{"id":35727,"date":"2021-07-15T16:12:56","date_gmt":"2021-07-15T13:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orbitsoft.com\/blog\/?p=35727"},"modified":"2023-06-30T11:26:45","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T08:26:45","slug":"it-audit-tasks-it-solves-and-how-to-know-if-you-need-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orbitsoft.com\/blog\/it-audit-tasks-it-solves-and-how-to-know-if-you-need-it\/","title":{"rendered":"IT audit: tasks it solves and how to know if you need it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\u201cWe want to scale our system. But if we do, the cost of equipment will increase significantly.\u201d This is one of the concerns from which an audit can begin in the IT sphere. We\u2019ll tell you why you might need an audit and what to pay attention to if you order one.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-lazyblock-heading lazyblock-heading-1oVW85\"><h2 class=\"article__h\">What is an IT audit? <\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n<p>An IT audit is a tool that helps to find weak points in a system and understand what and how to change things for better performance. In practice, it means that experts analyze the state of programs, products, applications \u2013 everything. And, based on the results, they prepare a report with their recommendations. This is similar to a medical check-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The customer decides what exactly to investigate and why. For example, one can order an analysis of the operation of all systems or only one. What precisely is checked is also decided by the customer. There are no strict rules.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-lazyblock-figure lazyblock-figure-Z1wcu3K\"><figure class=\"article__figure \">\n        <div class=\"article__figure-img\" >\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/orbitsoft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/\u0412\u044b\u0434\u0435\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435_050.png\" alt=\"\">\n    <\/div>\n                <figcaption>An example of a request made by a client to OrbitSoft. If an audit is needed, it\u2019s not necessary to describe everything in such detail. You can simply identify what is causing doubts and confusion.<\/figcaption>\n    <\/figure><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-lazyblock-heading lazyblock-heading-1Dwrzz\"><h2 class=\"article__h\">When it makes sense to ask for an audit <\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n<p>There is no universal advice when a company should conduct an audit. Everyone decides for themselves. In our experience, people more often apply for expertise in the following cases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>There is an obvious problem<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It\u2019s unclear whether something is worth investing in<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The client wants to check if the business is using the best solutions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A migration or other change is planned<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>There is an obvious problem, but it is not clear exactly where it is or how to fix it.<\/strong> For example, new developments take too long or require more resources than the potential economic effect from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It is unclear whether it\u2019s worth investing money or whether it\u2019s possible to reuse existing resources.<\/strong> For example, a company uses six servers, but not at full capacity, but so that there is headroom in case of a peak load.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The volume of tasks to be handled by the system increases and additional capacity is needed. The question arises: is it worth increasing the load on the servers and risking a possible peak, or is it safer to pay extra for new services?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An audit helps find a solution. It\u2019s quite possible that it will be feasible to free up capacity for those working with the service at the expense of other technologies. For example, switching to the Go language.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-lazyblock-link-text lazyblock-link-text-ZfppFi\">      <aside class=\"article-aside js-article-aside_under\">\n    <div class=\"article-aside__body\">\n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/orbitsoft.com\/blog\/network-saves-21000-per-year-on-ad-management-system-the-case-of-changing-programming-language-from-php-to-go\/\" class=\"article-aside__link\" rel=\"nofollow\">\n                                              <span class=\"article-aside__txt\">\n                      <span>The network saves $21,000 a year on ad management systems<\/span>\n                  <\/span>\n                        <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/aside><\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>There\u2019s a task to check whether the business is using the best solutions and getting the most out of them. <\/strong>Let&#8217;s say there is a task regarding work with certain devices, but so far it\u2019s not functioning properly. You need to understand what the problem might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A migration or other change is planned, such as an upgrade or scaling.<\/strong> In order not to lose money and suspend work, it\u2019s beneficial to understand in advance what needs to change, what to take into account, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, the database that the company uses is no longer being maintained or developed, so you will have to use a different solution. Or a move to a different codebase: something was written in one language, and it\u2019s outdated.