Understanding the Audit Process, Methodologies, and Required Adaptations for a Cloud Environment

Auditing is a systematic examination or inspection of financial, operational, or information system processes to ensure compliance with established standards, policies, regulations, or best practices. The primary purpose of auditing is to provide an independent and objective assessment of an organization’s activities, controls, and processes. Auditing activities involve examining historical records, transactions, and processes to identify discrepancies, errors, unauthorized activities, crimes, or potential areas of improvement, thereby demonstrating a commitment to fulfilling due care obligations. Auditing serves as a detective control designed to identify and detect issues or deviations after they have occurred. Auditing is often mandated and required by various regulations and standards to ensure transparency, accountability, and compliance with established rules.

Audits can...