In the ever-evolving, dynamic technology space that businesses are in today, having a good information security posture becomes the decisive factor for success on a global front. That being said, as an auditing firm, we have come a long way to cater to the various facets of auditing these information security frameworks, especially now, since CertPro is at the forefront of compliance automation audits .

what is compliance automation?

ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI-DSS and all related privacy, cloud security frameworks such as ISO 27701, ISO 27018, ISO 27017 etc. share a common foundation – securing information through processes, people and technology. Although this may seem overly simplified, in essence, for organizations to be compliant, relevant controls need to be implemented as per the various sections of any of these frameworks, and all of these controls fall under either one of these three domains.

Compliance Automation does exactly that – simplify these controls across people, processes and technology for any/all of these frameworks in one place – on an online tool. Tech-infra is monitored continuously whilst being plugged in through APIs, standard processes are laid out to ensure continual compliance through automation, and all members of the organization are brought under the umbrella of the automation tool for continual monitoring.

It’s a one-stop tool that helps you implement, record and maintain your information security compliance.

what are information security compliance audits?

As the name suggests, auditing to check if organizations are compliant to the information security framework, either an ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA etc. is an Information Security Compliance Audit. Unlike auditing of financial books and fiscal records, compliance auditing is not a standardized science. It’s more of a skill that is developed over time. Yes, there are specific standards that need to be followed, qualifications to be attained through examinations, experience to be garnered through witness audits, empanelments to be obtained with various authoritative bodies, but at the end of the day, it is a skill – the skill of interpreting audit data that is before you and objectively presenting audit findings in a comprehensive manner to all stakeholders involved in said audit.

Another huge reason that compliance automation auditing is a ‘skill’ that needs to be developed is that the infosec standards and frameworks themselves leave enough room for interpretation. Implementing of required controls at client organizations can be done through administrative policies or engineered methods, controls may be defined by client organizations as per their policies, goals, objectives, risk appetite, size, nature of work etc.  – thus making the data presented for audits very unique for each organization.

Interpreting the presented data, checking to see if it meets the requirements of the infosec standard, and presenting observations and findings in a comprehensive report objectively, is Information Security Compliance Auditing.

Why certpro for your compliance automation audits?

It is important for us to understand that clients of compliance automation firms are fairly different from clients of traditional consulting firms. Hence, the audit itself becomes a fairly challenging process.

For us to dive deeper into this, we need to understand the various stakeholders during an audit process. The first stakeholders are the clients themselves as they have initiated the audit as per their own accord. Second stakeholder is the authoritative body that has agreed to take up said audit for the implemented infosec framework. The Third stakeholder is the consulting firm (either a compliance automation firm or a traditional consulting firm) who is responsible for the implemented infosec framework. And the final stakeholder is the auditing firm (in this case CertPro), who is responsible for carrying out the audit for the first stakeholder on behalf of the second holder while working continuously with the third stakeholder to collect required audit evidence.

Now, the second stakeholder – generally authoritative governing bodies (certification and accreditation bodies), have set ways of interpreting audit data – with set requirements in specific formats, to be able to pass client audits. On the other hand, clients these days are technology driven, and hence utilize compliance automation tools to handle their infosec compliance – these technology driven controls being fairly different from the needs and expectations of the second stakeholder.

This is where CertPro comes in – we bridge the gap between these stakeholders – ensuring that clients are certified/attested as compliant, while ensuring that authoritative bodies are satisfied with the presented audit data. Clients do not have to worry about the needs and expectations of these authoritative bodies, and authoritative bodies receive audit data from CertPro in a manner that satisfies their audit requirements. We always ensure that clients receive clean reports – no non-conformities, no exceptions.

As an audit team, we are comprised of auditors from both technology and business management backgrounds – a good mix of knowledge-base that we impart to each other through continual internal trainings. As an audit firm, we strictly adhere to audit guidelines as prescribed in ISO 19011:2018 for all ISO related audits, and AT Section 101 & AT-C Section 205 for all SOC 2 audits and attestations. Our audit reports are top-notch, covering all sections of the infosec framework, our audits themselves are comprehensive and hassle-free for our compliance automation clients.

CertPro has carved a niche in the compliance automation audit space with hundreds of clients being benefitted from our audit experience and expertise, and we wish to serve a larger number of clients this coming year!

WHAT IS AUDIT EVIDENCE AND ITS IMPORTANCE?

WHAT IS AUDIT EVIDENCE AND ITS IMPORTANCE?

The foundation of assurance in the ever-changing world of finance is audit evidence, which emphasizes openness and trust. It provides regulatory agencies, investors, and stakeholders with a trustworthy road map to help them navigate the complex labyrinth of financial...

read more
WHAT ARE THE THREE TYPES OF ISO AUDITS?

WHAT ARE THE THREE TYPES OF ISO AUDITS?

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is at the forefront of global standards creation, with the purpose of establishing industry-wide benchmarks to ensure the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of our products and processes. Within ISO's vast...

read more

Get In Touch 

have a question? let us get back to you.