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-lazyblock-important-block lazyblock-important-block-rNj1r\"><div class=\"important-box\">\n  <div class=\"important-box__main\">\n          <p class=\"important-box__h\">A tip from Orbitsoft: when precisely an audit comes in handy<\/p>\n      \t<ul>\n<li>The owner plans to sell the business, and one of the components is an IT system<\/li>\n<li>The company is preparing to enter the stock market<\/li>\n<li>There\u2019s a directive sto assess the maximum capacity of the system<\/li>\n<\/ul>  <\/div>\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-lazyblock-heading lazyblock-heading-ZNDQSt\"><h2 class=\"article__h\">What central issues audits address <\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Audit can cover two areas. One is related to solving problems, the second is the evaluation of proposals, plans, general status, and everything related to the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Examples of tasks for an IT audit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Problems and risks<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Evaluation of solutions and plans<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Scaling<\/td><td>A plan for infrastructure migration to cloud storage<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Expensive system development and support<\/td><td>Modernization of outdated equipment stock<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>The system does not bring expected income<\/td><td>Outsource part of infrastructure support and maintenance processes<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-lazyblock-heading lazyblock-heading-ZfJrTA\"><h2 class=\"article__h\">Things we can check as part of audit <\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The areas involved in an audit depend on the customer\u2019s wishes. For example, if one is ready to give access to storage systems, experts will be able to test ithem. If not, then they can check them superficially or not at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Examples: what can be examined as part of audit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Computing infrastructure<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Telecommunication infrastructure<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Engineering systems<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Servers<\/td><td>Corporate data transmission network<\/td><td>Basic infrastructure services<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Data storage systems and data storage network<\/td><td>Local computing network<\/td><td>Information Security<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Backup system<\/td><td>Video communication<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Archiving system<\/td><td>Telephony<\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Virtualization system<\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-lazyblock-heading lazyblock-heading-10XXmk\"><h2 class=\"article__h\">What does audit look like? <\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The audit can be in two formats &#8211; remote or in-person. If the task is to check the systems, experts usually work online. In this case, there\u2019s no need to find space for people to work, issue passes, etc. And when it is needed, you only need grant access to the systems. In-person audits are rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of the format, the audit goes through the same steps. Here&#8217;s how the OrbitSoft team does it.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-lazyblock-steps lazyblock-steps-Z25vYxq\"><div class=\"styled-block\">\n  <div class=\"styled-block__main\">\n          <h3 class=\"styled-block__title\">\n        General audit scheme from OrbitSoft      <\/h3>\n        <ul class=\"steps__list\">\n              <li class=\"steps__item\">\n          <div class=\"steps__title\">\n            Discussion and reaching agreement on conditions          <\/div>\n                    <ul>\n<li>What problem we are solving<\/li>\n<li>Goals and tasks of the audit<\/li>\n<li>What exactly experts are investigating<\/li>\n<li>What criteria experts will use during evaluations<\/li>\n<li>What access will be needed and how to arrange it<\/li>\n<li>Whether a client needs any recommendations based on the results of the analysis<\/li>\n<li>Suggestions for the report<\/li>\n<\/ul>        <\/li>\n              <li class=\"steps__item\">\n          <div class=\"steps__title\">\n            Research          <\/div>\n                    <ul>\n<li>Interviews with the customer&#8217;s team: IT specialists, their internal clients &#8211; employees who are involved in the work and who use IT solutions<\/li>\n<li>Exploring of practices and solutions that are related to the topic of the audit<\/li>\n<\/ul>        <\/li>\n              <li class=\"steps__item\">\n          <div class=\"steps__title\">\n            System analysis          <\/div>\n                            <\/li>\n              <li class=\"steps__item\">\n          <div class=\"steps__title\">\n            Project deployment          <\/div>\n                    <ul>\n<li>Report preparation<\/li>\n<li>Recommendations<\/li>\n<li>Discussion of the results and recommendations with the customer<\/li>\n<\/ul>        <\/li>\n          <\/ul>\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-lazyblock-heading lazyblock-heading-Z1Hl7rH\"><h2 class=\"article__h\">What a company receives as a result of the audit <\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Based on the audit results, the company gets a detailed report and recommendations on what they need to do, how they should implement these actions, and when they should them. The type and format of the report can be standardized or customized for a specific business and tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>At Digital mainly shows ads from Yandex and Google &#8211; other banner networks, which in turn show ads from other networks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The site has Adfox and settings for header-bidding connected, and requests for bids are being made. There is probably a hidden auction via Adfox is taking place.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The sizes of ad slots are not fixed and banners are displayed in several sizes or their combinations. The width of the site is flexible, which causes incidents during impressions, for example, a 720px banner may not fit and is cut off at the edges.