Audit Readiness
The state of being prepared for a compliance audit at any time, with all necessary documentation, evidence, and controls in place. Continuous audit readiness replaces the traditional 'audit scramble' approach with always-on compliance monitoring and evidence collection.
Audit readiness represents a shift from reactive, periodic compliance activities to a continuous state of preparedness. Rather than scrambling to gather evidence and fix gaps before an audit, organizations maintain always-current documentation, automated evidence collection, and real-time control monitoring.
Key components of audit readiness include a complete and current control framework mapped to relevant standards, automated evidence collection from integrated systems, continuous monitoring dashboards showing control effectiveness, clear ownership and accountability for each control, and documented policies and procedures that reflect actual practices.
Compliance automation platforms like Matproof enable continuous audit readiness by automatically collecting evidence from cloud infrastructure, identity providers, and other systems. This reduces the manual effort typically associated with audit preparation by up to 90% and ensures that organizations are always prepared for scheduled or unannounced audits.
Related Terms
Continuous Monitoring
An ongoing process of observing, evaluating, and maintaining awareness of information security controls, vulnerabilities, and threats. Continuous monitoring ensures that compliance status is maintained between formal audits and enables rapid detection of control failures.
Evidence Collection
The process of gathering, organizing, and maintaining documentation that demonstrates compliance with specific controls and requirements. Automated evidence collection integrates with IT systems to continuously capture proof of control effectiveness.
SOC 2 (System and Organization Controls)
A compliance framework developed by the AICPA that defines criteria for managing customer data based on five Trust Services Criteria: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. SOC 2 reports are essential for SaaS companies and service providers.
ISO 27001
The international standard for information security management systems (ISMS). ISO 27001 provides a systematic approach to managing sensitive company information, ensuring it remains secure through a framework of policies, processes, and technical controls.
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