Preparing for your next audit is just as important as the audit itself. Whether it’s an audit for SOC 2, ISO 27001, or another framework, this process involves gathering documentation, understanding new frameworks, and ensuring your organization is set up for success. There are many ways to accomplish your audit preparation including readiness tools, consultants, and more. Keep reading to explore these audit preparation methods and decide which is the best fit for your organization. 

Types of readiness partners 

There are three primary types of readiness partners, or the option to rely on internal resources to ensure proper readiness. These are all great options for succeeding on your journey to compliance, the trick is selecting the right fit for your organization’s needs. 

vCISOs 

Virtual CISOs, often referred to as vCISOs, serve as the designated security leader for your organization. These roles operate as a CISO without being a direct employee of your company. This person is empowered to make strategic decisions, authorize purchases, and act on your behalf in the interest of cybersecurity and risk management. Typically, a vCISO is leveraged in companies that do not have a full-time information security leader, like a CISO, that can provide support for compliance and information security initiatives. 

MSPs 

Managed service providers are third-party companies that operate as an extension of your internal team, overseeing the deployment, configuration, and management of your security and compliance technology ecosystem. 

This type of partner is embedded in day-to-day operations at your company. They will handle tactical execution, integrations, and troubleshooting.  

Consultant/advisory 

Consultants are third-party experts that provide a high level of guidance and influence key security and compliance decisions based on deep domain expertise. These partners are often brought in to help your company navigate complex challenges, drive transformation, or steer critical security initiatives. In addition to managing the audit process, consultants can build templates that are customized to the audit requirements of an organization’s compliance strategy and ensure their customer is audit-ready. 

Consultants are not directly responsible for execution, but they can play a critical role in shaping cybersecurity strategy and aligning initiatives with business objectives. 

In-house preparation 

You can also be your own “partner.” Some teams have the appropriate resources in-house or have a teammate with a unique skillset for audit prep. If you’d prefer not to leverage a GRC tool, you can use an audit management platform like A-SCEND, A-LIGN’s in-house tool that keeps track of documentation if you’re completing the rest of the process in-house. 

Which tactic is right for you? 

After you’ve evaluated all the audit preparation methods, you will need to decide which audit preparation path is right for your organization. Before making any decision, there are a few factors to keep in mind. Consider: 

• Experience: How much experience do you or your teammates have with preparing for this particular kind of audit? Have you done it a million times for multiple kinds of companies? Or, is this your first time? Experience will determine how much support you will need throughout the process.  

• Time: How much time does your team have available to spend preparing for your audit? Is your team lean or built out? A team with limited resources might be more likely to contract out prep work like this whereas one with a lot of bandwidth might take on this project themselves. 

• Environment: Consider the type of environment you are having audited. Is it more complex or simple? Even the most experienced compliance professional might not know enough about working in your kind of environment to take on audit prep. 

• Budget: Your budget is going to determine the options available to you. If you have a limited budget, consider whether you will need a tool to help automate the process. If so, a GRC tool would be a great option. If your budget can’t accommodate another tool, you can leverage an audit management system. For those with more budget at their disposal, expert assistance throughout the process with a consultant is a great option. 

Why engage with A-LIGN early 

Before choosing your path, engage with a trusted compliance auditor like A-LIGN that can provide high-quality audits with an expansive network of partners that include GRC tools, MSP providers and consultants to ensure you’re ready for your next audit. 

A-LIGN can help connect you with the right GRC tools and trusted consultants to set you up for success and streamline the audit process. Existing relationships can simplify the process for preparation and your audit cycle. Plus, our auditors can provide perspective on GRC tools and best ways of working to save time during the evidence collection process. 

If you choose the in-house route for preparation, our audit management platform, A-SCEND, can simplify the process and give your team peace of mind that your preparation is well documented. 

Our responsibility as a quality audit partner is to provide a high-quality experience and ensure our clients receive expert guidance. Ready to simplify your audit cycle? Contact A-LIGN today.