web site at www.isaca.org/glossary . The words audit and review are used interchangeably in the IT Audit and Assurance Standards, Guidelines, and Tools and Techniques.

Disclaimer: ISACA has designed this guidance as of the minimum level of acceptable performance required to meet the professional responsibilities set out in the ISACA Code of Professional Ethics. ISACA makes no claim that use of this product will assure a successful outcome. The publication should not be considered inclusive of any proper procedures and tests or exclusive of other procedures and tests that are reasonably directed to obtaining the same results. In determining the propriety of any specific procedure or test, the controls professional should apply his/her own professional judgment to the specific control circumstances presented by the particular systems or IT environment.

Development of Standards, Guidelines, and Tools and Techniques

The ISACA Standards Board is committed to wide consultation in the preparation of IT Audit and Assurance Standards, Guidelines, and Tools and Techniques. Prior to issuing any documents, the Standards Board issues exposure drafts internationally for general public comment. The Standards Board also seeks out those with a special expertise or interest in the topic under consideration for consultation where necessary. The Standards Board has an on-going development program and welcomes the input of ISACA members and other interested parties to identify emerging issues requiring new standards. Any suggestions should be e-mailed (standards@isaca.org), faxed (+1.847.253.1443) or mailed to ISACA International Headquarters, 3701 Algonquin Road, Suite 1010, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008, USA, for the attention of the director of research standards and academic relations.

To date, 16 IS Auditing Standards, 40 guidelines and 11 procedures have been issued. A PDF of all current guidance is posted on www.isaca.org/standards.