Auditing Continuously vs. Monitoring Continuously

Rob Ellis
FAUN — Developer Community 🐾
5 min readJun 1, 2019

Auditing and monitoring go hand in hand as the latter is a component of the information security process that is established. Auditing, on the other hand, is crucial as it documents companies’ activities as far as compliance is concerned.

Organizations use monitoring processes on a routine basis and tools to confirm that the controls they have in place are adequate. This is because any risks of the business should be identified and addressed beforehand.

Auditing: It requires that the audit activity be carried out by an independent party or internal auditor who reports to a Board of Directors or the CEO or both. It is used to check and document if an organization meets the standard compliance requirements.

Monitoring: Refers to all the activities that reinstate the reinforcement of the compliance efforts by the management. This process includes activities that are part of the compliance work.

Auditing, therefore, proves that there is a continues compliance effort while monitoring protects data by acting on threats. Prioritizing security requires companies to carry out an audit and monitor their cybersecurity measures continually.

What is compliance?

Compliance refers to the establishment and implementation of rules to all stakeholders of an organization.

In a company set up, compliance implies the identification, assessment, and analyzing the risk. After that, writing policies with clear reasons why the company accepted, mitigated, transferred, or declined the risks.

What is continuous monitoring?

Cybercriminals are continually updating their methods of identifying new vulnerabilities. The latest vulnerabilities, also known as ‘zero-day’ attacks, are not common. Malicious intruders, however, evolve ransomware and malware to hide and avoid detection continuously. Anti-malware can, however, protect a company from a researched infection type. A malware that is a better and newer version with advanced capabilities may overpower it.

When you monitor your system and process throughout, you are in a better place to provide a real-time capability that shows possible threats against IT systems. The incorporation of machine learning tools ensure that your controls are productive at the same time, gives you a heads-up on any new potential risks.

What is continuous auditing?

The practice of continuous auditing gives a real-time and in-depth analytic evidence which demonstrates how keenly an organization adheres to security procedures and policies. Systems face new threats often as the risks evolve; hence, security measures need new approaches as well. According to risk analysts, new controls should consider new threats landscape. It is the work of internal auditors to oversee a consistent application of established authorities to all information systems.

Auditors must review evidence independently, as well as document the performance of tasks related to security. Such tasks are like log review, patch management, and incidence response. If the auditing is not continuous, then the compliance and risk management activities measurement is time bound. Consistent auditing will result in real-time evidence of ongoing control implementation. Otherwise, it would be a static sampling of evidence or snapshot in time evaluation. Its integration into the compliance work process ensures the implementation of procedures and policies throughout the organization.

Traditional Audit

Traditional audits are time bound. You will need to provide documentation for a while at the auditors’ request. With IT, the security audits require more significant insights into how the company manages threats that face networks and systems.

Continuous Auditing

You will need an automated system for continuous auditing to collect indicators, all documentation, and pointers about your transactions, processes, information systems, and controls. The cost should be low enough to take you off point-in-time reviews. When you carry out auditing activities continually helps you to know your environment and identify timely noncompliance.

What is the difference between continuous auditing and continuous monitoring?

Continuous monitoring and continuous auditing both use automated tools for the provision of real-time data. The information they provide, however, is for different audiences.

More specifically, continuous monitoring gives management the ability to respond to anything that threatens the risk assessment and business processes. Financial firms will identify potential attacks and abuse before a breach happens when utilizing continuous monitoring process automation. Besides that, they can also ensure the organization complies to Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). You can prevent breaches by privately identifying and remediating potential incidents. The violations would often lead to bad publicity and attract regulatory investigation.

On the other hand, continuous auditing makes it possible for auditors to collect the log information that needs to support conclusions regarding compliance. As opposed to sampling a small percentage of the processes and transactions, the internal auditor reviews them all. It is more crucial for financial services organizations as continuous auditing gives regulators the documentation that audit needs.

Though continuous auditing and continuous monitoring complement each other, they collect different documentation. If you need information about the effectiveness of your controls against malicious intruders, then constant monitoring tools are helpful. Continuous audits give the documentation that proves the required response towards standard regulations.

Where do continuous monitoring and continuous auditing fit into a “security-first” compliance program?

Prioritizing security in compliance requires the establishment of controls and protecting information from potential threats continuously. You can protect information by monitoring any attempted intrusions of your networks and systems constantly. This also speeds up compliance efforts that meet new standards and regulations.

Standards and regulations focus on managements’ governance over your compliance program of the cybersecurity continuously. A continuous monitoring tool enables the management to see threats and will help them to make decisions based on risk tolerance.

After you respond, update your risk assessments and control as proof of your compliance with the set standards and regulations. With continuous audit tools, your internal auditor can review your security controls to align with compliance status.

To support the audit of your procedures and controls, you need a tool that will connect the continuous monitoring of a security-prioritized approach to the processes and set guidelines.

When used interchangeably, auditing and monitoring can cause a lot of confusion in an organization. Though separate definition and term usage, these two should apply as a joint concept and not use one in place of another.

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Published in FAUN — Developer Community 🐾

We help developers learn and grow by keeping them up with what matters. 👉 www.faun.dev

Written by Rob Ellis

Jordan MacAvoy is the Vice President of Strategy at Reciprocity and manages the company’s revenue growth.

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