What is a DataComm IT Audit?
DataComm’s IT Audit is a full-scope review of your technology environment, cybersecurity posture, and IT governance. It’s designed to be both comprehensive and practical, addressing:
- Cybersecurity and IT-related risks
- IT operational resilience
- Areas of IT regulatory concern
A full review typically includes all of the following:
- Cybersecurity / IT General Controls Review
- Internal Security Assessment
- External Security Assessment
- Social Engineering Security Assessment
You don’t just get a list of issues—you get clear ratings, context, and a prioritized roadmap your teams can act on.
Why do organizations invest in IT audit?
Today’s IT environments are under pressure from every direction:
- Evolving cyber threats targeting networks, systems, and people
- Regulatory expectations for controls, testing, and documented oversight
- Aging or rapidly changing infrastructure that can create hidden gaps
- Limited in-house time to perform deep, objective assessments
A DataComm IT Audit helps you:
- Identify real, exploitable weaknesses before attackers do
- Demonstrate due diligence to regulators, customers, and your board
- Align IT practices with security frameworks and regulatory requirements
- Build a practical remediation plan instead of a static report
How a DataComm IT Audit works
We break the engagement into clear phases so stakeholders always know what’s happening and why.
Define scope & objectives
We begin by defining what “success” looks like:
- Identify in-scope locations, systems, applications, and users
- Confirm regulatory drivers (e.g., GLBA, HIPAA, PCI, SOX, or internal policies)
- Decide which components of the full IT audit are required
- Establish timelines, communication protocols, and change controls
You receive a written audit plan that sets expectations for everyone involved.
Cybersecurity / IT General Controls Review
We examine how your IT and security are managed at a governance and controls level:
- Information security program, policies, and risk management practices
- User access management and privileged access controls
- System logging, monitoring, and incident response procedures
- Change and configuration management, including patching and hardening
- Backup, business continuity, and disaster recovery capabilities
- Vendor and third-party risk management
- Security awareness and training
This phase blends documentation review, interviews, and targeted technical validation to determine whether your controls are appropriately designed and operating as intended.
Internal Security Assessment
We evaluate your security posture inside the network, where many attacks ultimately end up:
- Authenticated scanning of in-scope servers, workstations, and infrastructure devices
- Identification of missing patches, insecure services, and weak protocols
- Review of internal segmentation and the potential for lateral movement
- Identification of legacy systems and high-risk internal exposures
The goal is to answer: If someone gets inside, how far could they go—and how quickly would you notice?
External Security Assessment
We analyze your internet-facing systems from an outsider’s perspective:
- Discovery and review of in-scope external IPs, domains, and services
- Identification of exposed services, outdated software, and known vulnerabilities
- Validation of perimeter protections and secure configuration
- Assessment of the risk posed by what attackers can see from the internet
This helps you understand how your organization appears to attackers and where to focus perimeter hardening.
Social Engineering Security Assessment
We test the human element, which is often the easiest way into an organization:
- Controlled phishing-style email campaigns
- Phone-based social engineering against agreed user groups
- Optional onsite testing (e.g., tailgating, badge/access challenges)
Activities are carefully planned and non-destructive, but realistic enough to measure how well employees and processes respond to actual social engineering tactics.
Analysis, Ratings & Prioritization
We consolidate all assessment work into a clear, risk-based view:
- Correlate findings across internal, external, and controls reviews
- Assign straightforward ratings for each major area:
- Internal security assessment – Satisfactory / Needs Improvement / Unsatisfactory
- External security assessment – Satisfactory / Needs Improvement / Unsatisfactory
- Cybersecurity / IT general controls review – Satisfactory / Needs Improvement / Unsatisfactory
- For Social Engineering testing, each test/target/location receives an individual pass or fail rating
- Highlight “quick wins” and strategic remediations that reduce the most risk
You get more than technical detail—you get a story about where you stand and what to do next.
Reporting, Presentation & Remediation Support
We deliver results in a way that’s useful across the organization:
- Executive Summary – business-level view suitable for leaders and boards
- Detailed Technical Report – specific findings, evidence, and affected systems
- Prioritized Remediation Roadmap – recommended actions with suggested timelines
- Optional remediation workshops to help plan and launch improvement efforts
- Optional retesting to validate that key issues have been addressed
Our aim is to ensure the audit drives measurable improvement, not just compliance.
Key capabilities of DataComm IT Audit
- End-to-end cybersecurity & IT controls review: governance, policy, risk management, and technical safeguards in one engagement.
- Internal & external security assessments: credentialed internal scanning and focused external assessment to highlight real risk.
- Human-focused security testing: social engineering scenarios that test awareness, processes, and escalation paths.
- Ratings that leaders understand: simple, consistent ratings and pass/fail outcomes that make risk easy to communicate.
- Actionable recommendations: practical remediation guidance that your teams can implement and track.
What you get with a DataComm IT Audit
A typical IT Audit engagement includes:
Who DataComm IT Audit is for
This service is a strong fit if:
- You operate in a regulated or security-sensitive industry
- You need an independent view of IT and cybersecurity risk
- You’re preparing for regulatory exams, customer due diligence, or board reviews
- Your environment has changed rapidly (growth, M&A, cloud adoption, remote work)
- You want a holistic IT risk review, not just a vulnerability scan
USE CASES
Explore the Possible Applications of an IT Audit
Preparing for a regulatory exam or major client review
- Perform a full-scope IT audit aligned with your regulatory landscape
- Use findings and remediation plans to address issues before the exam
- Demonstrate a proactive, risk-based oversight of IT and cybersecurity
Validating controls after rapid change
- Assess the impact of recent migrations, expansions, or new technologies
- Identify gaps in access control, monitoring, and configuration management
- Give leadership confidence that security has kept pace with change
Building a 12–24 month security roadmap
- Use IT Audit findings to prioritize security investments and initiatives
- Align projects with real risk reduction, not just “best practice” checklists
- Measure progress through follow-up testing and ongoing reviews
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common questions
No. Scanning is only one component. A DataComm IT Audit also examines governance, policies, procedures, and user behavior, plus how well controls operate in practice.
We plan work to minimize impact—scheduling scans and interviews around critical periods and using safe, proven methods for testing and validation.
Many organizations benefit from a comprehensive IT audit every 12–24 months, with lighter follow-up testing (e.g., focused scans, social engineering campaigns) more frequently.
Yes. Many tasks can be performed remotely, while certain activities—especially internal assessments and key interviews—may benefit from onsite work. We’ll tailor the approach.
We provide detailed remediation guidance and can assist with planning, prioritization, and post-remediation validation as part of a broader engagement.
Next steps
To tailor a DataComm IT Audit to your organization, we recommend documenting:
- Your core systems, locations, and user populations
- Any upcoming exams, client assessments, or board presentations
- Key concerns (e.g., ransomware, insider risk, remote access, compliance)
Ready to harden your network against active threats?
Schedule an IT Audit discovery call with DataComm to scope a cyber and IT controls review that fits your size, risk profile, and regulatory landscape.