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The site has a huge number of scripts with confusing logic. Some of these are probably not used, but they do affect performance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A part from an Orbitsoft report as a result of ad solutions analysis<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the audit itself, experts prepare recommendations and help with implementing changes. For example, the Orbitsoft team can draw up a vulnerability remediation plan, help with software implementation, or with developing needed algorithms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>What can be in a report<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Examples<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Architecture<\/strong><\/td><td>A list of errors <br>A list with the elements that don\u2019t adhere to modern standards<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Fault tolerance<\/strong><\/td><td>Peak load criteria for determining the moment when the system will fail <br>What breakdowns will disable the system <br>A list of incorrect software settings<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Performance<\/strong><\/td><td>Download statistics <br>Parameters of system resources utilization Overload level <br>Capacity shortage<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Software relevance<\/strong><\/td><td>Versions of microcodes, system software, and so on <br>Support resources <br>Compliance with best solutions in the market<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Monitoring<\/strong><\/td><td>Coverage of monitoring systems <br>List of metrics for analysis <br>Comparison of collected metrics and those that still need to be collected <br>Quality of observation of failures response<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Operation<\/strong><\/td><td>Operating conditions and how they comply with standards <br>Physical and other depreciation <br>Warranties<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-lazyblock-heading lazyblock-heading-eXq5M\"><h2 class=\"article__h\">Examples of Orbitsoft audit projects <\/h2><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-lazyblock-case lazyblock-case-5ouV1\"><div class=\"styled-block\">\n  <div class=\"styled-block__main\">\n        <ul class=\"case__list\">\n            \n                    <li class=\"case__item\">\n              \n          <span class=\"case__order\">01<\/span>\n          <div class=\"case__body\">\n            <div class=\"case__title\">\n              <span>Client<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <p>An advertising agency from Berlin, which works in the European market<\/p>\n<p>Owner of a Russian service<\/p>          <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n            \n                    <li class=\"case__item\">\n              \n          <span class=\"case__order\">02<\/span>\n          <div class=\"case__body\">\n            <div class=\"case__title\">\n              <span>Problems or tasks <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <p>System scalability is very expensive<\/p>\n<p>The system is not working at full capacity<\/p>\n<p>The owner was planning to sell the business.<\/p>\n<p>Potential buyers asked to show the results of an IT platform security audit of the service<\/p>\n<p>The report must be from an independent expert<\/p>          <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n            \n                    <li class=\"case__item case__item_marked\">\n              \n          <span class=\"case__order\">03<\/span>\n          <div class=\"case__body\">\n            <div class=\"case__title\">\n              <span>Result<\/span>\n            <\/div>\n            <p>We found problems in the statistics processing and ads display<\/p>\n<p>We identified bottlenecks in requests processing that took too long to complete and led to memory leaks<\/p>\n<p>We offered algorithms and ready-made libraries for problems solving<\/p>\n<p>We found a system vulnerability and suggested solutions on how to eliminate it<\/p>\n<p>We provided the results of load testing and a report on system&#8217;s fault tolerance check<\/p>          <\/div>\n        <\/li>\n          <\/ul>\n  <\/div>\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-lazyblock-banner lazyblock-banner-Zx1yhW\"><div \n  class=\"banner\n   banner_style_important \n  \" \n  >\n    <div class=\"banner__body\">\n        <h2 class=\"banner__h\">IT audit from Orbitsoft<\/h2>\n        <div class=\"banner__content\">\n            <ul>\n<li>Software<\/li>\n<li>Development process<\/li>\n<li>Implementation and revision<\/li>\n<li>Operation of software<\/li>\n<li>Individual solutions<\/li>\n<li>Information security<\/li>\n<\/ul>        <\/div>\n                            <div \n              class=\"banner__button button js-form-modal\n               button_style_light-on-promo\n              \">\n              Discuss tasks for an audit                          <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n    <div class=\"banner__photo\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\" alt=\"\" class=\"banner__img\">\n    <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWe want to scale our system. But if we do, the cost of equipment will increase significantly.\u201d This is one of the concerns from which an audit can begin in the IT sphere. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35758,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[195],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>IT audit: tasks it solves and how to know if you need it - OrbitSoft Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Using an audit from OrbitSoft as an example we describe what an IT audit is, how does it go, and what a company receives as a result of it\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orbitsoft.com\/blog\/it-audit-tasks-it-solves-and-how-to-know-if-you-need-it\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"IT audit: tasks it solves and how to know if you need it - 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