The word ‘audit’ brings a haunting feeling to many in business, as it’s typically known as a high-stress project brought into work by a third party who many feel is looking to find fault. However, audits needn’t be a source of contention. IT Infrastructure Audits may sound ominous, but can be a fantastic resource for businesses to plan and support how best to optimise the tech that lies at the foundation of their operations.
So, what is an Audit of IT Infrastructure
IT Infrastructure Audits are a systematic investigation into the tech infrastructure of an organization. It is intended to determine:
- How well systems, processes and controls are performing
- What can be done to improve IT performance
- Where any weaknesses in the IT infrastructure lie
- Where and how any risks can be reduced
- How well IT resources are aligned with the business’ strategic goals.
To do this, an all-encompassing approach must be taken to evaluate all aspects of the IT infrastructure. This includes, but may not be limited to:
- Hardware
- Software
- Networks
- Data management systems
- Security mechanisms
- Operational procedures.
A full IT infrastructure audit will investigate into all of these areas, but it may be that periodically smaller audits are carried out on specific components.
Who carries out IT Infrastructure Audits?
Technically speaking, anyone with the acumen and knowledge of IT infrastructure can carry out an audit of it. This said, in most cases businesses choose to work with third party partners to carry out such auditing to invite in an outside perspective that can help contribute in ways that an internal review couldn’t.
There is no reason, however, why smaller and more regular audits can’t be completed internally, providing that the business has the expertise in-house to manage this. In fact, it’s considered good practice to undergo regular smaller audits to help identify any areas for concern or improvement.
The Steps of an IT Infrastructure Audit
The exact process of undergoing an IT infrastructure audit will vary depending on the goals of the organization in doing it as well as their individual configuration. However, generally speaking, the following can be considered to be an approach that can be tailored to most organizations’ needs.
Perform an Asset Inventory
Firstly, an inventory of all assets should be compiled. This should document every server, workstation, network device, application, database, cloud service and piece of supporting equipment that makes up the IT infrastructure. This allows for those completing the audit to:
- Hold an overall picture of the infrastructure’s component make-up
- Track all assets – for both security and cost management practices
- Verify asset ownership
- Ensure licensing compliance
- Check configuration states
- Consider lifecycle implications.
Examine Architecture and Performance
Misconfigurations are a common source of disruption and issue within organizations, and can happen easily. As such, it is key that audits examine the architecture of the network and its performance. This should include:
- Reviewing topology
- Checking segregation
- Ensuring bandwidth is being utilised correctly
- Examining redundancy.
In most cases, this will include the assessment of routers, switches, intrusion detection systems, VPNs and firewalls.
Assess Security
Next, the security controls and protocols in place must be reviewed. This includes access control mechanisms, authentication methods, encryption standards, patch management processes, anti-malware tools, and incident response practices.
This is intended to not just evaluate how well current security controls are working, but also how well their monitoring systems can function to detect threats (and therefore respond adequately).
Security evaluation shouldn’t end at checking hardware and software, but also should include the organization’s internal policies and procedures relating to IT security; such as the level of training given to staff, password policies and access controls.
Review Server and System Configurations
The configurations of all and any servers and related systems should then be checked. This includes storage solutions and OS’ (Operating Systems), as well as any cloud environments and/or virtualization platforms. Reviewing these configurations should help identify any unpatched vulnerabilities, inappropriate permissions, weak configurations, outdated software usage and any inadequate allocations of resources.
At this point, the organization should also audit its disaster recovery and business continuity plans to ensure that they’re as vigorous as possible and that data and systems can be restored rapidly in the event of any incidents or outages.
Review Physical Infrastructure
Once the organization has a good idea of the systems being used and how they are performing and could perform better, an audit of the physical hardware can be completed. This includes reviews of the physical condition of hardware as well as analysis of the data center layout, power and cooling systems, any physical access controls in place and environmental monitoring systems.
Physical security systems can also be reviewed at this time – as it’s worth remembering that no matter how vigorous virtual and cybersecurity protocols may be, poor physical protection can undermine these efforts.
Assess Governance and Compliance
The final audit point is for the organization’s documentation, governance and compliance of IT infrastructure. Often not necessarily considered as part of IT infrastructure, the analysis of these areas helps ensure that the business is adhering to all relevant standards and regulations. Such an audit should include all IT policies, procedures and change management processes.
Report Findings
Once the audit has been completed in its entirety, the findings of it can be collated into a final report. This report should include:
- Details of any weaknesses
- Details of any risks
- Details of areas where the IT infrastructure is performing well
- Actionable recommendations for improvements and/or enhancements
- A roadmap for improvement across security, performance, reliability and overall resilience.
The Different Types of IT Infrastructure Audit
There are several different types of audits that can be undertaken on IT infrastructure, depending on what is looking to be achieved. The most common types of audit are:
- Tech position audit – reviewing the infrastructure currently used by the organization and using the findings to plan ahead for replacement, purchase, or expansion
- Tech innovation process audit – creating a risk profile for all projects including any to be launched in the future. This assesses the experience of the tech being used to ensure it’s a good fit
- Innovative comparison audit – analysing the business’ ability to innovate in comparison to its competitors.
Then, there are various categories of IT infrastructure audit, based on what is being audited. Categories of audit can be flexible, based on business need, but generally speaking are:
- Systems and apps – verifying all the systems and applications used to ensure efficiency, reliability and security
- Systems development – auditing the development of systems as they occur to ensure that they are to the expected standard
- Information processing – ensuring that processing facilities are well controlled and efficiently used
- Client, telecoms, intranets and extranets – working to aid the alignment of networks and servers by working on telecommunication controls
- IT and Enterprise architecture – verifying that a proper structure and procedures have been developed by IT management to accommodate as efficient and secure an environment as possible
The Benefits of IT Infrastructure Auditing
There are numerous benefits to periodic thorough audits of IT infrastructure, including, but by no means limited to:
- Risk reduction – identifying and understanding risk, and working to avoid it where possible
- Reduced IT costs – improving the decision making of budgetary spend, based on the provision of more data to help ensure spend is best allocated
- Improved data security – ensuring the continued safety of sensitive data held on the IT infrastructure, improving its availability and integrity
- Ensuring software efficiency – maintaining the performance of software to its best at all times
- Aligning the goals of the overall business with IT – allowing for growth and expansion as and when required
- Validating the configuration of servers – ensuring maximum efficiency.
Working with the IT Infrastructure Experts
Procurri are the world leaders in IT infrastructure, specializing in complex data center configurations to operate them sustainably for as long a period as possible. While not just an auditing company, Procurri Genie is our audit programme that allows for IT infrastructure to be comprehensively reviewed in order to plan ahead and keep the data center hardware operating long past its OEM EOSL date.
Procurri Genie provides a comprehensive overview of not just the standard End of Life point for a business’s IT infrastructure equipment, but also for how long it could be realistically extended. Procurri’s Third Party Maintenance (or TPM) services alongside their IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) products allow for the optimization of the value of equipment without risking downtime or end user interruption.
Want to learn more? Get in touch with the team today and embark on your IT infrastructure audit journey.
